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English 314 --- Elly van Gelderen                                                                                            Fall 2000

Class: MWF: 12:40-1:30

Office: 226 C

e-mail: ellyvangelderen@asu.edu; homepage

Office Hours: MW, 11-12 noon; 6-7 pm and by appointment

Class: MWF: 12:40-1:30

Teaching Assistants: Lutfi Hussein and Johanna Wood

Required Text: Grammar of English, or Sleeping in mine orchard, a serpent stung me, Course packet. Available at: Alphagraphics (122 East University) and Online available.

Objectives: The aim is to examine the major syntactic structures of English and to analyze them. Topics include categories, phrases, functions, types of verbs, clauses, and finiteness. The student will acquire understanding of and facility with syntactic arguments, e.g. arguing why an adjective is `correct' in a particular position, what differentiates an object from an adverbial, and explaining ambiguous sentences. The course stresses that it is more important to be able to argue something than just memorize some rules. For that reason, the text leaves a number of  issues unresolved. Some general issues  such as prescriptivism vs descriptivism, varieties of English, and innatism are discussed as well.

Evaluation:

4 Homework Assignments @15 points each: 60 points

2(10 minute) quizes @ 5 points: 10

In-class exam # 1: 20

In-class exam # 2: 30

In-class exam # 3: 30

Final exam: 50

Total: 200 points

See schedule below for dates of homework etc! Students are responsible for the material in the text and from the class lectures. Points will be converted into a Grade as follows: 200 - 180: A; 179  - 160: B; 159-140: C; 139  - 120: D; 119  -  0: E. Students are welcome to discuss homework assignments, but answers should be their own. During exams, students are not allowed to confer with fellow students or use memory aids of any kind. Late homework will only be accepted under extremely exceptional (well-documented) circumstances. If a student has to miss an exam due to similar circumstances, the instructor must be contacted as early as possible.

Organization

Mondays and Wednesdays, there will be lectures, discussion, and exercises; Fridays, the group will be split up and practise analyses. There are several kinds of preparations and assignments. Students are expected to (a) read the assigned chapters before class as well as attempt the exercises at the end of each chapter, (b) practise additional exercises in Friday classes, (c) hand in homework assignments, participate in the quizes and exams. Students will only be evaluated on the basis of (c). The format of (c) will be based on the format of (a) and (b).

The textbook is also available online (see above) and, for those of you who are interested, it is possible to replace one homework assignment by a 300 word analysis of the e-text (e.g. how is the e-text different from the hard copy).

This course is unlike many other English classes. You don't have to read a lot but you need to practise.

 

Tentative Schedule - English 314

Week:  Date:                            Readings and assignments:

1                      21 Aug             Discussion of outline; introduction

                        23 Aug             Read chap 1; start chap 2

                        25 Aug             Review chap 1 and do class exercises

2                      28 Aug             Chap. 2

                        30 Aug             Chap. 2

                        1 Sept              Chap 2; class exercises;

3                      4 Sept              LABOR DAY: NO CLASS

                        6 Sept              Chap. 3

                        8 Sept              Homework # 1 is due; class Exercises

4                      11 Sept                        Chap 3

                        13 Sept                        Chap 3; Quiz #1

                        15 Sept                        Exercises

5                      18 Sept                        Review chaps 1-3; sample exam

                        20 Sept                        Exam # 1 (chaps 1-3)

                        22 Sept                        Discussion of exam

6                      25 Sept                        Chap 4

                        27 Sept                        Chap 4

                        29 Sept                        Chap 4; class exercises

7                      2 Oct                           Chap 5

                        4 Oct                           Chap 5

                        6 Oct                           Homework # 2 due; Chap 5

8                      9 Oct               Chap 6

                        11 Oct             Quiz # 2 (about chaps 4-5); Chap 6

                        13 Oct             Chap 6

9                      16 Oct             review chaps 4-6 and sample exam

                        18 Oct             Exam # 2 (chaps 4-6)

                        20 Oct             Chap 7; Exercises

10                    23 Oct             Chap 7

                        25 Oct             Chap 7 and 8

                        27 Oct             Chap 7 and 8

11                    30 Oct                         Homework # 3 due; chap 8

                        1 Nov                          Chap 8

                        3 Nov                          Chap  8

12                    6 Nov                          Sample Exam Chaps 7-8

                        8 Nov                          Exam # 3 (Chaps 7-8)

                        10 Nov                        No class: Veterans' Day

13                    13 Nov                        Chap 9

                        15 Nov                        Chap 9

                        17 Nov                        Chap 9; Exercises

14                    20 Nov                        Chap 10; Homework # 4 due;

                        22 Nov                        Chap 10

                        24 Nov                        No class: Thanksgiving

15                    27 Nov                        chap 10-11

                        29 Nov                        Chap 11

                        1 Dec                           Chap 11; exercises

16                    4 Dec                           Review chaps 1-11; sample final

                       

                        8 Dec

                        from 12:20-2:10           Final Exam (chaps 1-11)


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