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REQUIREMENTS: LINGUISTICS 136
REQUIREMENTS: LINGUISTICS 286
REQUIRED READINGS
(1) Green, Lisa (2002). African American English: A linguistic introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ("Green" in the syllabus)
Available in the UCSB bookstore in hardback or paperback (for the same price), and on 2-hour reserve in Davidson Library.
(2) A set of course readings available electronically in PDF format through ERes (see information below). ("ERes" in the syllabus)
In addition, a printed version of the course reading will be made available through Alternative Copy (6556 Pardall Road, Isla Vista). Details will be announced in class.
ACCESSING ONLINE MATERIALS
Passwords are required for two kinds of online materials for the course: (1) the assigned readings, accessible through ERes, and (2) lecture notes, class assignments, and other copyrighted materials on the course website. (Other online course materials do not require a password.) The ERes website is separate from the course website and requires a different password. You may access ERes via this course website on the link in the menu bar above. You may then download articles and read them or print them. There is no cost for ERes.
The course website provides the most up-to-date information about the course. You should bookmark the URL above (or Google "Linguistics 136") and visit it often. Lecture notes will be available on the website after each lecture. If you miss class or lose an assignment or handout, you can download it from the course website. The course website also includes links to resources for sociocultural linguistics.
The ERes password, the course website password, and the username for the course website are listed on the course information packet distributed the first day of class. If you misplace the course information packet, you can download a copy; however, you will need to have the course username and password listed on the top of the first page of the packet. You can also request both passwords from me via email. Your name must appear on the class list in order for you to receive the password. If it doesn't, you will need to make your request in person.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
An important part of your education is the development of your ability to explore ideas with others. You should come to every class with the reading and any other assignments completed and with something interesting to say about them. There will be a variety of ways for you to participate throughout the quarter.
In order to get full credit for attendance, you must attend every class, come on time, and not leave early. However, if you're unavoidably detained, it's much better to come late than not at all. If you must miss a class, arrive late, or leave early, please let me know in advance.
READING RESPONSES
Because some of the ERes readings are somewhat technical, reading guides will be provided for each 136 reading that is not in the textbook (reading guides will be provided for some of the more difficult 286 readings). Each week you will turn in a short reading response (1-2 pages typed, double-spaced), answering the questions and defining the key terms for each reading. Reading responses will not be given letter grades, but you must complete them and turn them in on time to receive full credit. (There are no reading guides or responses for the textbook, but you are responsible for the textbook material as well.) The reading responses are intended to help you focus on the key ideas in the readings, to connect the readings to other ideas in the course, to give you a starting point for contributing to class discussion, and to help prepare you for the final exam. These will not be given letter grades, but to get full credit you must be present in class during the discussion of the reading and hand in your completed reading responses when they are collected.
Note: Students in Linguistics 286 will read one additional reading per week. They will also follow a different set of guidelines for the reading responses, to be distributed separately.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
Throughout the quarter, you will complete a series of short biweekly homework assignments that will help you consolidate your knowledge of course material through the collection and analysis of your own data. You should have each assignment ready to hand in at the beginning of lecture on the day it is listed in the syllabus. NOTE: Do not miss or come late to lecture in order to complete your assignment! It's much better to show up on time and hand in your assignment later in the day.
FINAL EXAM
The final exam will involve a combination of data analysis, identifications, short-answer questions, and take-home essays. It is designed to take an hour and a half but you will have three hours to take it. There will be some choice among questions for most sections of the exam. (Graduate students in Linguistics 286 will have a take-home essay exam; undergraduates in Linguistics 286 will take the regular exam.)
LINGUISTICS 286 PROJECT
Students in Linguistics 286 will carry out an original research project during the quarter, based on the collection and analysis of linguistic data of some kind. The project will be approximately 10 pages in length (typed, double-spaced), including references, and will be suitable for use as a writing sample for graduate school applications and/or for development as a senior honors thesis, conference presentation, master's thesis, dissertation chapter, or publishable paper. Guidelines will be distributed separately.
A WORD OF CAUTION
This course addresses a range of issues regarding race, ethnicity, and language, some of them controversial. We will occasionally discuss profanity, racial slurs, and other potentially offensive language. Developing your skills in linguistics requires that you be able to talk about any aspect of language from an analytic standpoint, no matter how taboo. You are expected to treat your fellow students with respect and sensitivity when discussing controversial issues (however, sometimes the examples we'll discuss are just plain funny, and it's okay to laugh and have fun with language in the class, as long as it's not at the expense of any of your classmates or any social groups). You may also have strong emotional reactions to some of the course content and to the contributions of your fellow students. You're encouraged to discuss your responses to the course material, but please be respectful of others' viewpoints. You are under no obligation to use any language you feel uncomfortable with. However, if you are extremely sensitive to offensive language, this is not the course for you.
