Detecting ideological stance in an economics lecture: A multi-faceted approach

The discipline of economics encompasses both theoretical concepts and empirical methods for the study of human behaviours, as well as competing schools of thought and ideologies that students need to engage with and reflect upon. During an economics lecture, the lecturer has an important role in helping students accomplish this goal. However, as an individual, the lecturer also holds personal ideological positions that may emerge during the lecture and elude L2 listeners. The aim of this paper is to propose a systematic and comprehensive procedure for detecting ideological stance in a university lecture. In a case study, I apply Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis to show how ideological stance emerges in an economics lecture and how semiotic resources beyond verbal language contribute to its expression. This process was facilitated by the use of multimodal annotation software to analyse verbal expressions of ideological stance (e.g., evaluative language, rhetorical elements) and co-occurring nonverbal cues (e.g., prosodic features, gaze direction, gesturing). The method was able to shed light on how the lecturer’s contemporaneous use of multiple semiotic modes worked synergistically in the expression of ideological meanings in relation to a controversial issue (i.e., access to healthcare in the United States) in subtle but distinctive ways that were linked to the lecturer’s background and to the broader socio-political issues of the research context. The method could be leveraged to inform ESP settings to assist L2 learners in acquiring a better understanding of lecturers’ stance towards content, thus resulting in a more complete, effective, and satisfying lecture experience.