Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form (12/1/08) I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement Dept/Program Course # (i.e. ANTH LING 473 Anthropology/ Subject 455) or sequence Linguistics Course(s) Title Language and Culture Description of the requirement if it is not a single course II. Endorsement/Approvals Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.! Please type / print name Signature Date Instructor Leora Bar-el Phone / Email x2387 leora.bar-el@mso.umt.edu Program Chair Tully Thibeau! ! ! III Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description This course focuses on the relationship between language and culture and the influence they may have on one another. The course is divided into three sections: Part I examines the universalist and relativist approaches to language and culture in the domains of kinship systems, color terms and categorization, time and space conceptualizations, and classifier systems. In Part II, we will examine some domains in the ethnography of speaking, and in particular, the ways in which language varies with respect to gender, social position, personhood, and the speech event itself (genre). Finally, in Part III, we will briefly touch on the issues of linguistic diversity and language endangerment and their importance to our understanding of language and culture. Throughout the course, we will explore issues of methodology and the ways in which language and culture are studied. A variety of languages from across the world will be examined. IV Learning Outcomes: Explain how each of the following learning outcomes will be achieved. Required readings in this course include not Student learning outcomes : only chapters from the main textbook, but Identify and pursue more sophisticated readings from the current linguistic and questions for academic inquiry anthropological literature. Article summaries and presentations help students learn to identify research questions and arguments proposed in the literature. Class discussions expand on these issues. Student essays are required to identify a central research question and to make an original contribution (i.e., not just a summary of the literature, but a proposal based on a synthesis of the literature). Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information effectively from diverse sources (see http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy/) Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate Recognize the purposes and needs of discipline-specific audiences and adopt the academic voice necessary for the chosen discipline Each week students are assigned regular readings from both a main textbook as well as recent journal articles/book chapters that focus on the same topic from a different perspective. Various other materials relating to the topics covered in the course (not required readings) are listed in the syllabus. For their final essays students are expected to consult materials other than those discussed in the course. The main textbook also includes a list of useful sources at the end of each chapter. Throughout the course students are exposed to research that approaches the topic in different ways. In particular, the contrast between the universalist and relativist approaches to the analysis of the intersection of language and culture is a thread throughout the course. Students are given the opportunity to explore both perspectives and arrive at their own conclusions. Students are exposed to a variety of material from the linguistic and anthropological literature. Class discussions focus on extracting the central proposals and arguments put forth by researchers in these disciplines. Students are directed to further reading of the literature both for expanded views on the topics covered in the course and for their research papers. Students are informed that assessment, especially for the final paper, is based on those features (e.g., identification of a central research question, argumentation, etc.) of the readings that are discussed in class. Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in conducting inquiry and preparing written work Follow the conventions of citation, documentation, and formal presentation appropriate to that discipline Develop competence in information technology and digital literacy Students write three article summaries during the course. They are encouraged to space out their summaries so that they can get feedback on one before going on to the next. Essays are completed in steps: students submit an essay outline with a list of references they have or plan to consult. They meet with the instructor individually about their outline to get feedback and ask questions. Students are encouraged to write a short draft of their paper that they will submit to a classmate for peer review. Students give essay presentations in class before their essays are due so that they can get feedback on their work before submission. In addition to in class discussion for each presentation, students complete peer feedback forms which they submit directly to the presenter, and students get feedback from the instructor before submission. Students are required to choose a linguistic journal as a model for formatting of their final essay. They are pointed to a number of suggestions in the course. Students are encouraged