SYNTAX
LING 166/ANTH 142/CMSI 166
Syllabus: Fall 2010
Syntax is the study of the processes governing the formation
of all and only the grammatical sentences of human languages. In this course,
we will build a working grammar of English (a language we happen to share) from
the ground up, using our native-speaker intuitions as a tool. Our goal will be
to model the way in which the grammatical sentences of English are generated.
We will also ask important questions about what this particular grammar might
have to tell us about how human languages work more generally. You will be
asked to collaborate extensively with your fellow students as you explore the
systematic syntactic forms and processes of language.
Meeting Time/Place:
01:55 PM - 02:45 PM, MWF, PERKINS 107
Instructor:
Dr. Emily Manetta
509 Williams Hall
Office Hours:
Monday 11:30am-12:30pm; Tuesday 10am-11am
IM (for online office hrs): emilyatUVM (AOL IM)
How will this course work?
This course is very different from other courses you may
have taken. We have no readings and no textbook. Instead, the course is
homework-driven.
Each week you will receive a homework assignment that will
look a lot like a puzzle. You will work on this assignment collaboratively in a
small group of your classmates, then write up the results of your investigation
on your own and submit your work.
Then we will begin a large group discussion in class
concentrating on to how to solve the puzzle. Everyone will make suggestions and
at the end of our conversation, we will arrive at a group solution. Then we
will be ready to move on to the next puzzle!
We will keep track of our progress in the form of our class
grammar. Each week you will see the model for generating grammatical sentences
of English being built and refined, step by step.
How will I be assessed?
10 homework assignments (60%)
1 take-home midterm (20%)
1 take-home final (20%)
The homework assignments will be assigned an adjectival
grade; the lowest one will be dropped. The take-home exams will be given a
letter grade.
Schedule:
No Class Sept. 6 (Labor Day)
HW 1 due Wednesday Sept. 8
HW 2 due Monday Sept. 13
HW 3 due Monday Sept. 20
HW 4 due Monday Sept. 27
HW 5 due Monday Oct. 4
No Class Oct. 11
Take Home Midterm due Wednesday Oct 13
HW break
HW 6 due Monday Oct. 25
HW 7 due Monday Nov. 1
HW 8 due Monday Nov. 8
HW 9 due Monday Nov. 15
Thanksgiving Nov. 22-26
HW 10 due Monday Nov. 29
Take Home Final due Wednesday Dec 8 (last day of class)
NOTE: Late homework can receive no greater than half
credit. No exceptions. Lowest homework grade is dropped.
What should my homework look like?
Homework should be written up by you alone, solely in your
own words (with no help from the internet, or classmates). Although you should
try solving the problems in a group, the way you write up that solution is
crucial. Through this course you will learn to use a concise, clear, analytical
writing style.
Your homework should be written up in prose, in complete,
well-crafted sentences. You should use examples both from the homework itself
and of your own creation to illustrate your claims. You should present a
solution to the problem at hand, or write clearly about why none of your
attempted solutions will work.
The homeworks will be graded for clear argumentation,
effective writing, strong use of linguistic examples, and internal consistency.
The ÒrightÓ answer (when there even is one) is not nearly as valuable as your
approach to the problem.
I have posted a sample homework response for you under the
ÒAssignmentsÓ link in Blackboard so that you can see what an ideal assignment
should look like.
What about readings?
There arenÕt any. Really.
What about research?
I must ask you to try to refrain from doing any internet
sleuthing to figure out the ÒanswerÓ to your homework puzzles. In most cases,
it wonÕt help you, and will only be confusing and make your homework sounds
less like you. And as I said, I value the ÒrightÓ answer far less than the
well-written and well-explained one, so save your time for focusing on
consistency in your own work.
I have to work in a group? How?
Yup, you sure do. These puzzles are, for the most part,
designed to be too difficult to solve by yourself. Collaboration is a key part
of the process, and you will be graded in part by how well you work with your
group.
You and your group will need
to find a way to meet in order to work on each assignment. You can meet in
person (highly recommended) or use
technology to ÒmeetÓ in virtual space. Please do not come to tell me that your
busy
work/life/partying/skiing/commuting/lacrosse/greek/surfing/babysitting/swimming/
or curling schedule will not
permit you to do group work. Surely one of the people in this classroom has one
free hour in common with you per week. Make it work and you will most likely be
pleased with the results, trust me.
Please put the full name of
the folks you work with on the top of your HW.
Communication Policy:
I will contact you via your UVM email. Please be sure you
have that email forwarded to an address you check regularly.
I will respond to your email within 24 hours during the week
(usually much sooner!).
I use AOL IM, and will hold Òoffice hoursÓ online through my
IM account in addition my weekly ÒrealÓ office hours. If you can see me online,
it is as though I am in my office, so donÕt hesitate to contact me. My
screenname is: emilyatUVM.
Course Policies
Plagiarism is defined as any time that you present another's
work as your own, and it will not be tolerated in this course. Be sure to give
credit or cite sources whenever necessary. If you have any questions about how
to avoid plagiarism, please ask me, or consult UVM's Code of Academic
Integrity.
Late work: Late homework can receive no greater than half
credit. There are no exceptions.
Accommodations in the course can be provided with
documentation of a learning disability or other disability (including a chronic
health problem) through the ACCESS office. Please discuss any special
requirements with the instructor.
Adjectival Grading
If you are unfamiliar with an adjectival grading, it may
take a few homeworks to get used to. The system is loosely equivalent to letter
grades, but not precisely. Your homework will be assessed and I will make
detailed comments. At the end I will assign it an adjectival evaluation from
this list: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. Sometimes I will say that
your assignment is, for instance, Ògood to very good workÓ. At the end of the
semester I will average your two exams (midterm and final), as your best 9
homeworks, to determine your final grade (the lowest homework will be dropped).