This course is an introduction to the scientific study of language. Its principal goal is to help you to think about human language in a more informed way and give you a taste of its relevance to current intellectual and social issues. The book by Pinker is the latest one by this best-selling author. In it he raises in a particularly clear and lively way many questions about language and the human mind, and about language in society. These questions will be the focus of our discussions. The Language Files provides a survey introduction to the field of linguistics; readings and exercises from it have been chosen in part to give you a more concrete feeling for the material Pinker discusses.
The course satisfies the GEC requirement 2.C.3, Cultures and Ideas. The requirement states that students will develop abilities to analyze, appreciate and interpret major forms of human thought and expression, as well as to understand how ideas influence the character of human beliefs, the perception of reality, and the norms which guide human behavior. This course meets these objectives through the analytical tools taught throughout, as well as the descriptive tools discussed as background to the study of linguistics.
We'll be using the Carmen system for homework assignments and supplementary materials. We'll also use the discussion forums for posting questions on the Pinker readings. There will also be a forum for providing feedback (comments, complaints or ideas) during the course, anonymously if desired.
Note that email from Carmen is sent to your official email address
(Name.Number@osu.edu). You should read email sent to your official
osu account on a daily basis.
| Tuesday | Thursday | |
| Week 1: | 1/6, Pinker Chapter 1 Words and Worlds Language Files 1.1–1.4 |
1/8, Semantics Language Files 6.1–6.5 |
| Week 2: | 1/13, Pinker Chapter 2 Down the Rabbit Hole |
1/15, Morphology Language Files 4.1–4.5 Language Files 13.2 |
| Week 3: | 1/20, Pinker Chapter 3 Fifty Thousand Innate Concepts (and Other Radical Theories of Language and Thought) |
1/22, Syntax Language Files 5.1–5.6 |
| Week 4: | 1/27, Pinker Chapter 4 Cleaving the Air |
1/29, Phonetics Language Files 2.1–2.5 |
| Week 5: | 2/3, Pinker Chapter 5 The Metaphor Metaphor |
2/5, Phonology Language Files 3.1–3.5 |
| Week 6: | 2/10, Midterm | 2/12, Language and Identity Language Files 10.1–10.4 Language Files 13.1 |
| Week 7: | 2/17, Pinker Chapter 6 What's in a Name? |
2/19, Psycholinguistics Language Files 9.1–9.7 |
| Week 8: | 2/24, Pinker Chapter 7 The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television |
2/26, Pragmatics Language Files 7.1–7.5 Language Files 13.2 |
| Week 9: | 3/3, Pinker Chapters 8–9 Games People Play Escaping the Cave |
3/5, Language Acquisition Language Files 8.1–8.5 Language Files 14.3 |
| Week 10: | 3/10, Pinker Chapter 12 The Language Mavens (from The Language Instinct) |
3/12, Language and Computers Language Files 15.1–15.5 |
The basic requirement is regular attendance in class and active participation in discussions of the readings. There will be roughly one homework assignment per topic, and short reaction papers for half of the Pinker chapters. The midterm will cover the core topics in linguistics covered in the first half of the course. You must also fulfill the Linguistics Outside of the Classroom requirement. Details on each requirement appear below.
Grades will be assigned using the standard OSU scale according to the following scheme:
Sophisticated participants in scholarly discourse display a critical stance and the willingness to struggle with hard concepts, as evidenced by clear, carefully aimed questions and comments. The art of formulating well-developed questions is also one of the keys to successful research. This course offers you the opportunity to begin to practice these skills.
As learning to think critically about language is a major objective of the course, attendance and active participation in class discussion and in-class activities are essential for doing well. Accordingly, attendance will count 5% towards your final grade. To obtain full credit for attendance, you may not miss more than two classes. Absences will only be excused with official documentation (e.g. note from doctor).
To earn the remaining 5% of your participation grade, you are required to post a question or comment on the appropriate Carmen discussion forum by 8 p.m. the evening before each Pinker chapter will be discussed in class. During class, you should be consistently attentive, make thoughtful and relevant comments without monopolizing class time, and listen respectively to your peers' contribuions and respond appropriately.
Over the course of the quarter, you are required to write short reaction papers for any 4 of the 8 assigned Pinker chapters (excluding the first chapter). Reaction papers are due before the class in which the chapter will be discussed, and must be submitted electronically to the appropriate Carmen dropbox. Details on the required format and intended content of the reaction papers will be posted on Carmen.
Homework assignments are due by the beginning of class, in the Carmen dropbox. Exercises will be assigned prior to covering the material in class; while challenging, this approach encourages better class preparation and more thorough learning.
Homework assignments will be graded on a check/plus/minus system, a check indicating satisfactory completion with good effort, minus indicating poor effort or incomplete work, and plus indicating a perfect performance or exceptional insight.
The midterm will be given in class on Tuesday, February 10.
This requirement is explained fully in a handout that will be distributed in class. Discussing the nature of the experiments with your classmates is discouraged, as this can create biases that may affect the results. You may sign up for experiments here: http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/research/experiments/.
No late homework assignments will be accepted; assignments can be turned in from off-campus via Carmen. If you know you won't be able to make it to the midterm, please see me before you miss the exam. If you miss the midterm, you will have to provide extensive written documentation for your excuse.
I expect you to respect one another, to respect me, and to respect yourself. To that end, I expect you to obey the following rules:
As with any class at this university, students are required to follow the Ohio State Code of Student Conduct. In particular, note that students are not allowed to, among other things, submit plagiarized (copied but unacknowledged) work for credit. If any violation occurs, I am required to report the violation to the Council on Academic Misconduct. See the Committee on Academic Misconduct's Frequently Asked Questions.
Students who need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible to discuss the course format, to anticipate needs, and to explore potential accommodations. I rely on the Office of Disability Services for assistance in verifying the need for accommodations and developing accommodation strategies. Students who have not previously contacted the Office for Disability Services are encouraged to do so (292-3307; http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu).
This syllabus is subject to change. All important changes will be made in writing (email), with ample time for adjustment.