discourse vs dissertation

discourse

noun
  • A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written. 

  • Expression in words, either speech or writing. 

  • An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault). 

  • Any rational expression, reason. 

verb
  • To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason. 

  • To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse. 

  • To write or speak formally and at length. 

dissertation

noun
  • A lengthy lecture on a subject; a treatise; a discourse; a sermon. 

  • A formal exposition of a subject, especially a research paper that students write in order to complete the requirements for a doctoral degree in the US and a non-doctoral degree in the UK; a thesis. 

How often have the words discourse and dissertation occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )