Intro to Sociolinguistics Summer II 2017 - sas.upenn.edu

1 LING 102 Intro to Sociolinguistics Summer II 2017 1 LING 102: introduction to Sociolinguistics Summer II 2018 Course Information : Course time : 10:00-1:10 Monday & Wednesday, July 2 - August 3 Location : 304 Williams Hall ( ) Textbook : Wolfram, Walt, and Natalie Schilling (2015). American English: Dialects and Variation, 3rd ed. ISBN 978-1118390221. Course Site : Instructor : Aaron Freeman Contact : Office : 647 Williams Hall Office Hours : 2-4pm Wednesday, or by appointment Course Description : This class is an introduction to the study of human language from a social and historical perspective. Students will learn about social and cultural influences on grammar and linguistic behavior, the use of language to index identity, and the role of speech communities in linguistic change.

2 Students will also learn analytic and interpretive methods appropriate to sociolinguistic research, and will apply these in independent field projects. By the end of the course, you will be able to explain how languages relate to social factors and constructs, collect sociolinguistic data in a real-world setting, analyze collected data using basic quantitative methods, and interpret the results, making connections between linguistic data and society. Course Components and Evaluation : Participation: 5 points 05 Three assignments: 10 points each 30 Midterm Exam: 25 points 25 Two field projects: 20 points each 40 5 points/data collection 5 points/in-class presentation 10 points/project report ____ Total points: 100 LING 102 Intro to Sociolinguistics Summer II 2017 2 Calendar of Topics and Assignments : Date Topics Readings Requirements July 2 What is Sociolinguistics ?

3 W&S Chapter 1; Fromkin et al. (Ch. 6) July 9 language structure & style W&S Chapters 2 Fromkin et al. (Ch. 7) July 11 History and structure of American dialects W&S Chapters 4 & 5 Assignment 1 due FP 1 data due July 16 multilingualism and diglossia Meyerhoff Ch. 6; Ferguson 1959 FP 1 presentation July 18 language and social variation W&S Chapter 6 FP 1 report due July 23 language and ethnicity; African American English W&S Chapters 7 & 8 July 25 M i d t e r m E x a m i n a t i o n Assignment 2 due July 30 social networks & communities of practice; language & gender Meyerhoff Ch. 9; W&S Chapter 9 FP 2 data due August 1 language and style W&S Chapter 10 FP 2 presentation August 3 N o C l a s s M e e t i n g Assignment 3 due FP 2 report due Important Dates : July 7 Last Day to Add a Course/Drop a Course with No Financial Obligation July 14 Last Day to Drop a Course with 50% Financial Obligation or Change Grade Status July 28 Last Day to Withdraw from a Course Field Projects : Field Project 1 : Rapid and Anonymous Survey Studies phonetic variation in two Philadelphia street names: Market and Girard.

4 Field Project 2 : Dialect Geography Investigates regional dialect differences in North American English through use of a questionnaire. Homework Assignments : Assignment 1 : phonetics and phonology exercises Assignment 2 : quantitative analysis problem Assignment 3 : short literature-based research paper (1,000-2,000 words) Course Policies : Standards for submission : All coursework should be submitted on its due date, either in hard copy at the beginning of class or electronically through Canvas. All electronically submitted coursework should be in PDF format, and all coursework should use standard fonts, type size, and color. LING 102 Intro to Sociolinguistics Summer II 2017 3 Course materials and technology : The textbook is American English: Dialects and Variation by Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling (3rd ed.)

5 ; Wiley-Blackwell, 2015). It is available at the Penn Bookstore, and is also available through Penn Libraries as an ebook. Supplemental readings will be posted on Canvas. Field Project materials will be distributed in the class or emailed to you. You will need access to a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. If you do not already have Excel, you may use an open-source alternative (such as OpenOffice) or a campus computer lab. Late and Missed Assessments : Late assignment or field project report submissions will not be tolerated. Any late submissions will be penalized 1 point a full letter grade for each day they are late. Extensions of one or two days can be granted if the student can demonstrate mitigating circumstances. Extensions must be requested at least one full day in advance of the submission deadline.

6 While there is no grade penalty for missed classes, course attendance will be taken into account when determining the participation grade. Be aware that it is your responsibility to make up any content you miss Summer courses move fast, so please make every effort not to miss a class. Accommodations and Non-discrimination : I am happy to arrange any necessary accommodations with appropriate documentation from Student Disability Services If you require disability accommodation, please notify me within the first week of the semester, so that we can immediately set a plan to allow you to do your best from the beginning of the course. I am committed to providing a learning environment free from discrimination and harassment, and I expect your similar commitment. Student Support Resources : Weingarten Learning resource Center The center provides academic support services and programs for students through two offies: Office of Learning Resources and Student Disabilities Services.

7 Penn Writing Center The writing center provides writing support to students, and is open 6 days a week. Academic Integrity : Please refer to Penn s academic integrity guide here : For the purposes of this class, you may work with other students to familiarize yourselves with the research and analysis methods of the field projects, but all reports must be drafted individually without collaboration. Violations of academic integrity will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with possible consequences including zero credit for an assignment, failure in the class, and reporting to the Office of Student Conduct for university-level sanctions.