SYLLABUS: 01:615:381:90 SOCIOLINGUISTICS FALL 2017 Course Overview Instructor Instructor: Prof. Crystal Akers Email address: [email protected] Office hours: Variable; check Sakai announcements for this week’s drop-in day and time. Also available by appointment. Course Delivery This course is fully online. To access the course, please visit sakai.rutgers.edu . For more information about course access or support, contact the Sakai Help Desk via email at [email protected] or call 848-445-8721. Course Description Sociolinguistics investigates the interactions between language and society. Generative linguistics studies the nature of grammatical systems. This course brings the two together, introducing students with prior training in linguistic theory to a broad array of sociolinguistic issues, including the relationship between linguistic variation and social factors like identity, class and power, the development of pidgins and creoles, code choices in bi-dialectal and bilingual communities, and language change. Students will also draw connections with research methods and approaches to data analysis used in other areas of linguistics, and examine attitudes toward language and culture and their social and political consequences. The course emphasizes the insights into the use of language in society provided by a generative linguistics approach to natural language. Prerequisites • 01:615:201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory 2 Important Dates • The course begins on 9/5/2017 and ends on 12/13/2017, and the last day to drop the course without a “W” grade is 9/12/2017. • The in-person midterm exam will be held on Monday, 10/23/2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building . • The in-person final exam will be held on Tuesday, 12/19/2017 in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building . Two sessions are available for sign-up: 12:00 – 3:00 pm and 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Course Learning Objectives By the end of this course, students should successfully be able to: • Apply sociolinguistics terminology and concepts to research and real-world examples • Identify major researchers and studies in sociolinguistics • Analyze the effects of attitudes toward language use in everyday interactions Course Materials Required Text Meyerhoff, Miriam. 2011. Introducing Sociolinguistics. 2nd edition. Routledge. ISBN: 978-0415550062 Textbook companion website: http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/meyerhoff/ Other readings will be available on the course website. Required Videos and/or Website Materials Lecture videos and additional resources are linked in the “Required Resources” section of each Sakai unit page. Optional Materials Additional resources are linked below “Optional Resources” in the “Instructional Resources” section of Sakai unit pages. 3 Technology Requirements Baseline technical skills necessary for online courses • Basic computer and web-browsing skills • Navigating Sakai Technology skills necessary for this specific course • Collaborating on VoiceThread • Recording a slide presentation with audio narration • Recording, editing, and uploading video Required Equipment • Computer: current Mac (OS X) or PC (Windows 7 or newer) with high-speed internet connection • Webcam: built-in or external webcam, fully installed • Microphone: built-in laptop or tablet mic or external microphone Required Software • Microsoft Word • Microsoft PowerPoint Assessment Assignment Summary Below are the assignments required for this course and the value of each assignment to the course grade as a whole. Please refer to the course calendar (on Sakai) and/or the course schedule (below) for specific due dates. Assignment Points Midterm Exam 20 Final Exam 30 Discussions 30 Problem Sets 10 4 Quizzes 10 Total 100 See course schedule, below, for due dates. Assignment Overview Midterm Exam The midterm exam contributes 20% toward your final grade and covers the material learned in the first seven weeks of the course. The exam may include multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions. Reviewing quiz questions and problem set questions will help you prepare for the exam. The midterm exam is a 1.5 hour, in-person, closed-book exam held on the New Brunswick campus, in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building at 17 Seminary Place. The scheduled exam time is Monday, 10/23/2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss conflicts. Final Exam The final exam contributes 25% toward your final grade. The exam is cumulative and questions may be like those seen on the weekly quizzes or problem sets. In addition, the final exam will ask you to demonstrate your ability to Apply sociolinguistics terminology and concepts, interpret graphs, and discuss sociolinguistics research by asking questions about an assigned research article. The kinds of questions asked about this article will be like those seen on problem sets. The in-person final exam is a 2.5 hour, in-person, closed-book exam held on the New Brunswick