to visit the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) website for information about publications in linguistics. Student article summaries and essays are required to be typed. In addition, for article and essay presentations, students are required to prepare a handout for the class or a powerpoint presentation. The course uses a Blackboard supplement where various materials are posted (including readings), as well as a Course Ereserve page which all students must access during the course. Furthermore, students are expected to do their own research for their essays, which includes library searches as well as other online searches. V. Writing Course Requirements Check list Is enrollment capped at 25 students? If not, list maximum course enrollment. Explain how outcomes will be adequately met for this number of students. Justify the request for variance. Are outcomes listed in the course syllabus? If not, how will students be informed of course expectations? ! Yes " No !Yes " No !Yes " No Additional information about essays and essay presentations are also circulated in the term (see attached handout). The purpose of the assigned article summaries and presentations are to help students explore different writing styles in linguistics. Students are given instructor and classmate feedback on their work throughout the course (summaries, presentations, essay outlines, etc.). Students are encouraged to use the UM Writing Center resources and to visit the Linguistic Society of America website for further advice on writing and presenting in the field of linguistics. Students are encouraged to write a draft of their final essay for peer review by a classmate. Will written assignments include an opportunity for ! Yes " No revision? If not, then explain how students will Students received feedback on article receive and use feedback to improve their writing summaries that they incorporate into their ability. following summaries. Students submit essay outlines and meet with the instructor individually to discuss their plans for their essay. In addition, students will be encouraged to seek out peer feedback from classmates on an essay draft. Are expectations for Information Literacy listed in ! Yes " No the course syllabus? If not, how will students be Additional information is also circulated in the informed of course expectations? term. In addition, students are directed to the anthropology and linguistic resource pages in the Mansfield Library. An instructional session will also be arranged with Julie Edwards at the Mansfield Library. VI. Writing Assignments: Please describe course assignments. Students should be required to individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Clear expression, quality, and accuracy of content are considered an integral part of the grade on any writing assignment. Formal Graded Assignments - Article summaries (3 x 1 pg = 3 pgs) - Article presentation (handout/ppt = 1-2 pgs) - Essay outline (1-2 pgs) - Essay presentation (handout/ppt = 1-2 pgs) - Essay (10-12 pages) (see attached syllabus and handout for further details on each assignment) Informal Ungraded Assignments - Essay draft for peer review (~5 pgs) Are detailed requirements for all written assignments including criteria for evaluation in the course syllabus? If not how and when will students be informed of written assignments? Briefly explain how students are provided with tools and strategies for effective writing and editing in the major. VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ! The syllabus should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html Language and Culture LING 473 The University of Montana COURSE OUTLINE Instructor information ! <leora.bar-el@mso.umt.edu> " 243-2387 Office: Social Science 210 Office hours: Wednesdays 10:00am-12:00pm, or by appointment Course meeting times and venue Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:40am-11:00am Liberal Arts 106 Course objectives This course focuses on the relationship between language and culture and the influence they may have on one another. The course is divided into three sections: Part I examines the universalist and relativist approaches to language and culture in the domains of kinship systems, colour terms and categorization, time and space conceptualizations, and classifier systems. In Part II, we will examine some domains in the ethnography of speaking, and in particular, the ways in which language varies with respect to gender, social position, personhood, and the speech event itself (genre). Finally, in Part III, we will briefly touch on the issues of linguistic diversity and language endangerment and their importance to our understanding of language and culture. Throughout the course, we will explore issues of methodology and the ways in which language and culture are studied. A variety of languages from across the world will be examined. Prerequisite LING 470 is a prerequisite for this course. Blackboard This course has an online supplement Blackboard site (http://courseware.umt.edu/). Articles, class handouts, and other useful information will be posted there for downloading. Instructions on using Blackboard are available at the login page. Please let me know if you have any problems accessing the site. E-mail Occasionally, course information will be circulated by e-mail. I will use the e-mail addresses registered on Blackboard or CyberBear. Please ensure that you have a University of Montana e-mail address registered there and that you check that e-mail address often, or have your University of Montana e-mail forwarded to another account. 