ANTHROPOLOGY 310 OL

LANGUAGE IN CULTURE: ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS

ONLINE COURSE
FALL 2016

Class # 12896 Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Browder

Email: jbrowder@csun.edu Anthro. Dept. Phone: (818) 677-3331
Office Hours: Monday 8:15 10:15 am and by appointment

Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed the Lower Division

Writing Requirement before taking this course.
Course Catalog Description: Study of basic linguistic concepts in cultural
contexts; an examination of language diversity and sociocultural factors of
language use.
Course Objectives: This course will examine the relationship between
language and culture using a multidisciplinary approach, with an emphasis on
anthropology. We will analyze data from multiple cultures around the world. At
the end of this course, students will be able to identify and discuss examples of
the following topics:

The role of language in culture

Verbal and non-verbal communication
Formal and informal communication
Language and class, ethnicity, and power
Bilingualism
Language of inclusion/exclusion
Communication in the ancient world, especially writing systems
American Sign Language
Language acquisition
Language change and choice
Primates, communication, and relation to language

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CSUN Objectives: This course addresses the following Student Learning
Objectives (SLOs) for both the Anthropology Department and the General
Education Section 9 Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class,
Ethnicity Studies and Foreign Languages Requirement:
Anthropology Department Undergraduate SLO #1 Theoretical Appreciation of
Culture Concept
(Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the concept of culture as a
fundamental organizing idea for the discipline of anthropology.)
Anthropology Department Undergraduate SLO #2 Diversity
(Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of human diversity.)
Anthropology Department Undergraduate SLO #4 Social Change Over Time
(Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the processes of social change
that produce and reproduce human cultures over time.)
Anthropology Department Undergraduate SLO #5 Social Inequalities
(Demonstrate an understanding of the politics of inclusion and exclusion in their
own societies and others.)
Anthropology Department Undergraduate SLO #6 Applied Anthropology
(Demonstrate an understanding of how anthropology may be used to solve
contemporary social problems.)

General Education Section 9: Comparative Cultural Studies SLO #1

(Describe and compare different cultures.)
General Education Section 9: Comparative Cultural Studies SLO #2
(Explain how various cultures contribute to the development of our multicultural
world.)
General Education Section 9: Comparative Cultural Studies SLO #3
(Describe and explain how race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality and
other markers of social identity impact life experiences and social relations.)
General Education Section 9: Comparative Cultural Studies SLO #4

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(Analyze and explain the deleterious impact and the privileges sustained by
racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance or
stereotyping on all sectors of society.)

Intensive Writing Requirement: The standards for the writing

assignments in this course will follow the same criteria used for the mandatory
Upper Division Writing Proficiency Examination (UDWPE), which are the
following: 1) a demonstration of analytic skills, (2) use of relevant evidence to
support an argument, (3) effective organization, (4) use of standard English
grammar, diction and mechanics (emphasis added).

In addition, this course requires students to follow the General Education

Writing Intensive Course SLOs. These 6 SLOs are as follows:
1. Develop and clearly define their ideas through writing;
2. Ethically integrate sources of various kinds into their writing;
3. Compose texts through drafting, revising, and completing a finished product;
4. Express themselves through their writing by posing questions, making original
claims, and coherently structuring complex ideas;
5. Revise their writing for greater cogency and clarity;
6. Utilize adopted communication modes and documentation styles of specific
disciplines (MLA, APA, Chicago, CBE, etc) where appropriate.

Please note that students are required to write at least 2500 words total for
the written assignments over the course of the semester.

The following is a list of the minimum word requirement for each written
assignment in this course:
Weekly Discussion Forum: 100 words x 14 = 1400 words
Rough Draft: 1250 1500 words
Rewrite: 1250 1500 words
Total written words requirement: 3900 - 4400 words

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REQUIRED BOOKS:
1) Ottenheimer, Harriet Joseph, 2013, The Anthropology of Language: An
Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Thomson Wadsworth. Textbook.
ISBN-10: 111182875X
ISBN-13: 9781111828752
Please note that you do not need to purchase the workbook that
accompanies the Ottenheimer textbook.

2) Duranti, Alessandro, 2009, Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader, 2nd edition.

Wiley-Blackwell.
ISBN-13: 978-1405126328
ISBN-10: 1405126329

RECOMMENDED BOOK:
3) Robert MacNeil and William Cran, 2005, Do You Speak American?, 1st
edition. Harvest Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0156032889
ISBN-10: 0156032880

Other Required Readings:

4) Articles: All articles required for the course are available on the Course
Webpage accessed via Moodle. The web address for Moodle is
http://moodle.csun.edu/

5) Videos/Films: All videos or films that are required as class content will have a
direct link posted on Moodle. See the Assignment Schedule for the due dates for
each video throughout the course.

