Colloquium: Dilemmas of Academic Discourse

Studying academic colloquium as a dilemmatic situation, the author of this work describes this situation as a communiactive occasion involving tensions and contradiction. The focus has three layers of meaning, beginning with the character of the problems that particpants face. The second layer involves how a dilemmatic frame can shape understanding of conversational action. Against a dilemmatic backdrop, mundane, trivial conversational actions in colloquia should become recognizable as strategic moves to accomplish interpersonal and group goals. The final layer concerns suitable situational ideals. Having analyzed the problems and conversational practices, Karen Tracy considers how academicians ought to conduct themselves in colloquium.