What Are Course Syllabi Telling Students? Critical Discourse Analysis of Classroom Power Relationships

Abstract

College EFL language learners are often encouraged by faculty members to deconstruct authority and become active decision makers and participants in the learning process. To determine whether EFL language learners are participants in the learning process or simply subjects of teaching programs, this study critically examined how language functions in syllabi and how teachers, and thus, teacher-student relationships, are textually represented in higher education. The research involved analyzing the syllabi of 5 core listening and speaking courses in an English degree program at a Taiwanese university. A critical discourse analysis of semiotic structures, word choice and lexical connotations, significant absences, and the force of utterances was conducted. The results indicated that an unequal teacher-student power relationship was textually represented in the discourse of the syllabi. In the past two decades, most studies on classroom discourse in L1 and L2 settings have focused on in-class discourse processes, particularly instructional discourse and teacher-student interaction during class time. Power relationships evident in course materials have yet to be explored. The current study addressed this gap in the literature, examining the teacher-student power relationship by conducting a critical discourse analysis of course syllabi.