Browsing by Author "Huang, Cheng-Wen"

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    Argument as design: a multimodal approach to academic argument in a digital age
    (2015) Huang, Cheng-Wen; Archer, Arlene
    This study posits that using a range of modes and genres to construct argument can engender different ways of thinking about argument in the academic context. It investigates the potentials and constraints of adopting a multimodal approach to constructing academic argument. The research is situated within a seminar, in a second year Media course. Within this context, the study identifies the semiotic resources that students draw on and examines how they are employed to construct academic argument in three digital domains, namely video, comics and PowerPoint. Grounded in a theory of multimodal social semiotics, this study posits that argument is a product of design, motivated by the rhetor's interest in communicating a particular message, in a particular environment, and shaped by the available resources in the given environment. It proposes that argument is a cultural text form for bringing about difference (Kress 1989). This view of argument recognises that argument occurs in relation to mode, genre, discourse and medium. The study illustrates how each of these social categories shapes argument through textual analysis. A framework based on Halliday's metafunctional principle is proposed to analyse argument in multimodal texts. The framework combines theories from rhetoric and social semiotics. It offers analysis of ideational content, the ways social relations are established, and how organising principles assist in establishing coherence in argument. The analysis of the data (video, comics and PowerPoint presentations) demonstrates that the framework can be applied across genres and media. The significance of the study is threefold. Theoretically, it contributes towards theorising a theory of argument from a multimodal perspective. Methodologically, it puts forward a framework for analysing multimodal arguments. Pedagogically, it contributes towards developing and interrogating a pedagogy of academic argument that is relevant to contemporary communication practices.
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    Discursive constructions of medical students identities in informal course-based online discussions
    (Taylor & Francis, 2008) Huang, Cheng-Wen; Archer, Arlene
    Studies into student identity have tended to focus on formal academic writing for assessment purposes. However, this is beginning to change with a shifting academic and semiotic landscape. More and more tertiary institutions are making use of the writing opportunities afforded by the online environment. Online forums are popular as they promote interaction and discussion among students. This change in the academic landscape has allowed for new approaches to studying the discursive constructions of student identity. Using critical discourse analysis, this paper explores how students construct their identities in informal course-based online discussions in Higher Education. It focuses on the various discourses medical students draw on and the language of online communication in identity construction. By providing a site for students to interact with each other, these online discussions provide for a more active curriculum where students are involved in the meaning-making process.
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    A multimodal social semiotic approach to the analysis of manga : a metalanguage for sequential visual narratives
    (2009) Huang, Cheng-Wen; Archer, Arlene
    This study contributes towards an understanding of the nature of sequential visual narratives, how different semiotic resources may be employed to construct a visual narrative and how sequence of images may be developed. Over the years, extensive research has been undertaken in the area of still images. However, the particularities of meanings made in sequential images remain relatively unexplored. The significance of the study is that it contributes towards an understanding of sequential narratives by proposing a metalanguage for manga. The term ‘manga’ refers to comics that originate from Japan and it is currently a trend in popular culture worldwide.