PSC 221 - Discourse Analysis

Course Units: 1

The phrase abra cadabra, known from childhood fairy tales as a magic spell, literally means: what is said will become. Language is never just a neutral tool, it is power, it is identity, it is the ground on which our realities are built. Words create worlds. Today, in a landscape saturated with social media feeds, YouTube clips, TikTok trends, Instagram reels, Facebook posts, and the constant churn of “news” and opinion, discourse doesn’t simply inform us, it shapes how we think about ourselves, how we speak to ourselves, and what choices we believe are possible. For a modern person, struggling to keep balance in the insane ocean of lightning-fast, contradictory, and unverified information, the ability to see behind the surface of words is no less than a survival skill. This course equips students to understand how discourse produces meaning, how it channels emotions, how it legitimizes power, and how it influences everyday life, helping them preserve clarity and sanity in a world where language creates reality as much as it describes it. Prerequisite(s): One 100-level PSC course or instructor permission.