Course Syllabus

TF 11:00AM-12:20PM

Education Building 204

Dr. Felicia Jean Steele

Office: Bliss Hall 207 771-2698 (I prefer email)

Office Hours: MR 10:00-11:30 AM and by appt.

Schedule an appointment through Google Calendar.

Email: steele@tcnj.edu

Prerequisites: English major standing or permission of the instructor.

Place in Program: Counts in Linguistics minor, as an option for ENGA major, fulfills linguistics requirement for English educators (ENGA/ELEM/SPED/ENGT); Counts as a Social Change in Historical Perspective course in Liberal Learning.

Credit Hour Documentation: This course syllabus is designed to conform to Carnegie guidelines for 4 credit hours by requiring substantial group interaction outside of scheduled class time (E). See requirements for group work within the syllabus.        

1. Course Description and Goals

The Structure and History of the English Language addresses a number of different topics, but it has three main purposes:

• To prepare students to read literature written in English, particularly that written prior to 1900 or outside of the United States;
• To prepare students to discuss the diversity in pronunciations, grammar, lexicon, and attitudes toward language apparent across the history of the English language and across the English-speaking world;
• To acquaint students with the fundamental skills, terms, and techniques of historical linguistics.

To those ends, the course merges traditional philology with principles of modern linguistics. What does that mean? It means that over the course of the semester, we will learn how to talk about and analyze the English language in its historical and dialectal forms, from texts written by the long-dead, and in its present-day uses, here in the classroom and out in the community. Students will explore the history and development of the English language from its Indo-European and Germanic roots to contemporary post-colonial English. In effect, we will be studying English as if we were studying another language in order to illuminate its underlying structures (and, thereby, the underlying structure of our own language). We will address five categories of questions, which our course materials will help you learn to discuss:

• What is “Grammar”?
• How did English get the way it got? What are the historical, cultural, and linguistic circumstances that shaped our language?
• How do people use language to distribute and to maintain power?
• How do you use materials and tools (dictionaries, linguistics texts, the IPA alphabet) to help you describe and study language? What methods do people use to study language?
• How can linguistic study prepare you to be a scholar of literature, literary and cultural theory, and English-Studies pedagogy?

 

1.1 Course Objectives

This course serves a wide and varied audience. Even if we all are (or at least most of us are) “English Majors,” we all come to the major wanting different things. In order to serve all of these constituencies, we’re going to be covering a great deal of territory. We’ll be going from the ancient (even prehistoric) world to the inner-city classroom, taking side trips to Anglo-Saxon England, Colonial America, and various temperate locales (India and Jamaica, to name just two). Overall, however, we can say that this course has three major objectives. You will: 

• Discuss language development and change;
• Demonstrate understanding of major linguistic processes; and
• Collect data concerning language use at TCNJ, using appropriate methodology.

1.2 Course Outcomes

The course contributes to departmental efforts to develop student “understanding of the history, structure, and artistry of language.” The course expects students “to read critically, write and speak with clarity and grace, reason intelligently, and argue thoughtfully and persuasively” about language structure and use.  As a result students gain an enhanced understanding of the role language plays in culture and become better equipped for “genuine cross-cultural interaction.” The course focus on research in language supports students’ development as competent and ethical researchers who “will know, understand, and practice current conventions for writing and researching in the disciplines articulated in the Department’s ‘Core Values.’”  Students are “expected to construct, integrate, and critique cultural” and linguistic frameworks for the study of the English language. 

By the end of this course you will:

• Demonstrate a deepened understanding of language acquisition and development;
• Recognize the impact of cultural, economic, political, and social environments upon language;
• Acquire a familiarity with the major events, social trends, and figures important to British history as they relate to linguistic history;
• Respect and understand diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles;
• Acquire a familiarity with British and world geography designed to facilitate your understanding of linguistic and literary history;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the evolution of the English language and the historical influences on its various forms;
• Understand English grammars (and understand why I use the plural and not singular);
• Understand phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics;
• Bring your new-found understanding of language to bear on your discussions of writing, whether literary or otherwise;
• Understand how to engage non-native speakers of English, or speakers of stigmatized varieties of English, in productive dialogue about their language use;
• Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of electronic and print resources important to the study of English (including, but not limited to, the Oxford English Dictionary), as well as tools for linguistic description, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet;
• Appreciate the importance of field research in language.

