Introduction

I may think that I am telling you the truth; however, what I tell you may not be true. Subtly and, sometimes, consciously and, other times, unconsciously, I may deceive. Like every speaker and writer, I convey many hidden meanings through each utterance and written word.

MAIS 638: What I tell You May Not Be True: Autobiography, Discourse Analysis, and Post-Colonialism is an online reading course designed as a foundational course for research with human subjects or for researching discourse and narratives in humanities and social-sciences disciplines-for example English and literary criticism, linguistics, sociology, history, anthropology, cultural studies, First-Nations studies, Canadian studies, and women's studies. The course provides an overview of recent discoveries in autobiography, discourse analysis, and post-colonialism. Here, these three topics of study are explored together because they share a concern for the nuances of language. The introduction to each of these three disciplines will give students the tools for effective interpretation and analysis of life writings, conversations, and interviews.

The course explores the many ways in which deception occurs through language. Hence, it is useful to researchers concerned with experiences described in any written or oral form, from autobiographies and letters to interviews and informal conversations. It is also useful to students exploring these genres and forms across different cultures. For example, students from First-Nations backgrounds may describe their life experiences, or students from the dominant culture may study First-Nations or Asian experiences. Thus the course focuses in part on post-colonialism. An optional section on "Interviewing and Qualitative Analysis of Interviews" offers practical advice for students engaged in collecting new data through interviews, perhaps as the basis for their MAIS final project.

Autobiography: Literary analysis of autobiography and other forms of life writing searches for ways in which the subject, the "I," disguises the true "self" in written narratives. Critical theories of autobiography explore issues such as truth, selectivity, memory, and subjectivity, issues that have been of concern in this growing discipline inspired in the last decades of the twentieth century by, among others, Philippe Lejeune and Roy Pascal. Recent scholarship focuses on effects of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and age, as well as on issues arising in specific disciplines that use autobiography.

Discourse Analysis: Studies in discourse analysis pursue ways in which spoken words disguise truth. The readings assigned on discourse analysis offer practical advice for analyzing discourse-that is, the language of communication. While theories of autobiography are often grounded in criticism of structure and content from a literary critic's perspective, theories of discourse analysis derive from a cultural critic's perspective, often a perspective concerned with links between language and power. Discourse analysis is generally concerned more with spoken words than with the written words of autobiography, more with conversation than with written text. Inspired by Saussure, Barthes, Derrida, and Foucault, practitioners of discourse analysis examine the ways in which language operates to express cultural realities-in particular, ways in which personal expressions of communication relate to the public, political realm. The course readings highlight concerns for qualitative and quantitative research in various forms of discourse analysis, especially critical discourse analysis (CDA) and conversational discourse analysis, as exemplified by feminist scholars such as Sara Mills and Deborah Tannen.

Post-Colonialism: Studies in post-colonialism note the complexities of intercultural language-for example, the hidden meanings of words written and spoken between members of dominant and minority cultures. The course readings on post-colonial theory focus on global concerns of post-colonialism addressed by cultural critics such as Edward Said and Bill Ashcroft, who focus on the ramifications of imperialist forces on groups that experience oppression through colonialism. Readings take up issues specific to, among others, Canadian immigrants and people of the First Nations and Third World. For some Canadians, the post-colonial reality may seem more evident in places such as India than it does in Canada, since habit and self-satisfaction may blur awareness. Like discourse analysis, post-colonial theory examines relationships in power structures.

Course Evaluation

Students studying the three main sections of MAIS 638 will be evaluated on the following assignments:

Students studying the three main sections and the optional section of MAIS 638 will be evaluated on the following assignments:

You may also tailor your work in this course to fit your research needs. Thus, instead of choosing either of the two options above, you may choose to develop a learning contract with your course professor soon after the beginning of the course. The learning contract is a letter of agreement between the professor and the student.

The contract should provide the following information:

• a detailed plan stating the work that you will carry out
• a list of learning objectives
• the subjects to be studied (for example, do you intend to complete the optional Part IV of the course on interviewing and qualitative analysis of interviews?)
• the intended outcomes
• details about the resources and strategies-that is, how your learning will support your research area, where you will search for sources
• the assignments that you will complete
• the grade weights of your assignments, and their due dates
• a plan for assessing the work undertaken
• a description of the role of the course professor

To receive credit for this course, you must successfully complete the assignments and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. The Master of Arts-Integrated Studies grading system is available online at the MAIS home page. Please note that it is your responsibility to maintain your program status. Any student who receives a grade of "F" in one course, or a grade of "C" in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.

Course Materials

There are no print-based materials for this course.

Athabasca University Materials

Course Guide: The Course Guide contains the course introduction, objectives, commentary, reading assignments, assignments, and other information that students will need to complete the course successfully.

Digital Reading File: The assigned readings can be accessed via the MAIS 638: What I Tell You May Not Be True: Autobiography, Discourse Analysis, and Post-Colonialism Digital Reading File, which is linked to the course home page.