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6) Handouts: All handouts required for the course are available on the Course
Webpage accessed via Moodle. The web address for Moodle is
http://moodle.csun.edu/.
Grading: A students final grade is based on a point system, which is split
between writing assignments, podcasts, and exams. The point total for the
semester is 1,000 points.

The final course grade is comprised of the following:

Podcasts (5% x 4 = 20%), Rough Draft (18%), Rewrite (22%), Exam #1 (18%),
and Exam #2 (22%).

Letter grades (not modified by the plus/minus system) will be assigned as

follows: A = 90% - 100%, B = 80% - 89%, C = 70% - 79%, D = 60% - 69%, F =
59% and below. In addition, participation in the class Discussion Board will help
determine the final grade if a student is on the borderline between two grades
(see explanation of Discussion Board Posts below). A borderline grade is
defined as 1.0% or less away from the next highest grade. For example, 79.0%
is on the border between a C and a B grade.
Academic Dishonesty: Cheating of any kind on any exam or assignment
will be reported to Student Affairs. Consequences will be discussed with Student
Affairs and may result in an automatic F in the course.
Podcasts: Your podcasts should be thoughtful answers to the questions
posted on Moodle under Podcast Topic. Each Podcast should be approximately
2 minutes in length. It should address the assigned topics with a discussion of
the related readings and it should include your own observations, thoughts, and
opinions on those topics.
Discussion Forum: Each week, I will post a couple questions on the
Discussion Board Forum which highlight the main points for that weeks topic.
The questions will also encourage students to make connections between what
they are learning in class and how that information relates to their own lives.

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Often, a robust discussion results from these online interactions. The instructor
will also make comments on the Discussion Board, adding further input and
guidance to the discussion. All students are required to submit one original post
and are highly encourage to reply to two other students posts each week. Each
weeks original post must be a minimum of 100 words. Your reply should be
approximately 50 words each. The weekly discussion forums are not assigned a
grade.
Exams: All exams will be administered through Moodle. You can take an
exam on any day during the designated week. The exams are open book, but
your exam session will be timed and once you begin, you must finish at that time.
You CANNOT GO BACK to complete questions that you skipped during the
exam or to finish the exam at a later date. If for some reason you have
computer-related technical difficulties during the exam, contact me by email
immediately and I will try to restore the exam for you. I will resubmit no more
than twice for any student during the semester. Also, once the deadline for
taking the exam has passed, I will NOT resubmit. If an emergency occurs that
precludes you from taking the exam as planned, there are only two options: 1)
take a proctored version of the exam, or 2) take an altered version of the exam
online. Either of the above options will involve a much more challenging version
of the test, and they will not be open book.
NOTE: I strongly encourage you to plan ahead, and not wait until the last minute
to take the exam. I may not always be immediately available, and the longer you
wait, the fewer options you have if something goes wrong.
Common Courtesy Policy: All students must treat other students with
respect and common courtesy. Please do not belittle, talk down to, or make fun
of other students ideas and opinions in any way. That is unacceptable behavior
which prohibits learning and erodes an otherwise supportive online community.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability and need
accommodations, please register with the Disability Resources and Educational
Services (DRES) office or the National Center on Deafness (NCOD). The DRES
office is located in Bayramian Hall, room 110 and can be reached at (818) 677-

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2684. NCOD is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be
reached at (818) 677-2611. If you would like to discuss your need for
accommodations with me, please contact me to set up an appointment.
Deadlines: As outlined in the syllabus, our semester is divided into
weeks that begin on a Monday and end on a Sunday. All assignments (including
written assignments and exams) are due by 11:55 p.m. on Sunday during the
appropriate week.
Make-Up Assignments: All assignments and exams should be
completed on time. Generally, late assignments will NOT be accepted.
Specifically, Peer Reviews and Review of Concepts will NOT be accepted after
the deadline. Most students work very hard and make many sacrifices to meet
course deadlines, and it is unfair to allow some students extra time for their
coursework. Rough Drafts and Final Drafts of the Research Paper should also
be turned in on time. If they are late, it will be up to the discretion of the
professor to decide whether or not to accept it. If it is accepted, there will be a
penaltythe final grade on the paper will be reduced by at least one letter grade.
No papers will be accepted later than one week after the deadline. Regarding
Exams, see the section on Exams for an explanation of procedures and
consequences.
Important University Deadlines and Holidays: According to the
Academic Calendar, the following dates are important deadlines and holidays
observed by CSUN:
Aug. 29 First Day of Classes
Week 1 Wait List continues
Sept. 5 Labor Day Holiday
Weeks 2 & 3 Wait List is NOT available; Permission Numbers are required
to ADD ALL classes; end of Week 3--last day to ADD class
Sept. 18 Last day to file 4th Week Form before 4:00 pm (approval for
schedule adjustment)
Nov. 11 Veterans Day Holiday
Nov. 24-25 Thanksgiving Recess

