Ling. 4389/5311 Sociolinguistics of Society
Spring 2002


Professor: Laurel Smith Stvan
Classroom: 219 Trimble Hall, Tues./Thur. 7:00-8:20 p.m.
Office: 410 Hammond Hall
Office Hours: 5:00-6:00 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and by appointment
Phone: (817) 272-5234
Email: stvan@uta.edu

Course Description

This course is concerned with the relationship between language and society from society's perspective: how different languages are used alongside one another, the factors influencing the choice among language varieties, the attitudes and stereotypes associated with different language varieties, and the influence of all these factors on the long term maintenance and/or shift of languages in a society. This course also briefly introduces some of the more common statistical tools used in sociolinguistic research.

Although it can stand alone, this course is complementary to LING 5310 (Micro Sociolinguistics), which looks at social variation in language from the point of view of the individual.

Course Objectives
Grading

Grades will be determined as follows:

Abstract
Quizzes 25%
Leading a Class 10% Research Project:
5%
Draft 10%
Final Paper 25%
Presentation 5%
Final Exam 20%

Quizzes: There will be four quizzes, each of which will be a thirty-minute in-class essay.

Leading a Class: Each of you will be responsible for a leading a portion of a class session (approximately 30 minutes) on a sociolinguistic topic of your choice. You will choose some outside material, such as an article or a book chapter, and present it to the class. This presentation should include the following parts: providing a written summary of the material since the other members of the class will not have access to it, explaining the relation of the material to sociolinguistics, offering your critical observations about the reading, and stimulating class discussion/fielding class questions about the material.

Research Project: You will conduct a small sociolinguistic study upon which you will report. The abstract will be a one-page document such as you might submit for a conference. The draft of the paper must be a completed written version of the study. You will revise and edit your draft and then turn in the final version of the paper (15 pages, double spaced). In addition, you will present your study to the class orally.

Final Exam: This will be a multiple-choice test.

Materials

There is one required text book available at the campus bookstore (or through any other bookseller of your choice) and a set of 12 readings on three-hour reserve at the library .

Text: Fasold, Ralph. 1987. Sociolinguistics of Society. Oxford: Blackwell.

Here is the most current course schedule of readings and assignments.

Here is access to Dr. Edmonson's discussion on endangered languages on NPR's Talk of the Nation from Friday, March 8, 2002. (It's a RealAudio file, so to hear it you'll need the free program RealPlayer Basic, which can be downloaded here.)

Here is a link to James Crawford's Language Policy Web Site.

Here is a link to the Center for Applied Linguistics Collection of Statements to the Media on Ebonics from 1997.


Course Policies

Class attendance is required. You are responsible for the material presented in class lectures and for any handouts passed out in class; for your own benefit, come to class. But if you must miss a class, get notes and information from another student, do the reading, and do the assignments. Assignments are due on the day listed in the schedule, and no later, unless you make arrangements with me prior to the due date.

University Policies

Final Review Week
A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week.

Americans With Disabilities Act
The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112 -- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans With Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.

Academic Dishonesty
I take academic honesty very seriously, and I expect you to. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22)

Withdrawals
It is the student's responsibility to initiate and complete a withdrawal from the class. The instructor cannot withdraw a student.


Go to Laurel Stvan's home page.

Last Updated: March 12, 2002