This class is an introduction to the study of the structure of words and sentences and of the representation of meaning in language. We will be considering data from a wide range of languages, including, but by no means restricted to, English.
Tentative Schedule (Subject to instant revision at my whim)
Week 1: Introduction
Weeks 2-4: Morphology
Friday, January 23 (Week 2) Quiz 1
Friday, February 6 (Week 4) Quiz 2
Weeks 5-6: Lexical Semantics
Friday, February 20 (Week 6) Quiz 3
Weeks 7-12: Syntax
Friday, March 6 (Week 8) Quiz 4
Friday, March 27 (Week 10) Quiz 5
Friday, April 10 (Week 12) Quiz 6
Week 13-14: Propositional Semantics
Friday, April 24 (Week 14) Quiz 7
Quizzes: In place of midterm exams, there will be short quizzes every two weeks on Friday. The quizzes will consist of problems similar to those we discuss in class and those on the homework assignments. No individual quiz is worth much (5% of your grade); however all together they will form over a third of of your course grade. There will be no make-up quizzes unless there is a emergency. (Colds, the press of other classes, or the usual difficulties of life do not constitute emergencies; illness or accidents that take you to the hospital or put you in bed under a doctor's orders, death or other family problems that call you out of school do constitute emergencies. If your major disaster takes you out of school for more than two weeks, you should consider withdrawing from the semester.)
Homework: Homework will be graded credit/no credit. You will be given data to analyze for essentially every class. I will not collect your homework, but we will be working through the data in class and you should be prepared to provide an analysis when called on in order to get credit for the particular assignment. (I expect that every student will be called on in essentially all class sessions.) While no individual homework is worth much, all the homework will teach and stretch the same skills of analysis and presentation as the quizzes and final exam. Failure to attempt the homework besides losing you some points will guarantee that you will not practice the skills needed for the quizzes and the final exam.
Attendance Policy: The kind of detailed analysis we will be doing in the class is likely to be different from anything you've done before. The only way to learn to do this kind of analysis is to do it -- a lot. If you fall behind in doing the homework, you will regret it. This class has no textbook: The only real form of study you will have outside of class is doing the assignments. Since your classroom performance is what gets assessed for the homework grade, if you miss class you don't get those points. So even though I don't take attendance, absences will be directly reflected in your homework/participation grade.
Final Exam: The final exam will be held on Friday, 8 May, 3:10-5:10 and it will be cumulative. You may bring one standard letter-size page of notes to the exam.
Disability Policy: Students with Disabilities: I am committed to providing assistance to help you be successful in this course. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. Please go to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) during the first two weeks of every semester to seek information or to qualify for accommodations. All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC, located in the Administration Annex Bldg, Room 205. To make an appointment with a disability counselor, please call 335-3417.
Academic Integrity: As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication. Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty.
You are expected to know and adhere to the rules on academic honesty as outlined in the WSU student handbook. If you violate those rules, depending on the degree of seriousness of your breach of academic integrity, you may fail the quiz or exam or the class as a whole and you may be reported to the Office of Student Conduct for further discipline.