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
If you need special accommodations or if you have other learning needs I should be aware of, you may request accommodations by contacting the Disabled Students Program (893-2668, 1201 SAASB).
RESOURCES FOR SOCIOCULTURAL LINGUISTICS
In addition to the course website, you may find the above website useful for developing skills in reading, research, and writing for sociocultural linguistics (the link is also available on the course website under "Resources"). The links for undergraduate and graduate students provide tips on a range of academic skills that will be relevant to this course and beyond. Please let me know if there are other topics I should include on the site.
ERES READINGS
Alim, H. Samy (2004). Hip hop nation language. In Edward Finegan & John R. Rickford, eds., Language in the USA: Themes for the twenty-first century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 387-409.
Anderson, Bridget L. (2002). Dialect leveling and /ai/ monophthongization among African American Detroiters. Journal of Sociolinguistics 6(1):86-98.
Baugh, John (1984). Steady: Progressive aspect in Black Vernacular English. American Speech 59(1):3-12.
Childs, Becky, & Christine Mallinson (2006). The significance of lexical items in the construction of ethnolinguistic identity: A case study of adolescent spoken and online language. American Speech 81(1):3-30.
Fuller, Janet M. (1993). Hearing between the lines: Style switching in a courtroom setting. Pragmatics 3(1):29-43.
Pennycook, Alastair (2007). Language, localization, and the real: Hip-hop and the global spread of authenticity. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education 6(2):101-115.
Rahman, Jacquelyn (2007). An ay for an ah: Language of survival in African American narrative comedy. American Speech 82(1):65-96.
Rickford, John R. (1998). The creole origins of African-American Vernacular English: Evidence from copula absence. In Salikoko S. Mufwene, John R. Rickford, Guy Bailey, & John Baugh, eds., African-American English: Structure, history and use. London: Routledge. 154-200.
Rickford, John R. (1999). Using the vernacular to teach the standard. In African American Vernacular English. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 329-347.
Rickford, John R., & Christine Théberge Rafal (1996). Preterite had + V- ed in the narratives of African American preadolescents. American Speech 71(3):227-254.
Walters, Keith (1996). Contesting representations of African American language. In Risako Ide, Rebecca Parker, & Yukako Sunaoshi, eds., SALSA 3: Proceedings of the third annual Symposium about Language and Society--Austin (Texas Linguistic Forum 36). Austin: University of Texas, Department of Linguistics. 137-151.
LINGUISTICS 286 ADDITIONAL READINGS
Collins, Chris, Simanique Moody, & Paul M. Postal (2008). An AAE camouflage construction. Language 84(1):29-68.
Cutler, Cecelia (2003). "Keepin' it real": White hip-hoppers' discourses of language, race, and authenticity. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 13(2):211-233.
Edwards, Walter (2001). Aspectual d<schwa>n in African American Vernacular English in Detroit. Journal of Sociolinguistics 5(3):413-427.
Fordham, Signithia (1999). Dissin' "the Standard": Ebonics as guerilla warfare at Capital High. Anthropology and Education Quarterly 30(3):272-293.
Hinton, Linette N., & Karen E. Pollock (2000). Regional variations in the phonological characteristics of African American Vernacular English. World Englishes 19(1):59-71.
Rickford, John R. (2006). Against consensus: Challenging the New Anglicists' contentions concerning the development of AAVE. In Er-Xin Lee, Kris M. Markman, Vivian Newdick, & Tomoko Sakuma, eds., Proceedings of the thirteenth annual Symposium About Language and Society--Austin (Texas Linguistic Forum 49). Austin: University of Texas Department of Linguistics. 22-38.
Ronkin, Maggie, & Helen E. Karn (1999). Mock Ebonics: Linguistic racism in parodies of Ebonics on the Internet. Journal of Sociolinguistics 3(3):360-380.
Spears, Arthur K. (1998). African-American language use: Ideology and so-called obscenity. In Salikoko S. Mufwene, John R. Rickford, Guy Bailey, & John Baugh, eds., African-American English. London: Routledge. 226-250.
Wharry, Cheryl (2003). Amen and Hallelujah preaching: Discourse functions in African American sermons. Language in Society 32(2):203-225.
Wolfram, Walt (2007). Sociolinguistic folklore in the study of African American English. Language and Linguistic Compass 1:1-22.