For approval of new courses and deletions or modifications to an existing course.
Course Approval Form
registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/curriculum
Action Requested:
Course Level:
x Create new course Delete existing course Modify existing course (check all that apply) Title Prereq/coreq Other:
College/School: Submitted by:
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x
Repeat Status Restrictions
Grade Type
CHSS steven weinberger
Subject Code:
LING
Department: Ext: x31188
Number:
480
Effective Term:
English—Program in Linguistics Email:
[email protected] x
(Do not list multiple codes or numbers. Each course proposal must have a separate form.)
Title:
Current Banner (30 characters max including spaces) New First Language Acquisition
Credits:
x
(check one)
Grade Mode:
Fixed Variable
x
(check one)
3
x
Year
Not Repeatable (NR) Repeatable within degree (RD) Repeatable within term (RT)
(check one)
Prerequisite(s): LING 306
Fall Spring Summer
2014
First Language Acquisition
Repeat Status:
Regular (A, B, C, etc.) Satisfactory/No Credit Special (A, B C, etc. +IP)
Undergraduate Graduate
x
Schedule Type Code(s): (check all that apply)
Lecture (LEC) Lab (LAB) Recitation (RCT) Internship (INT)
Corequisite(s):
Maximum credits allowed:
Independent Study (IND) Seminar (SEM) Studio (STU)
Instructional Mode: x 100% face-to-face Hybrid: ≤ 50% electronically delivered 100% electronically delivered
Special Instructions: (list restrictions for major, college, or degree;hard-coding; etc.)
Are there equivalent course(s)? Yes x No If yes, please list
Catalog Copy for NEW Courses Only (Consult University Catalog for models) Description (No more than 60 words, use verb phrases and present tense) Examines first language acquisition from a linguistic perspective. Covers the development of a first phonology, syntax, and semantics. Methodology in studying child language is discussed. Indicate number of contact hours: When Offered: (check all that apply)
x
Notes (List additional information for the course)
Hours of Lecture or Seminar per week: Fall Summer Spring
3
Hours of Lab or Studio:
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If this course includes subject matter currently dealt with by any other units, the originating department must circulate this proposal for review by those units and obtain the necessary signatures prior to submission. Failure to do so will delay action on this proposal.
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For!Registrar!Office’s!Use!Only:!!Banner_____________________________Catalog________________________________,
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TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
Undergraduate Committee, Dept. of English CHSS Curriculum Committee steven weinberger, Director of Linguistics New course proposal 30 October, 2013
The English Department has reviewed this proposal, and has voted on all associated material in a regular departmental meeting. The Department has approved its transmission to the College Curriculum Committee. Linguistics is the study of the structure of human language--its sound system (phonology), its system of combining words into sentences (syntax), and its meaning and use system (semantics and pragmatics). The study of linguistics is also concerned with how such a complicated system of language is acquired by human children. We are proposing a new course that aims to explore first language acquisition from a linguistic perspective. The proposed course, LING 480 (cross-level listed with LING 580), will serve to introduce our undergraduate students to the field of child first language acquisition. The course aims to help students understand how normal children acquire their first language so quickly, effortlessly, and completely. The course will survey major questions, approaches, and research methods in the field, and it will focus on issues in the acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Students in the class will learn to read and interpret primary linguistic literature on language acquisition, comment on it and ask substantive questions about it. They will lead class discussions on part of this literature, and they will develop a suitable acquisition topic, and write about it as a literature review. We feel that this is a necessary option for the Minor in Linguistics, and for the English majors who concentrate in linguistics. Students in the Minor and in the concentration are required to take courses in phonology, syntax, or semantics, and it seems reasonable that we offer a course in how these things are acquired by children. The course will serve as an approved elective for these undergraduate programs. We have an advanced Phd seminar in language acquisition, but we have no undergraduate introductory course at the moment. The proposed course, LING 480 will also serve as a complementary course for our LING 582 (Second Language Acquisition), which all of our TESL Minor students take. The Psychology Department offers a similar course, PSYC 615 (Language Development), but this is a graduate-level class and according to the catalog description, this course is more focused upon the psychological and environmental aspects of language development rather than the linguistic aspects. It also requires 3 credits of graduate level developmental psychology. As a course taken for our Minor in Linguistics and our English BA Concentration in Linguistics, we anticipate that 10-20 undergraduate level students will register for this course each year. We currently have 40 minors in Linguistics and TESL, and those numbers are growing each year. It will be offered every fall semester. The course will be taught by Professor Jennifer Culbertson, and can also be taught by Professor Steven Weinberger.
