Emotion management is an ever-present concern of participants in social situations. Emotions are often displayed through gestalts formed through embodied cues such as prosody, gaze direction and facial expressions lacking the more imperative accountability of a turn of talk. Thus, demonstrating participants’ orientation to some features of conversation as affective may be challenging. The task may be further complicated in institutional contexts where emotional displays are restricted by the institutional task and the asymmetrical roles that the participants orient to.

During this workshop, the participants will strengthen their skills in identifying and studying emotions in interaction. They will improve their understanding of key challenges related to analyzing emotional displays, particularly in institutional encounters, and obtain insights into the researcher’s role in overcoming these challenges. The course begins with an introduction by the organizers followed by data-based examples on ways to trace potential generic and distinct features across different institutional contexts. Thereafter, the participants will work on data-based practical exercises, and the course will end with a data session. Participants will receive a reading list to familiarize themselves with before the course. They may also bring short segments from their own data, if available.

Facilitated by: Johanna Ruusuvuori and Julia Katila