1/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Assessment Participation Article summaries (3 x 10%) Article presentation Essay outline and consultation Essay Essay presentation 10% 30% 10% 10% 30% 10% • Participation includes regular attendance, readings, prepared questions, in-class worksheets/discussions, answering/asking questions in-class, etc. • Summaries are due at the beginning of class on the day that the article is scheduled to be discussed, unless otherwise noted. Always keep a copy of your submitted work. • Essays are due in my office on Wednesday December 10 10:00am-11:00am. Undergraduate essays are expected to be 10-12 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins; graduate essays are expected to be 15-18 pages and of a more advanced nature. Further information will be distributed in the term. • Plagiarism is an offence and is not tolerated. You are welcome (and encouraged) to discuss articles together with classmates, but you must write up your article summaries, etc. on your own. Grading criteria A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F Below 60% Textbook and other required readings • Main Text: Foley, William A. 1997. Anthropological Linguistics: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing. • Other required readings (see list on p. 4-5) are posted on Blackboard, on reserve in the library or are available for downloading from the library EReserve pages (password: linguistics). • Typically, we will cover a chapter from Foley’s text on Tuesday and then assigned articles on Thursday. For some topics, there is no reading from Foley and so we will cover assigned articles on both Tuesday and Thursday. Additional readings may be assigned throughout the term. • Make sure you have the assigned readings done BEFORE the relevant classes. Even if you do not understand all the material you read, it is to your advantage to be familiar with the topic before we discuss it in class. • You are expected to bring two questions about each reading to every class. Attendance and Participation • You are expected to attend every class and be an active participant. If you miss a class, inform me by email as early as possible. I also urge you to contact a classmate to catch up on what you missed. • Students are expected to be familiar with the University of Montana Student Conduct Code. “Being a student at UM presupposes a commitment to the principles and policies embodied in this Code.” The Conduct code is downloadable from the following website: http://ordway.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm/name/StudentConductCode • See also the University of Montana Academic Policies and Procedures: http://www.umt.edu/catalog/academic/policy.htm 2/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Article summaries • You are required to submit three article summaries over the course of the term. You may choose any starred (*) article from the list of assigned required readings (i.e., not chapters in Foley’s textbook); however, the three articles must be different from the article that you are presenting in class (see below). Summaries must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day that the article is being discussed. • In your article summary you should identify the central research question/issue being addressed in the paper, the author’s proposal(s), the arguments that the author presents in support of the proposal, and where appropriate, the implications of the proposal. • Regardless of the length of the article, each summary should be no more than one page single spaced, 12-inch font, 1 inch margins. Article presentation • You are required to give one in-class presentation of an article from the list of readings. A sign-up sheet will be posted on my office door. Your presentation involves leading the discussion of the article in class (i.e., think of yourself as the instructor). You should plan on a 30-40 minute presentation, which may end up being longer, depending on the discussion that arises. You are free to divide up the time in any way you see fit. You must prepare a short handout and bring copies for the class or a powerpoint presentation. Essay outline • You are required to submit a one-page outline of your proposed essay topic at the beginning of class on Thursday November 6. A list of references (other than those articles we have discussed in class) which you have consulted or plan to consult for your essay should be included. • The following week I will meet with each of you individually to discuss your proposals and give you some feedback. Scheduled meeting times will be arranged later in the term. Essay • Your essay is expected to identify a central research question and to make an original contribution. I want you to go beyond simply a report of the literature and to make a proposal/claim with appropriate argumentation. You should consult materials other than just those we cover in class. Foley gives a lot of suggested readings at the end of each chapter. You can also look at the references from other articles covered in class, do you own search through the literature, ask me, etc. • Be consistent with your formatting; consult a linguistics journal (e.g., Language) and follow their requirements for citing sources, reference lists, etc. See also the LSA website www.lsadc.org. • Essays will be evaluated based on your research question and argumentation, the structure of the essay, your original contribution, sources, and style and formatting. Essay presentation • The last four classes of this course are set aside for essay presentations. You will be required to give a short presentation of your essay (approx. 