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ANTH 340: Language and Culture

Course Description and Syllabus
MW 9:25-11:00am

Dr. Kimberly Porter Martin

E-mail: k,

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HB 105, Office Hours: MW 11:00am-12pm, , T 2:00-5:00pm

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Course Description and Objectives

This course is an exploration of the meaning and use of language cross-culturally, and of how the study of language and communication styles can contribute to the understanding of a wide variety of social, psychological and cultural issues. By the end of the course you will have learned about:

the anatomy of the human vocal tract and how it is used to produce language sounds,
the significance of language as a human trait,
evidence of potential genetic components of language,
what we know about the evolution of language,
the linguistic capacities of other animals, especially other primates
the ways in which languages are studied,
how language is learned by children,
how language usage changes from one social context to another,
how language changes over time,
how language is related to cultural beliefs and values, and
issues regarding multilingualism in complex societies.

You will participate in lecture, readings, class exercises, discussion, exams and a writing project over the course of the semester.

Required Texts

Ottenheimer, Harriet (2012) The Anthropology of Language. Thompson Wadsworth.

Articles handed out in class or posted online.

Course Expectations

If you want to do well in this course, you need to attend class. Your participation in the form of discussion, questions, comments and presentations is one of the most important parts of the course. You are responsible for ALL information and materials dispensed during class time. Please turn off your cell phone and take care of personal needs before or after class. If you are using your cell phone in class you will be asked to leave that class session. Your attention needs to be on what is going on in class, not in what is going on elsewhere.

Workload. This course has been planned according to university policy. Undergraduate courses require the assignment of two hours of work outside class for each hour spent in class. Because this is a four-unit class, it requires 60 hours of in-class time. The homework assigned for this class is, in keeping with nation-wide university standards, intended to fill a total of 120 hours outside of class over the fifteen-week semester. You should, therefore, be prepared to spend approximately eight (8) hours outside of class reading, participating in assigned activities, writing assignments and doing library research during each week of the term. Because only one third of our course time is spent together in the classroom, I will not be able to cover all the material in the readings during class. You must be able to assimilate readings on your own, and/or to come to me if you do not understand material in the readings that is not being covered in class. I am more than willing to help if you let me know what material is difficult for or confusing to you.

Grades.

Attending class, working hard and doing your best are, of course, crucial to your success in this class. However, the final measure of your success is what you have learned, and what you can show you have learned in written and oral assignments. Grades in this course will not be assigned according to whether you try or whether you are present in class, but on your mastery of the material and your ability to demonstrate your new knowledge orally and/or in writing.

The final grade for the course will include the following components weighted as follows:

Three midterm exams @ 15% 45%

Participation 10%

Final Exam20%

Term paper 25%

100%

Exam grades and the final grade for the course will be calculated using the following grading scale:

87% and above = A75-77% = B-58-59% =D+

85-86% = A-73-74% = C+ 52-57% = D

83-84% = B+62-72% = C50-51% = D-

77-82% = B 60-61% = C-less than 50% = F

Exams. Each exam will contain a mixture of question types that may include true-false, multiple choice, matching, short answer definitions and essays. Approximately two-thirds of the exams will in essay format. Exams will cover all assigned readings, exercises, lecture, videos and class activities assigned for that part of the course. The final exam will be comprehensive. Grades will not be curved. Exam dates are firm and not negotiable. Make up exams will only be allowed for extreme circumstances, with permission of the instructor.

Term Paper. An 8 to 10 page term paper is required as a major component of this course. Students who do not do this assignment will receive no credit for the course. The assignment is to write a library research paper on a topic of interest to you that is directly related to the material covered in this course. The project will be delivered in two stages: a written paper, and a brief (5 minute) oral presentation of the highlights of your paper in class. Papers must be submitted in hard copy and are due by the beginning of class on the date listed below in the schedule.

A completed term project should be typed using 10 or 12 point font. Spelling, grammar and formatting count. Your term paper should include a title page (NOT counted in the word count), citations from at least 5ACADEMIC references, a reference page (not counted in the word count) and formatting using American Anthropological Association format. Academic references include articles published in peer-reviewed journals, edited academic volumes. academic books, theses, dissertations and government documents. Newspaper articles, textbooks, magazine articles, and webpage sources that are not .gov or .edu are NOT academic references. All information in the paper must be cited. The basics of AAA format are attached at the end of the syllabus.

Ideas, facts, examples and reasoning taken from the writings of others must be cited regardless of whether you quote the source or use your own words to explain the information. Paragraphs, sentences or phrases taken word for word from sources must be put in quotes and cited in the text of the paper using one of the acceptable formats. Use no more than threequotes (a quote is NOT a citation) per 10 page paper. Quotes must be less than 100 words long.

The Center for Academic Success in the Campus Center has writing tutors.You can make an appointment with tutors regarding not only the term paper, but also studying for exams, etc. You can schedule an appointment with a librarian for help doing the library research. LINK+ on the library web site delivers books within 72 hours from libraries across the state. If you have questions about the paper, its content, its organization or its format, ask them in a timely manner. Do not wait until the last minute.

Academic Honesty. Students are expected to do their own work and to do original work for each class in which they are enrolled. It is unacceptable to copy work from other students. It is unacceptable to copy work directly from books, articles, or other sources including the Internet. It is unacceptable to use work done by another person. It is unacceptable to use the same work to satisfy requirements for two different classes, even if they are not in the same department. Any breach of the academic honesty code will result in an F grade for the course and referral to the Department Chair and the Dean for disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty can be grounds for expulsion from the university. Please read the section on Academic Honesty in the Rights and Responsibilities chapter of the ULV catalog carefully.

Class Participation

Ten percent of the grade for this class is based on participation. Participation means being present not only physically, but activelylistening and contributing to what is going on in class. Students who take notes, ask questions, offer comments, and share experiences relevant to the topics of the day will receive higher grades. Students who use their laptops for activities not related to class,do work for other classes, monitor cell phones, text, are habitually late, or frequently go in and out of the classroom during class will lose participation credit.

Schedule of Topics and Assignments

DATE TOPIC READINGS:Ottenheimer

8/28-9/6
9/11 / INTRODUCTIONS
9/4 NO CLASS – LABOR DAY
Introduction to Language and Culture
General Terms and Concepts
The Features of Language
EXAM 1 / Chapter 1
9/13-10/2
10/4 9/4 / THE CONSTRUCTION OF SPEECH
Sounds
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics
Silent Languages
EXAM 3 / Chapters 3, 4 and 5
10/9-11/1
11/6 / THE BIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE
The Biological Genesis of Language
Language Research in Non-Human Primates
How Children Acquire Language
The Anatomy of Speech
EXAM 2 / Chapter 8
11/8-12/4
12/4
12/13 / LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT
Written Language and Literacy
Language and Cognition
Language and Social Identity and Status
Language Change, Variation and Contact
Multilingual Societies
TERM PAPER DUE 12/4
EXAM 4 (Finals Week: Wednesday 9:50-12:35) / Chapter 6, 7, 9 and 10