campus, in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building at 17 Seminary Place. The exam time will be held on Tuesday, 12/19/2017 in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building . Two sessions are available for sign-up: 12:00 – 3:00 pm and 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Use the Sakai sign-up to register for an exam session. Discussions Your weekly class participation will be evaluated through ten group discussions, which contribute 30% toward your final course grade. I will provide a grading rubric for evaluating your individual discussion responses. Problem Sets For some units, you will practice applying concepts in problem sets, which will contribute 10% toward your final grade. For example, you may be asked to interpret or explain graphs of linguistic variation, or identify examples of variation and provide an account for them. For these problem sets, I encourage you to discuss the assignments 5 with others in the class; however, you must complete the assignments individually, in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy. Quizzes Ten short quizzes covering units’ required instructional resources will contribute 10% toward your final course grade. You will have 20 minutes to answer most quizzes, which include computer-gradable responses (T/F, multiple choice, fill-in-the blank). The exception is in Week 5, which includes a free-response question. You will have the opportunity to retake each quiz one time during the quiz availability period, with the higher grade recorded. Grading Scale (Source: Rutgers standard undergraduate grade scale) Grade Range A 90 – 100 B+ 85 – 89 B 80 – 84 C+ 75 – 79 C 70 – 74 D 60 – 69 F Below 60 Student Participation Expectations Because this is an online course, your attendance is based on your online activity and participation. The following is a summary of everyone's expected participation: • Logging in: AT LEAST TWICE PER WEEK Be sure you are logging in to the course in Sakai each week, including weeks with minimal online course activity. (During most weeks you will probably log in many times.) If you have a situation that might cause you to miss an entire week of class, discuss it with me as soon as possible. • Time Commitment To be successful in this course, you should plan to dedicate approximately 8-10 hours per week. 6 • Midterm Exam: REQUIRED, IN-PERSON The midterm exam is a 1.5 hour, in-person, closed-book exam held on the New Brunswick campus, in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building at 17 Seminary Place. The scheduled exam time is Monday, 10/23/2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Please contact me immediately if you have a conflict. • Final Exam: REQUIRED, IN-PERSON The in-person final exam is a 2.5 hour, in-person, closed-book exam held on the New Brunswick campus, in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building at 17 Seminary Place. The exam time will be held on Tuesday, 12/19/2017 in room 1210/1220 of the Rutgers Academic Building . Two sessions are available for sign-up: 12:30 – 3:00 pm and 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Use the Sakai sign-up tool to register for an exam period, or contact me immediately if you have a conflict. • Office hours and live sessions: OPTIONAL Other than the midterm and final, any live, scheduled events for the course, including my office hours, are optional. If you are required to discuss an assignment with me, please contact me at the beginning of the week if you need a time outside my scheduled office hours. • Participating in discussion forums: 2 OR MORE TIMES PER DISCUSSION As participation, during a week with an assigned discussion you can expect to post at least two times as part of our substantive class discussion on the week's topics. Discussion and Communication Guidelines The following are my expectations for how we should communicate as a class. Above all, please remember to be respectful and thoughtful. • Writing style: While there is no need to participate in class discussions as if you were writing a research paper, you should remember to write professionally, with appropriate grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Informality (including an occasional emoticon) is fine for non-academic topics. Please also refrain from using all CAPITAL LETTERS, as this is often interpreted as shouting. • Citing your sources: When we have academic discussions, please cite your sources to back up what you say. For the textbook or other course materials, list at least the title and page numbers. For online sources, include a link. • Tone and civility: Let's maintain a supportive learning community where everyone feels safe and where people can disagree amicably. Remember that sarcasm doesn't always come across online. Treat your instructor and fellow students with respect at all times, and in all communications. • Backing up your work: Consider composing your academic posts in a word processor, where you can save your work, and then copying into the Sakai discussion.