Course Description - Content

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:35:23 -0400

Welcome to the fascinating world of the study of human language!

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:25:15 -0400

Class meets twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 2:50pm to 4:05, in Monroe 314.
Lookinng forward to seeing you there!

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:25:16 -0400

This is an introductory course in linguistics. The main topics will include the nature of human language as distinct from other communication systems; the subsystems of linguistic knowledge, i.e., sound patterns (phonology), word-formation (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), and meaning (semantics); language and the brain; language acquisition; language use in context; geographical and social dialects; sign language and historical development of language and language change.

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:21:37 -0400

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

Linguistics: An Introduction by William B. McGregor. 2009. Contiuum Publishing Group.
Accompanying website to the textbook: http://mcgregor.continuumbooks.net/

Readings will be assigned from the required textbook as well as from some supplementary materials. These will be mainly articles or chapters from books. Many of these will be made available through electronic reserve, and links to them will be listed here as well as on the syllabus page.

Recommended books:
Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. By William O'Grady, John Archibald, Mark Aronoff, and Janie Rees-Miller. Fifth Edition. 2005. This is on physical reserve in the library.

An introduction to language by Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, Nina Hyams.Boston: Thomson/Heinle, 2003. This is on physical reserve in the library.

Also on reserve is David Crystal's "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language". It's a good reference for some of the topics that we'll be covering in this class.

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:25:16 -0400

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance and class preparation: Please make sure you come to every class. Missing class is only acceptable for one of the academically legitimate excuses. It’s impossible to do well on homework problems or write a good project report without attending classes regularly. And by “impossible” I really mean “impossible”.

Also, make sure you read the textbook as well as all materials on reserve or on the course website that are assigned in class every week BEFORE coming to class. It will help you (and help me too) a lot if you come to class prepared.

There will be FIVE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS to test your understanding of the material covered in class and to help you work on linguistic problems on your own, applying the same reasoning and analytical tools that we’ll be discussing in class. Each homework counts for 8% of your overall grade. So, take them seriously! While I do not mind you discussing assignment questions with your colleagues, bear in mind that the work you turn in has to be yours, and yours alone. Copying someone else’s work will be treated as cheating, will receive no credit, and will be subject to the consequences of violating academic integrity, as described in the College’s Academic Honesty Statement given at the bottom of this page.

In addition, each student will be required to work on a LANGUAGE ADOPTION PROJECT (LAP) for an unfamiliar or endangered language, and turn in a 10-page report on this particular language. Details on this project will be posted here in due time. The LAP is due on December 4^th by 1pm. A brief project proposal is also required by November 2^nd. A list of suggested languages and resources for the project will be posted on the class website soon. Please note that no two LAP projects can be on the same language. Should two students select the same language, choice will be granted on a “first-come, first-serve” basis. In addition, each student will be required to do a five-minute presentation on their LAP language in the final week fo classes. The LAP is worth 15% of your overall grade (10% for the written report plus 5% for the presentation).

Finally, students are required to take TWO TAKE-HOME EXAMS: a midterm and a final. The midterm exam will be assigned on October 21 and is due on October 28. The final exam, which will be comprehensive, will be assigned on December 7 and is due on December 10.

Here's how each course requirement contributes to your overall percentage in the course:

Class attendance and participation (including doing the readings)	5%
5 Assignments	40%
LAP + in-class presentation	15%
Take-home Midterm Exam	20%
Take-home Final Exam	20%

Here's how your letter grade will be assigned:

A	95% plus
A-	90% plus to 95%
B+	87% plus to 90%
B	83% plus to 87%
B-	80% plus to 83%
C+	75% plus to 80%
C	70% plus to 75%
C-	65% plus to 70%
D	50% plus to 65%
F	Less than 50%

Honor code

I will follow the Middlebury College’s Academic Honesty Statement as described here:

http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/acadinfo/honorcode/statement.htm

Please make sure to write the Honor Code Pledge "I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment," on both exams as well as the research paper (use “We” in this latter case, since you’ll be working in pairs). There’s no need to write the pledge on the assignments since I do not mind your discussing homework problems together. Make sure, however, to turn in your own work. Copying someone else’s work on assignments will still count as cheating, will receive no credit, not to mention the consequences of violating academic integrity.

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Usama Soltan - nobody@example.net — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:25:16 -0400

Usama Soltan
Assistant Professor of Arabic
Farrell House, #206
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753

Email: usoltan@middlebury.edu
Office phone extension: x5869

Office Hours:
Monday and Friday 11:15am-12:45pm, and by appointment (e-mail or call to make an appointment)