Syllabus LING480/580: First Language Acquisition
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Culbertson, Robinson A110, Email:
[email protected] Office Hours: TBA Textbook: Lust, B. (2006). Child Language: Acquisition and Growth. NY: Cambridge. All other required readings available on blackboard. Prerequisites: LING306 (undergraduate), LING520, or one of the following: LING 690, LING 785, LING 786 (graduate); or permission of instructor. Course Objectives: This course serves to introduce students to the field of first language acquisition, which seeks to understand how all healthy children acquire their first language so e↵ortlessly, and in such a short period of time. The course will survey major questions, approaches, and research methods in the field, and issues in acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Course Outline: Week
Date
Topic
Reading (textbook, additional readings)
1
x/x
Course Overview
Lust Ch. 1–2, Chomsky (2004a)
2
x/x
Early approaches
Lust Ch. 3–4, Chomsky (2004b)
3
x/x
Input & Experience
Lust Ch. 6, Newport, Gleitman, and Gleitman (1977)
4
x/x
Methods Overview
Lust Ch. 7, Golinko↵, Hirsh-Pasek, Cauley, and Gordon (1987)
5
x/x
Phonology I
Lust Ch. 8, Eimas, Siqueland, Jusczyk, and Vigorito (2004)
6
x/x
Phonology II
Jakobson (2004), Smith (2004)
7
x/x
Morphology
Berko-Gleason (2004) Pinker (1995)
8
x/x
Syntax I
Lust Ch. 9, Conroy, Takahashi, Lidz, and Phillips (2009)
9
x/x
Syntax II
Tomasello (2000), Fisher (2002)
10
x/x
Semantics I
Lust Ch. 10, Clark (2004)
11
x/x
Semantics II
Lidz and Musolino (2002), Papafragou and Musolino (2003)
12
x/x
Student presentations
—
13
x/x
Student presentations
—
Course Expectations: • Students must complete all assigned readings. Before each class (1) a clarification question and (2) a substantive comment, must be submitted for each reading via blackboard. • Each student will be responsible for leading the class discussion of one article (longer articles may be co-presented), including preparation of a handout. • Enrolled undergraduates will produce a literature review (8-10 pages) on a topic of their choice within first language acquisition. Enrolled graduate students will produce a research proposal (12-15 pages) on any topic within first language acquisition. A proposal, outline, and draft of one section (grad only) will be completed on the way to a finished product. All students will give a 20 minute presentation of their project to the class.
What is a literature review? Information on writing literature reviews (e.g. what the goals of a literature review are, and what a good literature review is comprised of) can be found at the GMU Writing Center’s How to Write a Review of the Research Also Called a Literature Review or a Review Article page. What is a research proposal? Information on developing and writing a research proposal can be found here and here and here. Evaluation: All students will be evaluated based on class participation (10%), project proposal (10%), presentation (10%), and the final paper (60%). Additionally, undergraduate students will be evaluated based on project outline (10%), and graduate students, will be evaluated on project outline (5%) and paper section draft (5%). Late assignment policy: All work must be completed on time unless some reasonable excuse is given (e.g. illness), in which case appropriate extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis. No credit is given for late work. Disability Statement: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Resources at 703.993.2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. Honor Code: George Mason University has an honor code that states the following: To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of the George Mason University community and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the student members of the University Community have set forth this: Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to academic work.
Any violations will be reported to the Honor Code Committee, and the instructor for this course reserves the right to enter a failing grade to any student found guilty of an honor code violation. University Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend the class periods of the courses for which they register. In-class participation is important not only to the individual student, but also to the class as a whole. Because class participation may be a factor in grading, instructors may use absence, tardiness, or early departure as de facto evidence of nonparticipation. Students who miss an exam with an acceptable excuse may be penalized according to the individual instructors grading policy, as stated in the course syllabus.
Information on the University’s policy for absence due to religious observances for participation in University activities is available here. Important Dates: Add/Drop Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x/x (without penalty) Final Drop Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x/x Reading Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x/x–x/x Exam Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x/x–x/x
References Berko-Gleason, J. (2004). The child’s learning of english morphology. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 253-273). Oxford: Blackwell. Chomsky, N. (2004a). Knowledge of language as a focus of inquiry. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (pp. 15–24). Oxford: Blackwell. Chomsky, N. (2004b). A review of b.f. skinner’s verbal behavior. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 25-55). Oxford: Blackwell. Clark, E. V. (2004). The young word maker: a case study of innovation in the child’s lexicon. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 396-422). Oxford: Blackwell. Conroy, A., Takahashi, E., Lidz, J., & Phillips, C. (2009). Equal treatment for all antecedents: How children succeed with principle b. Linguistic Inquiry, 40 (3), 446–486. Eimas, P., Siqueland, E., Jusczyk, P., & Vigorito, J. (2004). Speech perception in infants. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 279-284). Oxford: Blackwell. Fisher, C. (2002). The role of abstract syntactic knowledge in language acquisition: a reply to. Cognition, 82 (3), 259–278. Golinko↵, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Cauley, K. M., & Gordon, L. (1987). The eyes have it: Lexical and syntactic comprehension in a new paradigm. Journal of child language, 14 (1), 23–45. Jakobson, R. (2004). The sound laws of child language and their place in general phonology. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 285-293). Oxford: Blackwell. Lidz, J., & Musolino, J. (2002). Children’s command of quantification. Cognition, 84 (2), 113–154. Newport, E., Gleitman, L., & Gleitman, H. (1977). Mother, please I’d rather do it myself. In C. Snow & C. Ferguson (Eds.), Talking to children: Language input & acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Papafragou, A., & Musolino, J. (2003). Scalar implicatures: experiments at the semantics– pragmatics interface. Cognition, 86 (3), 253–282. Pinker, S. (1995). Why the child holded the baby rabbits: A case study in language acquisition. An invitation to cognitive science, 1 , 107–133. Smith, N. V. (2004). Universal tendencies in the child’s acquisition of phonology. In B. Lust & C. Foley (Eds.), First language acquisition: The essential readings (p. 294-306). Oxford: Blackwell. Tomasello, M. (2000). Do young children have adult syntactic competence? Cognition, 74 (3), 209–253.