15 minutes). Your essay need not be in its final state for the presentation. The purpose of the presentation is not only to gain experience giving a presentation, but also to get feedback from me and your peers that you may incorporate into your final essay. • Respect your fellow students: you are expected to attend each presentation and to arrive to class on time; you will be asked to complete a peer evaluation/feedback form for each of your classmates. • A presentation schedule will be circulated later in the term. 3/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Proposed Syllabus (subject to change) Week 1 Day Tues Thurs Date Aug. 26 Aug. 28 2 Tues Thurs Sept. 2 Sept. 4 3 Tues Thurs Sept. 9 Sept. 11 4 Tues Sept. 16 Thurs Sept. 18 5 Tues Thurs Sept. 23 Sept. 25 6 Tues Thurs Sept. 30 Oct. 2 7 Tues Oct. 7 8 Thurs Tues Oct. 9 Oct. 14 9 Thurs Tues Oct. 16 Oct. 21 10 Thurs Tues Oct. 23 Oct. 28 Thurs Oct. 30 Tues Nov. 4 Thurs Nov. 6 12 Tues Thurs Nov. 11 Nov. 13 13 Tues Nov. 18 14 Thurs Tues Nov. 20 Nov. 25 15 Thurs Tues Nov. 27 Dec. 2 Thurs Dec. 4 11 TOPIC Readings Introduction and overview Introduction (cont’d) Foley Ch. 1; Pullum 1991 (see also Martin 1986) PART I: UNIVERSALISM AND RELATIVISM Overview; Kinship Foley Ch. 6 (see also Ch. 5, 10) Kinship (cont’d) Hill & Hill 1998 (see also Kasakoff 1984) Colour Foley Ch. 7 (see also Berlin & Kay 1969) Colour (cont’d) Davies et al. 1998; Stanlaw 1997 (see also Levinson 2001, Hardin & Maffi (eds.)) Relativism; Space Foley Ch. 11 [Video: Thinking allowed] Space (cont’d) Levinson 1997; Bowerman 1996 (see also Pederson et al. 1998; Brown & Levinson 1993) Time Bohnemeyer 2000 Time (cont’d) Boroditsky 2001 Classifiers Foley Ch. 12 Classifiers (cont’d) Craig 1986; Gomez-Imbert 1996 (see also Allan 1977) PART II: ETHNOGRAPHY OF SPEAKING Intro; Politeness, face Foley Ch. 13, 14 (see also Bauman&Sherzer 1975) Politeness, face (cont’d) Matsumoto 1988 Language and gender Foley Ch. 15 Lang. and gender (cont’d) Keenan 1989; Hass 1944 and Kimball 1987 Language and social position Foley Ch. 16 Lang. and social position (cont’d) Eckert 1988 Genre Foley Ch. 18 Genre (cont’d) Sherzer 1989 PART III: LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY AND LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT NO CLASS - Election day Linguistic diversity and language Nettle & Romaine 2000 Ch.1-2; Krauss 1992 (see endangerment also Hale et al. 1992, UNESCO 2003) NO CLASS - Veterans day Diversity and endangerment (cont’d) Hale 1992; Nettle & Romaine 2000 Ch. 3 Language endangerment and Ash et al. 2001 language revitalization. [Video: In Languages We Live] Essay presentations Essay presentations NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Essay presentations Essay presentations/Wrap-up 4/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Required Readings NOTES: Only articles that appear with an asterisk can be chosen for article summaries and presentations. Hass 1944 and Kimball 1987 cannot be considered separately – for article presentations, both must be presented. For article summaries, both must be summarized in a single summary and will only count towards one of the two required summaries. Ash, Anna, Jessie Little Doe Fermino, and Ken Hale. 2001. Diversity in Local Language Maintenance and Restoration: A Reason for Optimism. In The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. Hinton and Hale (eds.). San Diego: Academic Press. p. 19-35 *Bohnemeyer, Jürgen. 2000. Event Order in Language and Cognition. Linguistics in the Netherlands 2000, AVT Publications Volume 17: 1-16. *Boroditsky, Lera. 2001. Does Language Shape Thought?: Mandarin and English Speakers’ Conceptions of Time. Cognitive Psychology 43:1-22. *Bowerman, Melissa. 1996. The origins of children’s spatial semantic categories: Cognitive versus linguistic determinants. In Rethinking Linguistic Relativity. John Gumperz and Stephen Levinson (eds.). Cambridge: CUP p. 145-176. *Craig, Colette Grinevald. 1986. Jacaltec Noun Classifiers: A Study in Language and Culture. In Colette Grinevald Craig (ed.), Noun Classes and Categorization. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 363-395. *Davies, Ian R.L., Penny Roling, Greville G. Corbett, Fritz Xoagub and Jomo Xoagub. 1998. Color Terms and Color Term Acquisition in Damara. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 7(2): 181-207. *Eckert, Penelope. 1988. Adolescent social structure and the spread of linguistic change. Language in Society 17:183-207. *Gomez-Imbert, Elsa. 1996. In Rethinking Linguistic Relativity. John Gumperz and Stephen Levinson (eds.). Cambridge: CUP p. 438-469. *Haas, Mary. 1944. Men’s and Women’s Speech in Koasati. Language 20:142-149. Hale, Ken. 1992a. On endangered languages and the safeguarding of diversity. Language 68:1-3 *Hale, Ken. 1992b. Language endangerment and the human value of linguistic diversity. Language 68: 3542. *Hill, Jane and Kenneth Hill. 1998. Culture Influencing Language: Plurals of Hopi Kin Terms in Comparative Uto-Aztecan Perspective. