Course Syllabus

English 270: Introduction to Language and Society
Syllabus #1409
5 credits

Pam Hardman
Senior Instructor, English Department
HU 339 | 360-650-7621
E-mail: Pam.Hardman@wwu.edu

Full Course Syllabus:  English 270 syllabus.doc

 

“When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean --
neither more nor less."
"The question is,” said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all."

from Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll, 1896

 

ENGLISH MAJOR/MINOR CREDIT:

WWU English majors/minors may apply up to 10 credits earned through distance learning to their major/minor course of study. Contact the English Department for guidelines.

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Welcome to English 270, Introduction to Language and Society.  In this course you’ll explore how language is used in various social contexts, and begin to challenge some of the assumptions you may have about language.  You should begin to see that languages are as diverse as the cultures and people that use them, and that variation is an essential element in human language.  You’ll be reading and doing written assignments to consider how and why certain judgments about language are made.  You’ll learn about language hierarchies, standard and non-standard dialects, and language rules.  You’ll look at how language influences and is influenced by politics, race, gender, economics, class and social identity.  You’ll address these issues largely by considering the English language as it is spoken around the world. This is not a course in how to speak “better” or follow grammar rules more closely.  However, through this course you should learn more about why we have the rules we do, and what the social implications of these rules are.

By the end of the course you should better understand how and why you use the language you do, and better honor and respect language differences.  You’ll also, I hope, start to get more pleasure out of language, to better enjoy its diversity, complexity, and creativity.

Western Washington University students may want to know that English 270 is a Humanities GUR.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION:

REQUIRED TEXTS:

  • Goshgarian, Gary, ed.  Exploring Language, 10th edition (be sure you get the 10th edition; other editions will not have the same readings).  Longman Publishing.  ISBN:  9780321122216
  • Bauer, Laurie, and Peter Trudgill, eds.  Language Myths.  Penguin.   ISBN:  9780140260236

The textbooks may be obtained online through a price comparison website such as www.AddAll.com.  Plan on purchasing your textbooks early and always be sure you are purchasing the correct edition of the book for this syllabus.

OVERVIEW OF READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:

Before starting into the first lesson, you should carefully read through the whole course packet so you understand the types of reading and writing you’ll be doing.  Each lesson begins with several questions.  Read these questions carefully and think about them before, during, and after you do the reading – they will prepare your mind to reflect on the key controversies and ideas explored in the readings.  You do not have to write out answers to these preliminary questions, just think about them.

Reading Assignments:

You will have much challenging but interesting reading to do in this course.  Each lesson asks you to read pages from EL (Exploring Language) and LM (Language Myths).  Read each selection carefully, looking up words you don’t understand.  Take notes as you read, in your book and/or on paper; you might note questions you have, reactions (anger, agreement), sections that seem particularly important. There’s a Web site for EL: http://wps.ablongman.com/long_goshgarian_el_10 .  Although there are no required assignments on the site, I recommend you visit the site frequently and read through some of the supplemental information, especially for those topics that interest or puzzle you.

Writing Assignments:

You’ll be doing a variety of assignments in this course, in order to explore the variety of language issues.  Each lesson asks you to complete several different written assignments.  These written assignments ask you to explain the key issues from the reading, and then to apply these key issues to other texts and to your own experiences.  There is no set length for your answers.  Some assignments will naturally require more writing than others, depending on the question posed.

It is very important that you get feedback from me on the first assignment before proceeding to the next one, so that you know what I look for and get a feel for how I grade.  After that you may turn in two—but no more—assignments at a time.  You should pace your work in the course so you have adequate time to turn in all assignments before the end of your six-month period.  If you have other deadlines or are receiving financial aid, read carefully the section on rules and regulations earlier in this syllabus.

All assignments must be typed (or word-processed) and double-spaced.

Abbreviations:

I use several abbreviations in the assignments.  They are:

  • EL - Exploring Language
  • LM - Language Myths
  • MC - “Making Connections” questions from EL
  • TC - “Thinking Critically” questions from EL
  • WA - “Writing Assignments” questions from EL

GRADING:

You’ll get one grade for each lesson, based on your performance on all the assignments in that lesson.  “A” lessons will be those that pay close attention to details, that answer questions specifically and clearly, that demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas in the readings, that ask pertinent questions about the reading, and that apply the ideas from the reading to other contexts.  If you get less than an A, I’ll explain why and give suggestions for ways to raise your grades in subsequent lessons.

Grades for the lessons are weighted as follows:

Lesson 1 - 8:    10% each
Lesson 9:         20%

To determine your final grade, I’ll add up your points from all assignments and allocate a course grade as follows:

  A = 93-100   C = 73-76
  A- = 90-92   C- = 70-72
  B+ = 87-89   D+ = 67-69
  B = 83-86   D = 63-66
  B- = 80-82   D- = 60-62
  C+ = 77-79   F =  <60

Students taking the course pass/fail must have a cumulative total of 60 points (D-) in order to pass.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS:

You must submit all of your lessons to the Western Online office first, and they will forward them on to me. For all written lessons, you should copy and paste your assignment into the body of your email so I can comment on it (don’t worry about changes to the formatting). Several assignments offer you the possibility of doing a visual piece. If you do a visual, you can scan your work and send it as a JPG attachment. Other alternatives are copying your visual into a Word document and attaching it, or sending it to Western Online the old fashioned way through snail mail.

ALWAYS make a copy of your work BEFORE submitting it.  If lessons get lost, it is far easier to resubmit a copy than to rewrite an entire assignment.  All assignments must be completed in order to receive credit for the course.  Do not turn in more than two lessons at a time, unless we make special arrangements.

Time considerations (a message from the Western Online office) –Organize your time so that you spread your work out over 10-12 weeks, just like a regular academic quarter.  Establish a calendar of due dates for yourself, then stick to it.  Treat your Self-paced course as the serious learning experience that it is.  True learning takes time: time for reading, time for processing new information, time for reflection.  When students get into trouble in a Self-paced course it is most often when they try to rush through a large part of the work at the end of the quarter or right before their own personal deadline.

Remember that grading takes time and our instructors have other classes and students, other obligations.  Therefore, your instructor may not be able to grade assignments instantly, even to accommodate a dire deadline.  Allow time for mailing to and from the Western Online office and also back and forth between our office and your instructor.

Holidays, Intersessions, and Summer Session – When the university is closed for scheduled holidays and between quarters, delay in return of assignments and examinations must be expected.  In addition, some faculty members are off campus during the summer months and delays may be unavoidable.  The Western Online office will inform students of instructor absences, but it is important for students to be proactive in submitting work when they have an important time limit.

HELP WITH THE COURSE:

I encourage you to contact me with questions and thoughts about the reading and writing assignments.  If you’re puzzled about an assignment or the text, or just want to talk about issues that arise in the reading, feel free to call me, e-mail me, or stop by my office (Humanities 339).  You can e-mail me at: pam.hardman@wwu.edu.  Or you can call me at my campus office, 360-650-7621, or the main English department office, 360-650-3209.  My office hours each quarter are available from the English department office.  Please feel free to stop by anytime during my office hours.  I’m also happy to talk with you at other times, but you should call or e-mail to make an appointment if you want to see me outside of regular office hours.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Pam Hardman received her B.A. in English from Oberlin College, her M.A. in English from the University of Toronto, and is currently finishing her Ph.D. in English from Brown University.  She has been teaching in the Western Washington University English Department since 1993.  Professor Hardman teaches courses in 19th and 20th Century American Literature and Culture, Women’s Literature, Women’s Studies, Critical and Cultural Theory, and Beginning Linguistics.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due