|
|
|
|
|
ENG 232: Language Awareness Section
01 - TR |
Instructor: Dr. Bensyl
Office: Eder Hall 222 I
Office Hours: MW
Phone: 816-271-5936
Email: bensyl@missouriwestern.edu
Course Philosophy and Objectives
|
|
|
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty
said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to
mean--neither more nor less." -- Lewis Caroll, Through the Looking Glass
-- Derek Walcott, Writers at Work
-- Lord Byron, Beppo
-- Caliban in Shakespeare's The Tempest |
Are you convinced your dog understands you
when you talk to her? Do you think you have an "accent" or think that
other people "talk funny"? Do you wonder how young children acquire
language long before they can tie their own shoes? Are you interested in
extraterrestrial communication? Do you enjoy the witty wordplay in cartoons?
These are just some of the topics that we cover in ENG232, an introductory
linguistics course. Linguistics is about more than just theories about
language's roots, structures, and functions; it's about the essential place of
language in our lives. Language is fun. This class is designed to show you just
how cool (as in
- study linguists' theories about the roots, acquisition, nature, and functions of language
- learn about the sounds, structures, and symbols of language
- debate issues of language in relation to speech communities, culture, and gender
- explore constructed languages and attempts at interspecies and extraterrestrial communication
- examine the current state of language and its future
- understand and appreciate linguistic variety.
Required Materials
Textbook:
- Clark,
Virginia P., Paul A. Eschholz and Alfred F.,
eds.
- Thomas,
Lee and Stephen Tchudi. The English Language:
An Owner's Manual.
Other:
- Access to a good Collegiate Dictionary, like the fourth edition of The American Heritage College Dictionary
- A Computer flash drive or CD-RWs
- Photocopies of various sources
- Pocket folder for turning in Etymology Report
Assignments
Daily Assignments and
Quizzes
Daily assignments include answering questions
about the readings, doing field research, learning to divide language into its
components, and creating messages to send to other worlds. Some activities will
extend beyond class time and require work outside of class. The reading
questions and activities will highlight the important points from our readings
and will help you prepare for the final exam. There will be frequent (read:
pretty much daily) quizzes over the reading assignments. Quizzes cannot be made
up. They will be done on WebCT, during the first ten
minutes of the class hour.
Etymology Report
We will write a one page (~500 words) paper that
reports on the history of a basic word as it developed from its Indo-European
root to its modern usage using the the Oxford
English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language. Papers will use internal MLA documentation for citation.
Final
Exam
The Final Exam will will
be drawn from the readings, films, lectures, activities, discussions, and
quizzes. The exam will be done on WebCT, just like
most of the quizzes were. You will be given some indication on a day-to-day
basis of the kinds of knowledge you will need to retain for the final exam, as
well as a study guide late in the semester to help you prepare for the
knowledge portion of the exam. The best preparation, though, comes daily, by
taking good notes and by reviewing those notes often. If you have an
A-average going into the Final Exam OR you are satisfied with your overall
course grade, you may opt out of taking the Final Exam.
Have Fun
And I mean it. Don't let academic sounding essay
titles like "Developmental Milestones in Motor and Language
Development" discourage you! Even the most abstruse essay contains some
fascinating bits of language lore that we will enjoy testing, debating,
mangling, and dismantling. And while technical jargon will be required
learning, really, really, really technical jargon will merely be bandied
about in class in the spirit of "so that's
what that's called!" and "hmm, isn't that interesting?"
and "geez, who'd have thought?"
Grading
Over the course of the semester, you will read a
variety of essays about language and linguistics. In addition to the readings
and quizzes, you will do a number of daily assignments and quizzes, write an
OED report, and take a final exam. The quality of your work, the percentage of
the work that you complete, and your efforts at participation will determine
your final grade.
Your Final Grade Distribution is as follows, if you choose to take the Final Exam:
- Daily Assignments and Quizzes = 50%
- Etymology Report = 10%
- Final Exam = 40%
Your Final Grade Distribution is as follows, if you choose NOT to take the Final Exam:
- Daily Assignments and Quizzes = 90%
- Etymology Report = 10%
Other Requirements
Attendance and
Promptness
Attendance is mandatory. School functions,
illness, and personal crisis do not absolve you from your classroom
obligations, so while due consideration is given to the student struck by
lightening on the way to class, an absence cannot be designated as
"excused" or "unexcused"--it simply "is." I
consider two absences to be reasonable, but keep in mind that any absence can
affect your final grade, as you are not here to take quizzes, participate, or
turn in your work. Chronic lateness will count toward this total.
