Digital Lecture Series "Seen But Unnoticed? How Social Roles and Norms are Co-Constructed Through Interaction in the Media"

A digital lecture by Professor Dr. Inga Harren (Heidelberg University of Education).

Conversation Analysis provides methodological instruments to uncover the mechanisms of talk and helps to understand how social norms and roles are co-constructed and negotiated in social interactions. This lecture analyses two exemplary talk show episodes and addresses the following questions:

  • How is the picture of a person with physical disability constructed through a conversation in the analysed talk show? How is it negotiated? Looking at the German talk show "Wetten, dass", we will examine how ascriptions of specialness and deficiency are rejected by a person with paraplegia.
  • How is the role of an expert (de-)constructed and defended in interaction? An example from the German talk show "Markus Lanz – Talkrunde" will be used to analyse how a female virologist fights for her right to speak and be heard as an expert in a round table discussion.

Based on these two cases Harren argues that Conversation Analysis can help to develop a critical view of how the media construct social roles, norms and rights in talks and conversations, and that it can be one tool among others to promote critical awareness in teacher education and beyond.

The online-event is part of the joint interdisciplinary initiative by the Heidelberg School of Education and Teachers College (Columbia University). The lecture will take place on Tuesday, September 21st at 6 p.m. The lecture will be held in English and via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/98669976704?pwd=SXVsZnR1eUw0YW1zNWJuekNLZTBrZz09 (Meeting-ID: 986 6997 6704; Password: 134625); no prior registration required.

You can find more information at www.hse-heidelberg.de/cml.

About Heidelberg School of Education
The HSE was founded in 2015 as a joint cross-university institution of Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University of Education. It represents the institutional, strategic and ideational center of cooperative teacher education at the Heidelberg site. Their development and sustainable establishment are being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the framework of the Quality Initiative for Teacher Education until December 31, 2018, and in a modified form until the end of 2023.