1.3 School of Humanities and Social Sciences Learning Outcomes:

#1 Written Communication

#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning: Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns

#6 Information Literacy: Evaluating the validity and/or reliability of a source

#7 Interpret Language and Symbol

#12 students will be able to analyze a written or spoken text linguistically and describe its use of language

1.4 NCTE Goals: This course is articulated with the following NCTE program standards for future secondary educators. By the time students complete this class, they should be prepared to demonstrate these competencies (at the NCTE “acceptable” level) if they plan to become teachers:

II. Candidates demonstrate knowledge of English language arts subject matter content that specifically includes language and writing as well as knowledge of adolescents as language users.

Element 2: Candidates know the conventions of English language as they relate to various rhetorical situations (grammar, usage, and mechanics); they understand the concept of dialect and are familiar with relevant grammar systems (e.g., descriptive and prescriptive); they understand principles of language acquisition; they recognize the influence of English language history on ELA content; and they understand the impact of language on society.

III. Candidates plan instruction and design assessments for reading and the study of literature to promote learning for all students.

Element 5: Candidates plan instruction that incorporates knowledge of language—structure, history, and conventions—to facilitate students’ comprehension and interpretation of print and non-print texts.

IV. Candidates plan instruction and design assessments for composing texts (i.e., oral, written, and visual) to promote learning for all students.

Element 3: Candidates design instruction related to the strategic use of language conventions (grammar, usage, and mechanics) in the context of students’ writing for different audiences, purposes, and modalities.

Element 4: Candidates design instruction that incorporates students’ home and community languages to enable skillful control over their rhetorical choices and language practices for a variety of audiences and purposes.

1.5 Liberal Learning Goals: Social Change in Historical Perspective

Students should understand how social contexts change over time and how human events have been, and continue to be, shaped by social and historical forces.

• Students should acquire an informed and critical understanding of change in societies. They should understand broad patterns of social development in pre-modern and modern societies.
• Students should appreciate the wide range of actors; women and men, elites and ordinary people, classes and ethnic groups; and their role in social change.
• Students should understand how historical information is acquired and relevant hypotheses confirmed or disconfirmed. They should gain skills in comprehending both secondary works and primary sources, and develop a fluid and effective style of writing and speaking about social change.

2. Policies

2.1 Attendance Policy:  This course is inherently cumulative, since it narrates the development of the English language over time and space. As a result, any absences will create a snowball effect. Students who miss class regularly are unable to master the concepts that depend upon the missed material. Quizzes or other graded short assignments will be administered throughout the semester without announcement at the beginning of class. Students who are tardy, or who have unexcused absences, cannot make up these assignments.

I cannot emphasize enough: the only students who fail this course are students who fail to attend.

2.1.1 Snow Day Policy: Since this is a spring semester course, we will likely face some interference from the weather. If power is on, we will use Canvas’s “Conferences” Module to hold class virtually unless you are otherwise instructed. Similarly, I will hold office hours on any snow day through Google Hangouts.

2.2 Accommodations

Any student requiring accommodations to facilitate their learning will benefit from contacting the Office of Differing Abilities (771-2571). You may read TCNJ's statement regarding accommodations on the Office of Differing Abilities Website: http://differingabilities.pages.tcnj.edu/

Accommodations are individualized and in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992. If you require special assistance, I will make every effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities will be respected. If you have any issues with language processing or any hearing loss, please note that you will benefit from sitting in front of the overhead projector, because the fan can create white noise that interferes with comprehension for many people.

2.3 Academic Integrity

From The College's academic integrity policy http://policies.tcnj.edu/policies/viewPolicy.php?docId=7642

Academic dishonesty is any attempt by the student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as his or her own, work which has not been done by him/her or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to: submitting as his/her own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must be given for words quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral.