Regular attendance is an essential part of the student's educational experience and a requirement for an adequate evaluation of student academic progress. You are responsible for material covered or assignments given which you missed because of absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. No quizzes can be made up or late assignments accepted unless you have a well-documented emergency.
You should note, however, that mere attendance does not mean you will pass the course. You must perform adequately on the tasks required and show initiative in completing the course requirements.
As some of you know, in order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100 and 200 level courses. The University allows you an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. All other absences will be deemed unexcused. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report is three (based on our twice per week meeting schedule). Thus, when you have four unexcused absences I must report you to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate.
Participation And
Preparation
You are expected to make significant
contributions to the class in the form of participation and preparation.
Participation includes the oral contributions you make and your efforts to be a
part of our discourse community. Preparation includes doing the daily readings
and assignments, as well as engaging exuberantly in our activities. Keep in
mind that live classroom discussion
· gives you practice arguing with others respectfully and professionally
· gives you opportunities to formulate applications of principles
· gives you prompt feedback on difficult or confusing issues and material
· increases your retention of material through explaining, summarizing, and questioning.
Sharing
Your Work
Students are expected to share their writings
and other work with members of the course, and all work that a student produces
may be shared by the instructor with the class for purposes of example and
training. Such work will be as anonymous as possible. Finally, the instructor
may share your work anonymously with future classes or in her own writing and
research.
Classroom Courtesy
Practice courteous and respectful exchanges. We,
as students of language, should be particularly careful to note how tone and
language contribute to the overall impression of our words. The University
expects all students to conduct themselves so as to maintain an effective
environment for learning, to act responsibly in accordance with good taste, and
to respect fully the rights of others.
Student Disability
Any student in this course who has a disability
that prevents the fullest expression of abilities must contact me during the
first week so that we can discuss class requirements.
Late Work
All assignments are due at the beginning of the
hour on the due date, unless otherwise specified. Learning is a cumulative
process and each assignment in this course is designed to build on the last
assignment; therefore, late work disrupts this important aspect of the learning
process. Therefore, no daily work will be accepted late and quizzes can not
be made up or started late without a well-documented emergency. The OED report
has a grace period of NO MORE THAN 24 hours from the due date/time for
technical difficulties. No work will be accepted after the last class day
before the final exam.
Computer Usage
You will be called upon to read some materials
online, use WebCT, and utilize computers in and
outside of class time. Your OED Report must be word processed in MSWord.
University Academic
Honesty Policy and Due Process
Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic
honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for
another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other
fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing
grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the
University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic
honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the
Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.
Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific
activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process
procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf
Course Policy on Academic Honesty
. . . it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. -- Herman Melville
Plagiarism is literally the stealing of others' words and ideas and using them as your own. Make every effort to give credit where credit is due, and if you are not sure of "how"--ask. You are responsible for proving that all work turned in for grading is your own original work. Work with evidence of plagiarism, intentional or not, will receive a zero and may result in failure of the course. Students who cheat on a quiz or the final exam will receive zero for that activity and it may result in failure of the course. Further, all incidents of academic dishonesty will be reported to the the Provost as required by the official University policy and may result in additional consequences for the student.
Final Thoughts
Despite Einstein's assurances that even the
motions of dust motes have pattern, life to us mere mortals is unpredictable. I
recognize that at times your outside life may interfere with your classroom
life. It is up to you to set your priorities and to realize that "doing it
all" is not always possible or even desirable. If you are feeling overly
stressed about all you have to accomplish, you need to come see me.
Course Schedule
Introduction to Language
January
15 (T)
Introduction to the
Course
Film: Discovering the Human Language
17 (Th)
22 (T)
History of Language
24 (Th)
Film:
The Story of English, Part Two: The Mother Tongue
Assign
Etymology Report
29 (T)
31 (Th)
Language and Culture
February
5 (T)
Film: American Tongues
7 (Th)
12 (T)
14 (Th)
Sounds and Structures in Language
19 (T)
21 (Th)
26 (T) Francis' "Word-Making: Some Sources for New Words" pp 154-165
28 (Th) Library research—Etymology
report
March
4 (T)
6 (Th) Etymology Report Due
March 9-16: Spring Break
(T)
(Th)
18 (T)
20 (Th)
Universal Grammar
25 (T)
27 (Th)
Film: Star Trek Next Generation: Darmok
Language Acquisition
April
1
(T) TBA
3 (Th) Film: Acquiring the Human Language
8 (T)
10 (T)
Animal Communication
15 (Th)
Film: Signs of the Apes, Songs of the Whales
17(T)
22 (Th)
Film: A Conversation with Koko
24 (T)
Review for Final Exam
May
6 (T)
Final
Exam