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Dec 11 Last Day of Formal Instruction
Dec 12-18 Final Exams Week (start 6:00 am; end 9:45 pm)
Dec 23 Last Day of Fall 2016 Semester; Grades Due
Assignment Schedule: Below is the Assignment Schedule. It is the
students guide to weekly readings and resources, as well as weekly deadlines.
Note that major deadlines are emphasized in bold format.

O text = Ottenheimer textbook

D text = Duranti textbook

ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Topics Reading/Resources Assignment(s) DUE

by Sunday, 11:55 pm

Week 1 O text: Ch. 1

History and
8/29 9/4 D text: pp. 1-59
Definition of
Video link Discussion board
Linguistic
Handout: How to Write
Anthropology
a Paper

Week 2 O text: Ch. 2

Language and Culture
9/5 9/11 D text: Ch. 1 Discussion board
LABOR DAY - 9/5
Video link

Week 3 O text: pp. 130-149

9/12 9/18 Non-Verbal (Ch. 5) Discussion board
Communication D text: Ch. 8 PODCAST (5%)
Video link

Week 4 Performance of D text: Ch. 7, 11

9/19 9/25 Language; Gender Video link Discussion board
and Language Article link

Week 5 O text: pp. 317-326

Language and Class;
9/26 10/2 (Ch. 9) AND pp. 337-346
Language &
(Ch. 10)
Inclusion/Exclusion, Discussion board
D text: Ch. 2
Bias
Video link
Article link

Week 6 Language and D text: Ch. 10, 19 Discussion board

10/3 10/9 Politics; Language Article (Official PODCAST (5%)

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 Language)
and Power; Official
Video link
Language
Article link

Week 7 O text: Ch. 6 AND

Language and
10/10 pp. 313 324 (Ch. 9)
10/16 Ethnicity; Discussion board
D text: Ch. 20
Bilingualism
Video link

Week 8 EXAM #1 (18%)*

10/17 Study for Exam #1
Study Guides 1 - 7 ROUGH DRAFT
10/23 (Midterm)
(18%)

Week 9 O text: pp. 328-337

10/24 (Ch. 10) AND pp. 182-
10/30 Intercultural 186 (Ch. 6)
Discussion board
Communication D text: Ch. 4
Video link
Article link

Week 10 O text: pp. 240-246 AND

10/31 11/6 pp. 255-260 (both in Ch.
Children and Discussion board
8)
Language Acquisition
D text: Ch. 12, 13 PODCAST (5%)
Video link

Week 11 Children and

11/7 11/13 Differences in D text: Ch. 14, 18
Narratives; Language O text: pp. 275-312
Discussion board
Change and Choice (Ch. 9)
VETERANS DAY Video link
11/11

Week 12 O text: pp. 114-129

11/14 (Ch. 5)
11/20 American Sign Video link Discussion board
Language (ASL) Article link REWRITE (22%)*
Handout: Common
Myths about ASL

Week 13 O text: Ch. 7

11/21 Writing and Literacy, Handout: Clarification
11/27 Symbols vs. Writing of Writing Systems
Discussion board
Video link
HAPPY Article link
T H AN K S G I V I N G

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 Week 14 PowerPoint
Ancient Mexico,
11/28 12/4 Handout
Teotihuacan, and Discussion board
Video link
Writing
Article link

Week 15 O text: pp. 253255 AND

12/5 12/11 Primate pp. 261-273 Discussion board
Communication Video link PODCAST (5%)
Article link

Week 16 Study for Exam #2

MON 12/12 - Study Guides 1 - 15 EXAM #2 (22%)*
SUN 12/18
(Final Exam)

* Important Note: These assignments require a lot of time and effort. Please dont wait
until the last minute to start them.

Enjoy the Winter Break and good luck in your future endeavors!

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