What, where and when?

• Ticket Number: 13099
• Class Time and Day: Th 4:20-6:50
• Classroom Building and Room Number: SH192

Course Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will

• have acquired an understanding of the fundamental principles and concepts of semantics and pragmatics;
• be able to apply this knowledge to the analysis of a language, particularly English;
• have gained a basic understanding and appreciation of the challenges of developing a scientific theory of meaning as it is expressed in natural languages and represented in the human brain;
• have gained a basic understanding and appreciation of the complexities and subtleties involved in the conveyance of meaning in everyday life;
• have gained a basic understanding of cultural variation in the expression of pragmatic principles and the resulting challenges for the acquisition of subsequent languages.

Class Meetings

Class sessions will consist of lectures and group activities. Lectures will be accompanied by handouts to facilitate note taking. It is very important that you attend every class. Please let me know if circumstances beyond your control prevent you from attending a particular session. Repeated tardiness and absences will affect your grade.

Requirements

• Active class participation: consistent attendance and timely delivery of all assignments.
• Paper: Each student will write a 5-8 page paper that requires the application of concepts discussed in the course to actual language data. Students will present their paper during a poster session in the last week of classes. Suggestions for papers will be posted on WebCT.
• Tests: There will be a total of two tests. The midterm is a traditional, closed book, no notes test. The final exam is a comprehensive open book, open notes test. Detailed study sheets will be provided for each test.
• Homework will take the form of assigned readings, and self-guided problem solving in the two workbooks for this course. This work will not be graded so self-discipline is really important here! Be sure to do the assignments in the workbooks diligently; write in your own answers and only then check the authors’ responses.
• WebCT Postings: Students will be expected to respond to weekly prompts on WebCT relating to the reading. Depending on the week, students may be asked to formulate a thoughtful question regarding the reading, and/or respond to a question raised by another student, and/or provide illustrations or discussion of a specific subtopic. Your accumulated responses will be graded 3 times during the semester with the help of a rubric. See WebCT for further details

Grading

Your grade will be determined by a midterm and final (30% for each test) your term paper (20%), class participation (5%) and postings on WebCT (15%). The class participation grade will be based on attendance and timely submission of all required materials. Grades for your WebCT postings will be assigned 3 times during the course. A rubric for grading the postings is included on WebCT. Do not hesitate to ask for clarification if you are confused about any grade that you may receive during the course.

A = 92-100, A- = 90-91, B+ = 87-89, B = 82-86, B- = 80-81, C+ = 77-79, C = 72-76, C- = 70-71, D+ = 67-69, D = 62-66, D- = 60, 61, <60 = F