INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology 108 (01:070:108), Spring 2012 Mondays and Thursdays, 9:15-10:35am RAB 001 Professor Steven Black Prof. Blacks office Ruth Adams Building, Rm. 308 Prof. Blacks office hours: Tuesday 12-2pm, or by appointment in RAB 308 Prof. Blacks email: steven.black@rutgers.edu TA: Office: office hours: email:

Course website accessible from http://sakai.rutgers.edu Anthropology google+ page: Dr. Steven P. Blacks Anthropology (everything you always wanted to know about anthropology but were afraid to ask) * To follow this google+ page you must have a gmail account. Dont have one or dont want one? Get one anyway. Delete it at the end of the semester. Some course materials will be posted on this page.

COURSE OVERVIEW
Linguistic anthropology is broadly understood as the study of language as a part of culture. While common phrases about language such as, talk is cheap, and put your money where your mouth is, emphasize a separation between language and action, this course shows how language does in fact constitute social action. Language is much more than a transparent medium for communicating ideas. Rather, the way we speak can have profound implications in terms of community membership, social exclusion, economic opportunity, identity, and perhaps even the way we view and understand the world around us. This course will help you to understand the complexity of human language, especially how language both reflects and shapes thought, culture, and power. You will also learn how to apply course concepts to your everyday experiences with language and culture. 1

Even though this is an introductory course, my expectations for your participation and scholarly effort are high. There is A LOT of reading. If you do not feel that you are able to read 40 to 50 pages of academic writing for EACH class (2x per week), I do not recommend taking this course. Classes will be structured to include both lecture and discussion. It is imperative that you study the assigned readings and come to all classes ready to engage actively and critically with the readings.

CORE CURRICULUM LEARNING GOALS

Core Curriculum Learning Goals met by this course This course meets the II.C.q learning goal: II: Areas of Inquiry C: Arts and Humanities q. Understand the nature of human languages and their speakers Assessment of SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals met by this course Achievement of the II.C.q SAS Core Curriculum learning goal will be assessed as follows: Students will be assessed on their achievement of this learning goal through the midterm and final exams, pop quizzes, participation in lecture and sections, and through the language autobiography essay.

TEXTS
(1) Ahearn, Laura (2011). Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing [referred to below as LL]. * All royalties from this textbook are donated to the Rutgers anthropology department (2) Duranti, Alessandro (ed.) (2009). Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader. 2nd Edition. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. [Referred to below as LAR]. * It is also possible to find many of the chapters in this volume online, which can be supplemented by copying pages from the book on reserve from the library. See instructions for accessing online materials below (#4). (3) Mendoza-Denton, Norma (2008). Homegirls: Language and Cultural Practice Among Latina Youth Gangs. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. [Ref. below as HOMEGIRLS] (4) Other readings available online, either through the course webpage or at URLs listed on the sakai course website. To access many online materials you must use the universitys electronic subscription. To do so, either access the web through a campus computer, or follow the directions at the URL below to access the online articles from an off-campus computer: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/how_do_i/connect_from_home.shtml

CLASS POLICIES, EXAMS/ ASSIGNMENTS, AND GRADING

You will earn your grade in this course through your completion of four pop quizzes, three blog responses (tba) two hour exams, a final exam, a language autobiography essay, section attendance and course participation. I will not take attendance in lecture, but both exemplary and poor participation will be noted and will affect your attendance/ participation grade. In addition, pop quizzes may occur at any time, and there will be no make-ups for pop quizzes. However, your worst pop quiz grade will be dropped. Attendance in sections is mandatory. The TA will be taking attendance and noting participation in sections. Attendance does not equal participation, but you can not participate without being present. Therefore expect to lose one point off of your final grade for each section you miss. Make ups for exams and the final require a note from your Dean and will only be allowed in extreme emergencies. Late language autobiographies will be penalized one half-grade per day. Plagiarism and cheating are prohibited. Plagiarism means copying or rephrasing someone elses words without crediting the source. This includes all sources, including published and unpublished work in print and on the internet. Students found cheating on exams, handing in assignments containing plagiarized passages, or otherwise violating academic integrity policies will be turned in to the appropriate Dean for punishment. Please familiarize yourself with the Rutgers academic integrity policy, found online at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml Here are some resources for determining what constitutes plagiarism. If you have any additional questions, please come see me. (1) http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/EducationalModule/Plagiarism (2) Consult Don't Plagiarize: Document Your Research! for tips about how to take notes so that you don't plagiarize by accident: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/lib_instruct/instruct_document.shtml Allocation of Grading Points There will be no extra credit opportunities. Your final grade will be calculated as follows: Pop quizzes (best three grades out of four) Blog responses (3 total) Hour exam #1 (Thursday, Feb 23) Hour exam #2 (Thursday, March 29) Final exam (Tuesday, May 8th, 8pm) Language autobiography (due week of 4/23) Section attendance and course participation 3 6% (2% each) 9% (3% each) 15% 20% 20% 15% 15%

