ANTH 220 SPRING 2013
Faculty: Denice Szafran
Office: Sturges 13F
Class: T-TH
11:30-12:45 Welles 24
Phone:
245-5174
Ofc Hrs: T-Th 2-3:30
FINAL: Thursday May 9th 8-11 am Email: szafran@geneseo.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an introduction to the science of linguistics, the study
of language in terms of its nature, structure, social use, and cognitive as
well as psychological foundations. The primary concern, however, will be
linguistic analysis. Not only will you be exposed to the analytic techniques of
linguistics, but you are expected to use them to discover the principles that
organize a language and govern its change over time. The major topics of
investigation will include the design features of language, phonetics, phonemic
and morphemic analysis, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, historical
reconstructions, language variation, as well as language and the mind.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the nature,
structure, use, and analysis of language
by taking a midterm and a final examinations.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct phonetic,
phonemic, morphemic, syntactic, and
historical analyses in homework and quizzes.
• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linguistic
theories and research skills through analysis
of linguistic data in homework and quizzes, and through participation in classroom discussions.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Language Files, 11th ed. Department of Linguistics, Columbus, OH: Ohio State
University, 2011.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Homework Assignments:
There will be a total of ten homework assignments on the material we’ve read and/or discussed in class. The homework is on myCourses. Some can be answered right online and are set up as assessments. Some are uploaded in pdf format, and these assignments must be printed and handed in. All assignments will be available after class on Thursdays and are due at the beginning of class – that means at 11:30 am - on the following Tuesday, no exceptions!
Exams:
There will be two exams for the class, a midterm and a final. The final exam will be take-home which I will hand out on the last day of class. We will meet on the day scheduled for your final, May 9th at 10 am (note the change from the official campus schedule!), to hand them in and discuss what you have researched. You MUST show up on final exam day in order to receive credit for the exam!
GRADES
Your final grade will have the following distribution:
Midterm
25%
Final
Exam 25%
Quizzes/homework 40%
Participation 10%
Grading scale:
93 -100 A 73 – 76.9 C
90 – 92.9 A- 70 – 72.9 C-
87 – 89.9 B+ 67 – 69.9 D+
83 – 86.9 B 63 – 66.9 D
80 – 82.9 B- > 62.9 E
77 – 79.9 C+
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:
· Deadlines: No late work will be accepted. I understand that there may be situations where you just cannot get work to me on time, or that you may miss an exam – illness, accidents, deaths in the family – but “my printer broke” or “I crashed my computer” are old, as are the variations of it. If you have a very good reason why your work was/will be late (with documentation), please notify me as soon as possible, and we can work something out.
· Attendance: Show up for class.
· Plagiarism: Presenting another person's work as your own (including downloading materials from the Internet, multiple submissions of the same work, unauthorized collaboration, falsification and/or any other violation of academic integrity) is unacceptable and will result in a 0 grade on the assignment and/or a failing grade in the course.
· Students with disabilities or special needs should contact the Office of Disability Services. Based on recommendations from that office, students may receive needed assistance, such as additional time or a quiet space to take exams, a reader for exams, and so on.
· Teaching Philosophy: I teach my classes with the broadest possible examples and try to tie them in to your everyday life and ordinary experiences. I believe that the best educational experiences occur in an open and participatory environment. There will be no "trick questions" on the exams or assignments, and I will make every effort to ensure that you understand exactly what is expected of you.
· Cell phones: If you are facing an emergency situation which necessitates that you keep your phone on, please notify me before the class begins and be as discrete as you can while in class. Otherwise, I expect that your phone will either be off, or set to vibrate, unless we are using smart phones for research during class. Of course, text messaging during class is rude and out of the question.
· Laptop use in the classroom creates new and exciting possibilities for teachers and students when used appropriately. Negative participation (surfing, gaming, chatting, emailing) in class is prohibited. Any student found to violate this policy will be asked to discontinue use of the laptop (or PDA, phone, etc) for the remainder of the class period. A second occurrence will result in the removal of the student’s laptop privileges for the remainder of the semester and will reduce your grade because you are a distraction to others sitting nearby, and to me.
· Discussion guidelines: Everyone is expected to comport themselves in a manner that does not convey to others in this classroom any disrespect, intolerance, or rude behavior based on age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, physical attributes, disability, or marital, veteran, or socioeconomic status. Bottom line: if it’s rude or intended to be rude, don’t say it.
COURSE SCHEDULE
1 1/22 – 1/24 Introduction, Syllabus, and Expectations
2 1/29 – 1/31 What is Linguistics? Chapter 1
3* 2/5 – 2/7 Phonetics Chapter 2
4* 2/12 – 2/14 Phonology Chapter 3
5* 2/19 – 2/21 Morphology Chapter 4
6* 2/26 – 2/28 Syntax Chapter 5
7* 3/5 – 3/7 Semantics Chapter 6
8 3/12 Review
3/14 MIDTERM
9 3/19 – 3/21 Spring Break
10* 3/26 Predicate Calculus and other mathematical linguistics
3/28 Pragmatics Chapter 7
11* 4/2 – 4/4 Pragmatics
12 4/9 – 4/11 Language Acquisition Chapter 8
13* 4/16 GREAT DAY
4/18 Language variation Chapter 10
Final exam handed out
14* 4/23 Language variation
4/25 Language Contact & Change Chapter 11 & 12
15* 4/30 Language Contact & Change
5/2 Language and Computers Chapter 15
16 5/7 Last day of class – review and possibly cookies
FINAL EXAM Thursday May 9, 8-11 am
* Weeks with an asterisk are weeks you will have homework/quizzes