Overview
The PhD candidate will contribute to the integration of a move analysis (Swales 2004: 228-229) into ESP learning programs with the objective of improving reading comprehension for law. The Swalesian approach defines a move as a unit of communication: moves are “discoursal or rhetorical units performing coherent communicative functions in texts;” each move is realized by a number of concrete steps. The PhD candidate will work from an interdisciplinary perspective and contribute to the elaboration of a move analysis on United States Supreme Court judicial decisions. They will participate in the annotation process and will explore and evaluate how the annotated documents can be used on a teaching platform to improve reading comprehension in a data-driven learning approach.
Tasks:
• Participation in the construction of a corpus of judicial opinions in collaboration with the CRINI, LS2N, ATILF, LAIRDIL
• Collaboration in the identification and annotation of moves and steps in judicial opinions
• Contribution to the research on data-driven learning through the integration of move analysis in teaching/learning English for reading comprehension
• Writing up the results in co-authored or single-authored academic papers and the doctoral dissertation
Qualifications:
Requirements:
• Excellent academic record (may be more important than a specific background)
• Master’s degree completed in the fields of language teaching/learning, discourse analysis, English for Specific Purposes, applied linguistics, or closely related field
• English and French proficiency (at least B2) both spoken and written
• Some level of familiarity with discourse analysis
• Initiative and ability to work independently and as part of a team
Additional desired skills:
• Interest in legal English and/or English for Specific Purposes in general
• Knowledge of American law
• Knowledge and experience of using quantitative methods in applied linguistics
• Experience in working in interdisciplinary research projects
• Experience of teaching at university level
Specific requirements:
36 months
Educational level:
Master Degree
How to apply:
Please mention NLP People as a source when applying
The PhD candidate will contribute to the integration of a move analysis (Swales 2004: 228-229) into ESP learning programs with the objective of improving reading comprehension for law. The Swalesian approach defines a move as a unit of communication: moves are “discoursal or rhetorical units performing coherent communicative functions in texts;” each move is realized by a number of concrete steps. The PhD candidate will work from an interdisciplinary perspective and contribute to the elaboration of a move analysis on United States Supreme Court judicial decisions. They will participate in the annotation process and will explore and evaluate how the annotated documents can be used on a teaching platform to improve reading comprehension in a data-driven learning approach.