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 7:166-180. *Keenan, Elinor. 1989. Norm-makers, norm-breakers: uses of speech by men and women in a Malagasy community. In Explorations in the Ethnography of Speaking. R. Bauman and J. Sherzer (eds.). Cambridge: CUP. P. 125-143. *Kimball, Geoffrey. 1987. Men’s and Women’s Speech in Koasati: A Reappraisal. International Journal of American Linguistics 53:30-38. Krauss, Michael. 1992. The world’s languages in crisis. Language 68:4-10. *Levinson, Stephen. 1997. Language and cognition: The cognitive consequences of spatial description in Guugu Yimithirr. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 7(1): 98-131. *Matsumoto, Yoshiko. 1988. Reexamination of the Universality of Face: Politeness Phenomena in Japanese. Journal of Pragmatics 12:403-426. Nettle, Daniel, and Suzanne Romaine. 2000. Vanishing Voices: the extinction of the world’s languages. Oxford: OUP. Ch. 1-3. Pullum, Geoffrey. 1991. The great Eskimo vocabulary hoax. In The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax and Other Irreverent Essays on the Study of Language. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 159-171. *Sherzer, Joel. 1989. Namakke, sunmakke, kormakke: Three types of Cuna speech event. In Explorations in the Ethnography of Speaking. R. Bauman and J. Sherzer (eds.). Cambridge: CUP. P. 263-282. *Stanlaw, James. 1997. Two observations on culture contact and the Japanese color nomenclature system. In Color Categories in Thought and Language. CL Hardin and Louisa Maffi (eds.). Cambrige: CUP. 5/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Some further articles available for downloading and books on reserve at the library Allan, Keith. 1977. Classifiers. Language 53(2): 285-311. Bauman, Richard and Joel Sherzer. 1975. The Ethnography of Speaking. Annual Review of Anthropology 4: 95-119. Bauman, Richard and Joel Sherzer (eds.). 1989. Explorations in the Ethnography of Speaking. Cambridge: CUP. Berlin, Brent and Paul Kay. 1969. Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution. Berkeley: University of California Press. Brown, Penelope and Stephen C. Levinson. 1993. “Uphill” and “Downhill” in Tzeltal. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 3: 46–74. Carroll, John B. (ed.). 1956. Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Conklin, Harold C. 1986. Hanunóo Color Categories. Journal of Anthropological Research Vol. 42 (3), Approaches to Culture and Society, p. 441-446. Gumperz, John and Stephen Levinson (eds.). 1996. Rethinking Linguistic Relativity. Cambridge: CUP. Hale, Ken, Michael Krauss, Lucill J. Watahomigie, Akira Y. Yamamoto, Colette Craig, LaVerne Msayesva Jeanne and Nora C. England. 1992. Endangered Languages. Language 68(1): 1-42. Hardin, C.L. and Louisa Maffi (eds.). 1997. Color Categories in Thought and Language. Cambridge: CUP. Hymes, Dell. 1964. Language in Culture and Society. New York: Harper. Kay, Paul and Chard K. McDaniel. 1978. The Linguistic Significance of the Meanings of Basic Color Terms. Language 54(3): 610-646. Kay, Paul, Brent Berlin and William Merrifield. 1991. Biocultural Implications of Systems of Color Naming. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 1(1): 12-25. Kasakoff, Alice Bee. 1984. Gitksan Kin Term Usage. In The Tsimshian and their Neighbours of the North Pacific Coast. J. Miller and CM Eastman (eds.). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 69-108. Levinson, Stephen. 2001. Yéli Dnye and the Theory of Basic Color Terms. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 10:3-55. Levinson, Stephen. 1996. Relativity and spatial conception and description. In J.J. Gumperz & S.C. Levinson (eds.), Rethinking Linguistic Relativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 177202. Levinson, Stephen. Sotaro Kita, Daniel B.M. Haun and Björn H. Rasch. 2002. Returning the tables: language affects spatial reasoning. Cognition 84: 155-188. MacLauray, Robert E. 1991. Exotic Color Categories: Linguistic Relativity to What Extent? Linguistic Anthropology 1: 26-51. Martin, Laura. 1986. “Eskimo Words for Snow”: A Case Study in the Genesis and Decay of an Anthropological Example. American Anthropologist 88:418-423. Milroy, Lesley and James Milroy. 1992. Social Network and Social Class: Toward an integrated sociolinguistic model. Language in Society 21:1-26. Mithun, Marianne. 1998. The Significance of Diversity in Language Endangerment and Preservation. In Lenore Grenoble and Lindsay Whaley (eds.). Endangered Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pederson, E., E. Danziger, D. Wilkins, S. Levinson, S. Kita, and G. Senft. 1998. Semantic Typology and Spatial Conceptualization. Language 74: 557–589. UNESCO. 2003. Language Vitality and Endangerment. 