Please note that faculty must report all academic integrity violations to the college's academic integrity officers. Please read the materials gathered together at http://academicintegrity.tcnj.edu/ for a full discussion of academic integrity and relevant policies and procedures.

2.4 Cellphone policy: Unless you have prior approval from me, cellphones are to be off, stowed, and out-of-reach during class time. I cannot emphasize this enough. If I see you using your phone, unless it is part of class activities, I will ask you to put it away. Text-messaging distracts students from classwork, reducing their ability to comprehend and encode memories of their experiences in class. Such distractions have a negative impact on the class experience as a whole. If you make any use of your cellphone during class that I have not approved, I reserve the right to ask you to surrender it until the end of class. You will surrender or appropriately disable your cellphone during all formal examinations. If you use a computer to take notes, I may ask that you sit at the front of the class. Too often, students use their computers for non-class purposes. If your use of technology becomes disruptive, or if it negatively affects your performance in the class, I will speak to you about it privately. Please also note that studies suggest students learn better when taking handwritten notes: http://to.pbs.org/1nMiH8V

2.5 Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC): 

A ¼ unit (one credit) Languages Across the Curriculum independent study (LAC 391) may be added to this course for those students who have intermediate level proficiency in another language and who wish to complement the work in this course by utilizing their language skills. LAC 391 (P/U grading only) will be noted on the student’s transcript. Please contact Dr. Deborah Compte at dcompte@tcnj.edu for more information. Students must contact Dr. Compte to enroll in the LAC independent study by Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

3. Expectations for Class Work

3.1 Class Participation

LNG 202 isn't like other courses you may encounter in the English major. This course asks you to master a variety of material in an interdisciplinary way that incorporates scientific, historical, geographical, and sociological information.  For most all of you, this will be the first time you will have ever heard of an alveopalatal affricate or a nasalized vowel. We have a great deal of terminology to learn—a process that takes concerted effort. Also keep in mind that faculty across the college design their syllabuses with the assumption that students will prepare 2-3 hours for each hour of class time or for each credit hour of the course. (Which means you should be preparing – reading, writing, rehearsing-- eight to nine hours per week for this class. Each class should require a similar amount of preparation.) You may not be assigned that much work per week, so you may need to structure your own studying. This expectation, whether articulated or not, generally applies across the college and certainly within the English major. If you find yourself spending less time than that on our work, you’re not doing something you should be doing. If you have difficulty envisioning how to spend that much time on your classwork, please see me in my office hours.

Please also note that I am only one part of the instructional design in this course: your textbook and your own practice are also part of the instructional design. You are responsible for material in the textbook, even if I have not explicitly mentioned it in class lectures or discussions. Please use Piazza, the online question and answer system to ask questions about the readings if they give you trouble. 

3.1.1 Study Team

In order to facilitate our in-class discussions and to ensure that you understand all the material you cover, I will assign you to a team with whom I expect you to meet at least one hour outside of class each week, as you would for a science class. For each week, you will be responsible for your own time and for your own activities. You can do what you want at these meetings—you can complete the homework, go over notes, or discuss the readings. If you are having a great deal of trouble with any of the concepts we are working on, I can arrange to come to these sessions or you can arrange to meet in my office. You can also make arrangements to meet as a group with a tutor in the Tutoring Center. After each meeting, you should appoint one of your number to describe any "muddy points" in the homework or readings that need clarification or report any comments that you had collectively to the discussion board. I expect you to use these discussion threads as a running commentary on your group work. These postings will constitute a quarter of your overall participation grade. Each of you should post at least three times to the discussion board.

3.1.2 Critical Questions

In addition, I also expect you to post a “critical question” related to the reading each week. We will be using the Piazza tool to collect critical questions. By the end of the semester, you should have posted 14. You are also rewarded for responding to someone else's question. Here are some recommendations on effective strategies for working with your course readings: http://www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-students/remember-reading/. In addition, here are some recommendations for improving reading comprehension: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/reading.html.

