E105 - Born to Be a Genius
Theories of Language Acquisition

Born to be a Genius, 3 credit hours

Text: Pinker, Steven (1994). The language instinct: How the mind creates language. First Harper Perennial.

Class Schedule:

Method of Instruction

• Lectures and group problem solving on Mondays and Wednesdays
• Answering questions, providing guidance for papers, and video tapes in section meetings on Thursdays and Fridays

Grades and Evaluations

Grades for this course will be based on grades on two papers, two tests (midterm and final), eight quizzes, the submission of Friday Questions (Friques), and regular attendance. The papers will be no more than 4 pages long and will cover topics related to the readings, requiring the application of course information in novel ways. The purpose of the papers is to encourage students to think about language related issues from the perspective of a scientist, to apply principles of the scientific method to language problems, to draw logical conclusions based on evidence, and to describe this logical process in clear and concise prose. We will discuss expectations for these assignments in class well before they are due. The format for the two examinations will be multiple choice questions. The questions will require you to use and apply what you have learned from the lectures, discussions and readings. An additional requirement is the submission of one question about course material each week. The questions will be prepared and submitted each Wednesday sometime prior to midnight into the appropriate folder on the web created for this course. The quizzes will be presented using the QuizSite system which allows you to answer the questions over the web. Attendance will the monitored during each lecture session and in section meetings and unexcused absences can and will affect grades.

Percentages

97% -100%---A+
93% - 96%---A
90% - 92%---A-
87% - 89%---B+
83% - 86%---B
80% - 82%---B-
77% - 79%---C+
73% - 76%---C
70% - 72%---C-
67% - 69%---D+
63% - 66%---D
60% - 62%---D-
59% - 0%---F

Weights assigned to tests, papers, quizzes, attendance, and Friday Questions

• Paper #1 [18%]
• Paper #2 [18%]
• Midterm [15%]
• 8 quizzes [16%]
• Final Exam [25%]
• Attendance and Friday Questions [8%]