Hi Stabilo,
Would you be able to request an extension? I really think it would be worth it if you could get one.
Have you narrowed your choice of papers and data down?
I think you can say '5 claim' but ideally for Discourse Analysis you want to be analyzing abstracts of text from each of the '5' that claim ... As the discourse that each of the sources use is important.
Usually for a Discourse Analysis paper you would still follow a basic Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Analysis, Discussion format. It's normal to focus on quite a small amount of data because there's a lot of D.A. to be done in a really tiny section of text.
I wrote a D.A. paper for my Psychology course (I'm not sure if you're studying Psych or Linguistics/Sociology- there might be subtle differences in D.A. depending on the area) a few years ago and got a high A grade. I started with:
‘I know you cant blame the children': discourse, discrimination and dealing with the unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.
A number of recent studies have explored the public response to asylum seekers and immigrants in the UK, yet few have investigated the response to unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). UASC pose a number of conflicts in public opinion, as the socially-accepted fundamental of child protection conflicts with prominent exclusionary anti-immigrant ideology. This discursive study investigates the construction of UASC through contrasting interpretative repertoires and rhetorical devices in online comments left in response to a tabloid newspaper article about UASC. Two alternative repertoires were found to constructed for opposing purposes: A ‘Financial burden’ repertoire, that portrays UASC as an economic burden, is employed to call for exclusionary policies; while an ‘Innocent child’ repertoire emphasises the plight of asylum-seeking minors, and appeals to other commenters to support the provision of financial aid for these children. Implications are discussed.
There are a few key terms in D.A.:
- Interpretive Repertoires
- Rhetorical devices
- Discursive construction
Hmm can't remember the rest, will look into it!