A Critical Discourse Analysis of Circular Letter 0013/2018 in Irish News Media
Abstract
In February 2018 the Department of Education published Circular Letter 0013/2018, which directed certain Irish State-run secondary schools (specifically, Community and ETB Post-primary Schools) to offer alternative subject choices to students who do not wish to participate in religious instruction or worship. The circular faced opposition from stakeholders such as the Catholic Church, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, and Education and Training Boards, among others. In October 2018 the Department of Education published a clarification (0062/2018) in respect of Section 5 of the circular in relation to the NCCA Religious Education syllabus and religious instruction, which greatly reduced the effects of the original circular.
By offering a pilot Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of articles from Irish news media that refer to Circular 0013/2018, this research will begin to uncover how religious education is framed and discursively presented to the public through Irish news media. The aim is to identify key modes of argumentation present in Irish news media regarding religious education. In so doing, it will identify the key stakeholders and what they are saying, or arguing, about religious education in Ireland. While Circular 0013/2018 focused on religious education in general, the way in which the Irish news media presented the discussion around the circular is significant for the future of Catholic education in Ireland. In particular, the modes of argumentation present in the Irish news media indicate the dominant discursive ideologies about Catholic education in Ireland and, as such, provide a window into how Catholic education in Ireland may be framed for the public in the future.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Circular Letter 0013/2018 in Irish News Media
In February 2018 the Department of Education published Circular Letter 0013/2018, which directed certain Irish State-run secondary schools (specifically, Community and ETB Post-primary Schools) to offer alternative subject choices to students who do not wish to participate in religious instruction or worship. The circular faced opposition from stakeholders such as the Catholic Church, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, and Education and Training Boards, among others. In October 2018 the Department of Education published a clarification (0062/2018) in respect of Section 5 of the circular in relation to the NCCA Religious Education syllabus and religious instruction, which greatly reduced the effects of the original circular.
By offering a pilot Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of articles from Irish news media that refer to Circular 0013/2018, this research will begin to uncover how religious education is framed and discursively presented to the public through Irish news media. The aim is to identify key modes of argumentation present in Irish news media regarding religious education. In so doing, it will identify the key stakeholders and what they are saying, or arguing, about religious education in Ireland. While Circular 0013/2018 focused on religious education in general, the way in which the Irish news media presented the discussion around the circular is significant for the future of Catholic education in Ireland. In particular, the modes of argumentation present in the Irish news media indicate the dominant discursive ideologies about Catholic education in Ireland and, as such, provide a window into how Catholic education in Ireland may be framed for the public in the future.