English 314 - 84153
Course Outline
Elly van Gelderen
Fall 2013
ENG 314 is taught on MW 9 - 9:50 amin CDN 68by Elly van Gelderen and on Friday by Daniela Kostadinovska and Robert Santana-LaBarge.
Elly’s e-mail is and her office hours areMW 8:30 am - 9 am; MW 10 -11am; M 3:15-4:15 pm in LL 226C (but check!), and by appointment/e-mail.
Required Text:
An Introduction to the Grammar of English, by Elly van Gelderen. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2010. Revised edition. (
There is a website connected to the class, just for additional information: http://www.public.asu.edu/~gelderen/grammar.htm
Objectives:
The aim is to examine the major syntactic structures of English and to analyze them. Topics include categories, phrases, functions, types of verbs, clauses, and finiteness. You will acquire an understanding of and facility with syntactic arguments, e.g. arguing why an adjective is `correct' in a particular position, what differentiates an object from an adverbial, and explaining ambiguous sentences. The course stresses that it is more important to be able to argue something than just memorize rules. Some general issues such as prescriptivism and descriptivism, varieties of English, different registers, and innatism are discussed as well.
Evaluation: 3 Homework Assignments @ 15 points each: 45 points
10 (3 minute) unannounced quizzes @ 2 points: 20
In-class exam # 1: 30
In-class exam # 2: 30
In-class exam # 3: 30
Take home (text analysis):45
Total: 200 points
See schedule below for dates of homework etc! Students are responsible for the material in the text and from the class lectures. Points will be converted into a Grade as follows: 200 - 195: A+, 194 - 187: A, 186 - 180: A-, and 179 - 175: B+, 174 - 167: B, 166 - 160: B-, and 159 - 155: C+, 154 - 140: C, and 139 - 120: D, and 119 - 0: E. Students are welcome to discuss homework assignments, but answers should be their own. During exams, students are not allowed to talk or to use communication devices. Late homework will only be accepted if there a (good) explanation. If a student has to miss an exam, the instructor must be contacted as early as possible and a valid reason needs to be provided. Electronic work cannot be accepted. Grades will be posted on Blackboard.
Organization
Every MW class period, there will be a mix of a lecture, discussion, and exercises. On Friday, there will be more emphasis on exercises. There are several kinds of preparations and assignments. Students are expected to (a) read the assigned chapters before class as well as attempt the exercises at the end of each chapter, and (b) hand in homework assignments, participate in the quizzes and exams. NB: This course is unlike many other English classes. You don't have to read a lot but you need to practice!For that reason, you need to come to class and we’ll have frequent homework and other assignments. Most every week on Wed 8:30-9, there will be a question half-hour in LL 173N where you can come and ask questions or listen to other people ask questions or do additional exercises. This is completely extra and optional.
Tentative Schedule - English 314
Week:Date:Readings and assignments:
123 AugustDiscussion of syllabus; introduction
226 AugustChapter 1
28 AugustChapter 2
30 AugustExercises to chapters 1 and 2
22 SeptLabor Day: no class
4SeptChapter 2
6 SeptExercises to chapters 2
39 SeptemberChapters 2 and 3
11 SeptemberHomework # 1 is due; chapter 3
13 SeptemberChapter 3; class Exercises
416 SeptemberDiscussion of HW; review chaps 1-3
18 SeptemberSample exam
20 SeptemberExam # 1 (chaps 1-3)
523 SeptemberChap 4
25 SeptemberChap 4
27 SeptemberChap 4
630 SeptemberChap 4
2 OctoberChap 4 and 5
4Octoberclass exercises
77 OctoberChap 5
9 OctoberChap 5; Homework # 2 due
11 Octoberno class (AZ Ling Circle in Tucson)
814 OctoberFall break
16 OctoberChap 6
18 OctoberChap 6
921 OctoberReview of chaps 4-6 and sample exam
23 OctoberExam # 2 (chaps 4-6)
25 OctoberDiscussion of exam
1028 October
30 OctoberChap 7
1 November
114NovemberChap 8
6 NovemberChap 8;Homework # 3 due
8 NovemberChap 8
1211 NovemberChap 9; discussion of HW 3
13 NovemberChap 9
15 NovemberChap 9
1318 NovemberChap10
20 NovemberChap10;Review
22 NovemberExercisesand sample exam
1425 NovemberExam # 3 (Chaps 7- 10)
27 November Discussion of Exam and preparation for the Take Home
29 NovemberThanksgiving: NO CLASS
152 DecemberChap 10
4 DecemberReview;Take home is due
6 DecemberWrap up
General information applicable to all classes at ASU
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s ideas andwords as though they were your own – and this includes (but is not limited to) copying and pasting material from the Web into your own work without properly quoting, paraphrasing,and/or citing them. Although in some work settings it is ok to crib boilerplate text and toparaphrase ideas without attribution, this class is not one of those settings. In fact, one of the goals of the course is to learn how to incorporate source material into your work appropriately.Instances of plagiarism will be reported; therefore it is not merely your performance in this class that is risked but your academic future. Please contact me if you have a problem with anassignment; plagiarism is never an intelligent solution to academic troubles. Please refer toASU’s policy and resources requiring academic integrity and against plagiarism:https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity
Classroom Etiquette:
Please silence and put away cell phones during class. Please do not surf the web or use email during class unless these activities are directly connected to the instruction.
Observance of Religious Holidays:
As a faculty member at ASU, I recognize the obligations of students who may be participating in the observance of religious holidays. Students should notifyme at the beginning of the semester about the need to be absent from class due to religious observances.
University Sanctioned Activities:
Students participating in university-sanctioned activities thatrequire classes to be missed will be given opportunities to make up graded in-class work. However, absence from class or examinations due to university-sanctioned activities does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of the absence.
Academic, Professional, and Personal Support Resources:
I want you to enjoy this class and succeed in your learning. If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please talk to me or send me an email right at any time.
Student Support Services available at ASU:
Writing Support:If you need support for your writing, please talk to me and I will work with you individually during office hours or by appointment. There are also wonderful resources on campus to support you as a writer and as a teacher of writing:ASU Writing Resources: https://studentsuccess.asu.edu/writing/resources
Other Helpful Writing Resources for Teaching and Learning:
http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/node/19
Counseling and Career Services:This center offers counseling for personal and careerconcerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources. Seehttps://eoss.asu.edu/counseling
Disability Resource Center (DRC):DSP provides academic support services to eligible studentswith temporary and permanent disabilities. Please inform me, if you require special classroomaccommodations due to a disability.(480-965-1234).
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/
Commitment to a Positive and Safe Learning Environment:
As an educator, I am committed to creating a safe learning environment. In the rare event thatthere is a disruptive, threatening, or violent individual in class or in proximity of class, it isimportant to understand that all incidents and allegations of violent or threatening conduct by anASU student (whether on- or off-campus) must be reported to the ASU Police Department (ASUPD) and the Office of the Dean of Students. If either office determines that the behavior poses orhas posed a serious threat to personal safety or to the welfare of the campus, the student will notbe permitted to return to campus or reside in any ASU residence hall until an appropriate threatassessment has been completed and, if necessary, conditions for return are imposed. ASU PD, theOffice of the Dean of Students, and other appropriate offices will coordinate the assessment inlight of the relevant circumstances.Resources to Support University Safety and Security:https://provost.asu.edu/University-Safety-Security