DePaul University
Dr. Christina Wasson
Autumn 1999 – MWF 9:40-10:40 – Levan 304

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to linguistic anthropology. It is designed to acquaint students with some of the ways in which languages and cultures are connected to each other. In all cultures, people talk as a primary means of accomplishing their goals, whether to develop a friendship or make a business deal. But communication patterns are culturally structured. The course will focus on three broad areas: 1) how language shapes our thought patterns; 2) how language offers resources to individuals to help them accomplish their goals; and 3) how language offers resources to institutions and social groups that help them maintain their power. Students will learn basic techniques of analyzing conversations.
 

OFFICE HOURS AND COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTOR

My office is SAC 533. My office hours are WF 3:30-4:30. To see me at other times, please make an appointment by calling 773/325-1860, or emailing cwasson@wppost.depaul.edu.
 

REQUIRED TEXTS

The readings are a group of articles, collected in a course packet which can be purchased in class or from the Anthropology administrative assistant, Peter Zachocki. His desk is in front of SAC 504. There is no textbook.

Readings are not optional. Students will be thoroughly tested on them.
 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Attendance and participation in classroom discussions (20%). This course combines lectures with class discussion, so participation is very important. Class participation makes up twenty percent of your final grade. Obviously, if you are absent you cannot contribute to discussions, so a high level of attendance is required for a good grade. If you have more than three unexcused absences, your grade will go down. Attendance will also affect your grades on written assignments, because a good deal of the information you need to get a good grade will only be presented in class. The lectures are designed to supplement, rather than repeat, information contained in the readings. Students are responsible for all materials and announcements presented in class, whether or not they were there.

2. Midterm exam (15%) and final exam (15%). The midterm and final will both be take-home essay exams. They will cover lectures, discussions in class, videos, and reading assignments.

3. Research project (50%). Students will conduct a guided research project over the course of the quarter. It involves: identifying a group of people to study; observing and recording two of their meetings or activities; transcribing the recordings; and writing a report. Detailed instructions for the research project will be handed out separately.
 

GRADING CRITERIA

Your CLASS PARTICIPATION will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use, in writing, of another’s intellectual work. It can take two forms. The first is the direct copying of another’s work, in whole or in part, published or unpublished, without acknowledging that the work belongs to someone else. The second is the paraphrasing of another’s work, with minor changes in structure or vocabulary, without acknowledging indebtedness for the underlying ideas. This definition will be applied in all cases where plagiarism is suspected. In every instance, plagiarism is dishonest. It constitutes academic and intellectual theft. It will be treated severely wherever and whenever it is found.
 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Students are expected to complete each day’s assigned readings before class.

The course is divided into three broad topic Areas, referred to by the following symbols:
 

	$	How language shapes our thought patterns
	m	How language offers resources to individuals to help them accomplish their goals
	O	How language offers resources to institutions and social groups that help them maintain their power

 
 

	Readings	Topic	Area
WEEK ONE
September 8	N/A	Introduction and Course Objectives
September 10	Whorf 1956	The Whorfian Hypothesis	$
WEEK TWO
September 13	Frake 1972	Classification Processes	$
September 15	Lakoff and Kovecses 1987	Metaphors and Cultural Models	$
September 17	Duranti 1997	Audio and Video Taping Research Project: Description of Fieldsite Due
WEEK THREE
September 20	Transcription Conventions	Transcripts
September 22	Ochs and Taylor 1995	Linking the Transcript to Bigger Issues
September 24	Myers 1986	Talk in Political Meetings Receive Midterm Exam Instructions Research Project: Permission from Fieldsite Due	m
WEEK FOUR
September 27	Irvine 1974	Negotiating Relationships and Identities	m
September 29	Goffman 1967	Politeness	m
October 1	Goodwin 1982	Verbal Conflict, Part 1 Research Project: Annotated Bibliography Due	m
WEEK FIVE
October 4	Schiffrin 1984	Verbal Conflict, Part 2	m
October 6	Irvine 1992	Gossip and Social Control	m
October 8	Basso 1979a	Verbal Art and Performance, Part 1 Midterm Exam Due	m
WEEK SIX
October 11	Basso 1979b	Verbal Art and Performance, Part 2 Research Project: First Fieldnotes Due	m
October 13	Schieffelin 1986	Language Socialization	m
October 15	Bernstein 1972	Language, Education and Class	O
WEEK SEVEN
October 18	Labov 1972	Language, Race and Ethnicity, Part 1 Research Project: First Transcript Due	O
October 20	Hill 1995	Language, Race and Ethnicity, Part 2	O
October 22	Keenan 1974	Language and Gender, Part 1	O
WEEK EIGHT
October 25	Mendoza-Denton 1995	Language and Gender, Part 2 Research Project: Second Fieldnotes Due	O
October 27	Blom and Gumperz 1972	Multilingual Nations, Part 1	O
October 29	N/A	Multilingual Nations, Part 2 Receive Final Exam Instructions	O
WEEK NINE
November 1	Rampton 1995	Multilingual Nations, Part 3 Research Project: Second Transcript Due	O
November 3	Conley and O’Barr 1990	Language in the Courtroom	O
November 5	Ainsworth-Vaughn 1994	Language in Medicine	O
WEEK TEN
November 8	Wasson 1999	Language in the Workplace	O
November 10	N/A	Student Presentations
November 12	N/A	Student Presentations and Wrap-Up
WEEK ELEVEN
November 15	N/A	No Class Final Exam Due (place in Dr. Wasson’s mailbox, across from SAC 543, by 5 p.m.)
FINALS PERIOD
November 18		Research Project: Final Report Due (place in Dr. Wasson’s mailbox, across from SAC 543, by 5 p.m.)

Each syllabi the intellectual property of the author.