Summer 2021 - LING 309W D100

Sociolinguistics (3)

Class Number: 1211

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 12 – Aug 9, 2021: Mon, Wed, 3:30–4:50 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    LING 282W. Recommended: LING 160 or LING 260.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A systematic approach to the study of linguistic variation in different areal, social, and cultural settings. Students with credit for LING 409 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

NOTE: THE INSTRUCTOR STRONGLY RECOMMENDS LING 160.   

This course is an in-depth survey of the field of sociolinguistics, which recognizes that language first and foremost is a social phenomenon. Language continually is adapted and formed by its users given their uses for it, or the meanings they seek to convey as they interact with others. Depending on context, users vary their language use in ways that reflect their cultural identities and social factors of significance within their speech communities.

A detailed course syllabus will be distributed during the first week of class.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

The course reviews a wide range of sociolinguistic phenomena, examining research studies on the users and uses of numerous languages of the world (e.g. English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Indonesian, etc.)

Among the topics it explores are:

- the concepts of language, dialect, variety, and the regional/social/political factors distinguishing one from another;
- the significance of concepts such as speech community, social network, and community of practice for understanding language use;
- multilingual societies, multilingual discourse, and the existence of different varieties of a language spoken by monolingual, multilingual, and non-native speakers;
- contact languages such as pidgins, creoles, lingua francaes, and mixed languages;
- the grammatical forms of language variation and change due to social factors;
- ethnography of communication, politeness theory, and discourse analysis;
- sociolinguistics and social justice with respect to gender and language use; education and schooling; and language policy and planning by governments and institutions.

An additional aim of the course is to provide students with training and extensive practice in formal, academic writing. Students will become familiar with styles of written argumentation, in particular those that are typical in this field and required for advanced study in linguistics.

Grading

  • Attendance and participation in class 10%
  • Participation in online discussion board 10%
  • Short paper 10%
  • Mid-Term exams 40%
  • Term Paper (Literature Review; graded in components) 30%

NOTES:

All seats are reserved for students in an approved Linguistics or Cognitive Science program as follows: 75% for Majors and 25% for Extended Minor, Minor, and Post-Baccalaureate (LING) Diploma students. This reserve remains in effect until March 28, 2021. After this date, any unfilled reserved spaces will become available to any approved LING/COGS program student meeting the prerequisite(s).
This course has an auto wait-list until the end of the first week of classes, students will be added in priority order. The Department will remove non-program students on the waitlist without any notification during the initial 3 week registration release.


It is strongly recommended that you see the Student Advisor regarding your degree requirements at least two semesters before you plan to graduate. Unless you meet both faculty and major/minor requirements, your graduation cannot be approved.

REQUIREMENTS:

To receive a passing grade on any assignment, including in-class writing, the quality of writing must be evaluated as at least LPI Level Four. The following descriptions of LPI levels will be used:

Level Four: The writing is marred by one or another of a fairly wide range of deficiencies: it may be thinly developed, repetitive, or weak in overall structure; it may contain unvaried, loose or faulty sentence structure; its word choice may be inaccurate, inappropriate, or unidiomatic (that is, it may use expressions that are not found in standard English usage).

Level Three: Essays are placed at level three if they have many errors in sentence structure and vocabulary, or if they are weak in content and badly organized. Also placed at level three are essays with a high density of errors in the use of articles, the plurals of nouns, the form and tense of verbs, subject-verb agreement, and the English idiom.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

PLATFORMS USED: Canvas, Zoom

TECH REQUIRED: Laptop/desktop/tablet, Internet

REQUIRED READING:

Wardhaugh, Ronald, and Fuller, Janet M. 2015. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 7th edition. Np:    Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-118-73229-8.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Students should familiarize themselves with the Department's Standards on Class Management and Student Responsibilities.

Please note that a grade of “FD” (Failed-Dishonesty) may be assigned as a penalty for academic dishonesty.

All student requests for accommodations for their religious practices must be made in writing by the end of the first week of classes or no later than one week after a student adds a course.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2021

Teaching at SFU in summer 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods, but we will continue to have in-person experiential activities for a selection of courses.  Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).