3.2 Homework and Essays

Your homework will consist primarily of exercises designed to accompany the passages in Brinton's and Arnovick's book. We will discuss these exercises extensively in class, but I will also ask you to complete unannounced quizzes during the first five minutes of class. We will complete at least eight over the course of the term. If you are late to class, you will not receive credit for the quiz. I will drop the lowest three quiz grades, so there are no make-ups for these quizzes. You may earn extra credit toward your quiz grade by attending English/Language/Culture related events on campus and answering a series of questions about them online.

You will also have short response writing assignments (500 words) that you will submit through Canvas. Some of these writing assignments will be based on specific, in-class exercises that we do; other short writing assignments will ask you to reflect on your experience with language or explore resources for language study and are noted on the syllabus. On occasion, your homework will require you to collect information from others through brief surveys. 

3.3 Expectations for your Writing Assignments

Minimal Expectations: Some writing assignments will ask you to construct an argument, appropriate for a given audience and purpose, in clear and understandable prose. Your sentences must be grammatically constructed, punctuated correctly, and state their ideas in an understandable manner. Your essays must be organized and coherent from beginning to end. In order to present a reliable authorial voice, you must document all sources of information correctly and reliably. Further Expectations: You should create a clear and understandable structure for your essays, which will allow you to create consistent patterns of assertion and support, to coordinate the various parts of the essays. A logical progression of thought should be apparent from sentence to sentence and from one correctly structured paragraph to the next. Supporting evidence should be relevant and deployed effectively. In addition, your essasy must reflect your efforts to evaluate and interpret sources to determine their credibility. Higher Order Goals: The best essays will have style and originality and all essays should cultivate such virtues. The ability to control and vary voice and tone, as well as the ability to devise original arguments and construct them in fluid and interesting prose, should be your ultimate objective.

Any writing assignment earning below a B- (80) may be rewritten once. I grade all assignments on a 50 point scale, so double the number to figure out the conventional percentage score out of a 100.

3.4 Exams: You will also have a mid-term and a final exam, which will test your knowledge of language and your ability to synthesize and interpret material that we have learned. All questions will be short answer or essay.

4 Grading (Grading Rubric for Short Writing Assignments):

Minimum requirements are: 1) satisfactory work and progress on weekly assignments; 2) satisfactory performance on exams (a midterm and a final); 3) regular attendance and class participation in scheduled and out-of-class activities.

4.1 Gradebook and Grade Scale

I will be using the Canvas gradebook function to keep track of your grades.

100 - 93.5 % = A  93.4 - 89.5 %  = A-  89.4 - 86.5 % = B+  86.4 - 83.5 % = B  83.4 - 79.5 % = B-

79.4 - 76.5 % = C+  76.4 - 73.5 % = C  73.4 - 69.5 % = C-  69.4 - 59.5 % = D  59.4 - 0 % = F

Be advised: I DO NOT round up on these percentages. If you wish to protest your grade, you must do it in writing. Please also note that Canvas reports your percentage grade based on the weight of the tasks that you have completed to date. A "B" grade before any exams have been taken may very well not result in a "B" at the end of the semester. Please me mindful of this.

4.2 Grade Breakdown

Homework, Quizzes, or other daily tasks	10%
Discussion/ Participation	10%
4 short (500 word) Essays	30%
Mid-term exam	20%
Final exam	30%

 A Note on Mid-semester Progress Reports:

I use the three descriptors in the following way:

"Satisfactory" means that you are attending class, turning in all work, and making satisfactory progress toward the learning goals.

"Caution" means that you are attending class, turning in all work, but for some reason not making satisfactory progress toward the learning goals.

"Unsatisfactory" means that you are either not attending class or not turning in all work.

5. Required Texts and Materials:

Brinton, Laurel J. and Leslie K. Arnovick. The English Language: A Linguistic History, 2nd. ed. (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011). ISBN 9780195431575.

Canvas materials

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