6/6 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Language and Culture LING 473 ESSAY AND PRESENTATION INFORMATION Presentations • Your essay need not be in its final state for the presentation. The goal of the presentation is to give you some experience presenting your own work in front of your peers, to help you focus your ideas, and to get feedback from me and your classmates that you may incorporate into your essay. • What you present will depend on the topic of your essay and also what stage you are at in your research. Ideally, your presentation should identify your central research question and how you plan on going about answering that question (e.g., the type of data you are looking at, the languages/cultures you are focusing on, what the literature says about this topic, etc.). You need not discuss your entire paper, you are welcome to focus on one area in particular. • If you are still working on focusing your ideas, DON’T PANIC. You can present where you are at with your work and your plans on how you will proceed. You will not be evaluated based on how far you have gotten, but how well you present where you are at. • If you have your own questions that you are struggling with, you can use the presentation as an opportunity to ask the class for feedback - we might be able to help! • You are allotted 15 minutes for your presentation. Ideally, you should present for 10 minutes and allow 5 minutes for questions/comments. I will hold up time sheets for you during your presentation so you know what time you have remaining of the initial 10 minutes. In the interest of fairness and also to ensure that we can fit in 5 presentations in per class, I will be strict with time and will stop you at the 15 minute mark. • Visuals are good! Handouts, powerpoint slides, using the whiteboard, etc. are all useful tools for giving a presentation, and can also help you to focus your basic points that you want to present. If you would like to distribute a handout for your presentation, make sure you bring 18 copies; if you want to use a computer/data projector, you need to arrive 10 minutes early so that we can get your presentation copied onto the computer hard drive. • Contrary to what you might think, 10 minutes goes by VERY quickly, so you might not be able to cover in detail everything that you plan to cover in your paper. You might choose to focus on one part of your essay rather than an overview of the entire research. • Respect your fellow students: you are expected to attend each presentation and to arrive on time. • I will ask each of you to fill out a short feedback sheet for each of the presentations. Your comments for and from your fellow students are extremely beneficial. Try to be honest, relevant, constructive. • An essay presentation is a required component of this course and is worth 10% of your final grade. Presentations will take place in the last four classes: Nov. 20, 25, Dec. 2, 4 – see attached schedule 1/2 LING 473 Instructor: Dr. Leora Bar-el Essays (see also my comments on your individual outlines) • Essays will be evaluated based on the following: (i) research question and argumentation (ii) structure of the essay, (iii) your original contribution, (iv) sources, and (v) style and formatting. • Central research question/problem: your paper must identify a central question/problem that you are trying to answer/solve in the paper. It should be clearly stated in the introduction of your paper and then the remainder of the paper should then revolve around that question/problem. • You are expected to make an original contribution; i.e., a summary of the literature is not enough – you must reflect on what you have read, synthesize the material, and make a claim/proposal. • Significance/implications: it would be useful, at least in your conclusion, to briefly discuss the significance of your paper. Things to think about: what can we learn from your analysis? Does your paper contribute to a debate in the field? What will it tell us about the intersection between language and culture?... • Length requirements: Undergraduate essays are expected to be 10-12 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins; graduate essays are expected to be 15-18 pages. Please use standard fonts; exceptions of course are special fonts for presenting language data. Where possible, please submit a double-sided printout/copy. • Formatting requirements: be consistent – look at a linguistics journal (e.g., Language) and follow their formatting requirements (e.g., citing sources, reference list…). Whatever format you choose, just be consistent throughout the paper. Further information is also available from the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) website www.lsadc.org. • Reference list: make sure that you list in your references every work that you cite in your paper. Provide complete bibliographical information in your references and be consistent. • Citing sources: There is no need to list paper or book titles in the text of the paper –the author and year are sufficient for citing, and again, provide complete references. Ideas that are not your own should be cited throughout your paper. • Keep a copy of your essay! Essays are due in my office on WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10 between 10:00am-11:00am. Resources: The UM Writing Centre • The Writing Centre offers tutoring services that can help you with your writing skills: http://www.umt.edu/writingcenter/tutoring.htm • They also post a number of useful documents and links on their website http://www.umt.edu/writingcenter/handoutsandlinks.htm If you have any further questions, come by my office hours or make an appointment to see me 2/2