CLASSROOM ETHOS
Attending and teaching university courses are incredible privileges, and I want all of us to be able to take advantage of these privileges. To do so, I work to maintain an ethos in which we are all focused on the scholarly material, respectful of each others opinions and outlooks, and comfortable asking questions and making comments. You may not engage in any non-scholarly activities in the classroom, including reading the newspaper, doing a crossword puzzle, texting, talking on the phone, surfing the internet, or the more old-school passing of notes. You also may not do coursework from another class. You must turn off your cell phone or set it to vibrate before class begins. If you use your laptop to take notes, you may not surf the web or have any windows open other than a note-taking window. Students who violate this policy will not be allowed to use their laptop. Lastly, if you must leave class early for any reason, please let me know before class begins and sit near an exit so as to minimize the disturbance.

COURSE UNITS AND READINGS

* Readings will be introduced/ discussed in lecture on the day listed. Please come to class/ sections with your questions/ confusions/ comments prepared. Several readings are available through URLs listed on the syllabus. Exchange contact information with others in the course, so that if you are absent you can find out what you missed and get lecture notes. I am happy to answer questions about specific course materials, but I will not answer questions of the nature, what did I miss last week in lecture? Or Can you tell me about what we covered in class? Unit 1: Introduction to Language and Culture Th, 1/19 Introduction, no readings [NO SECTIONS THIS WEEK] ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 1/23 Navigate through the History, Human Variation, and Lived Experience sections of the Understanding Race website. Make sure to watch the videos, including the video that accompanies the History section, and be sure to closely read the Race and Human Variation sub-section of the Human Variation section. http://www.understandingrace.org [RECITATIONS MEET THIS WEEK]

Th, 1/26 LL Chapter 4, p. 65-98. Language, Thought, and Culture. ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 2: Speech Communities M, 1/30 LAR Introduction section 5, p. 17-21 only AND LL Chapter 5, p. 99-118. Communities of Language Users. Th, 2/2 Rickford, John R. (1997). Suite for Ebony and Phonics. Available online, at http://www.stanford.edu/~rickford/papers/SuiteForEbonyAndPhonics.html 4

AND Baugh, John (2006). It Aint About Race: Some Lingering (Linguistic) Consequences of the African Slave Trade and Their Relevance to Your Personal Historical Hardship Index. Du Bois Review 3(1):145-159. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=462987&ful ltextType=RA&fileId=S1742058X06060103 Unit 3: Ethnographic Fieldwork in Linguistic Anthropology M, 2/6 LL Chapter 2, p. 31-49. The Research Process in Linguistic Anthropology. AND LAR Chapter 4, p. 114-136. Author B. Bailey, Communication of Respect in Interethnic Service Encounters. Th, 2/9 HOMEGIRLS, Introduction and Chapter 1, p. 1-41. La Migra. ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 2/13 Th, 2/16 HOMEGIRLS, Chapter 2, p. 42-75. Beginning Fieldwork.

HOMEGIRLS, Chapter 3, p. 76-100. Norte and Sur: Government, School, and Research Perspectives. ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 2/20 Review for Hour Exam #1no reading assignment

Th, 2/23 HOUR EXAM #1 (IN CLASS) ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 4: Language Socialization M, 2/27 LL Chapter 3, p. 50-64. Language Acquisition and Socialization. AND LAR Chapter 12, p. 296-328. Authors E. Ochs and B. Schieffelin, Language Acquisition and Socialization: Three Developmental Stories and Their Implications. Th, 3/1 LAR Chapter 13, p. 329-342. Author S. Philips, Participant Structures and Communicative Competence: Warm Springs Children in Community and Classroom. ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 3/5 LAR Chapter 19, p. 452-478. Author C. Goodwin, Professional Vision.

Unit 5: Language, Race, and Ethnicity Th, 3/8 LL Chapter 10, p. 214-239. Language, Race, and Ethnicity. ______________________________________________________________________________ SPRING RECESS MARCH 10-18

M, 3/19 TH, 3/22

LAR Chapter 20 (p. 479-492): Author J. Hill, Language, Race, and White Public Space.

HOMEGIRLS, Chapter 4, Hemispheric Localism: Language, Racialized Nationalism, and the Politicization of Youth, p. 101-147. ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 3/26 Review for Hour Exam #2 TH, 3/29 HOUR EXAM #2 (IN CLASS) ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 6: Language Ideologies, Language Contact, and Language Shift M, 4/2 LAR Chapter 16, p. 386-401. Author P. Kroskrity, Arizona Tewa Kiva Speech as a Manifestation of a Dominant Language Ideology. Th, 4/5` LL Chapter 6, p. 119-139. Multilingualism and Globalization. AND Zentella, Ana Celia (1997). The Hows and Whys of Spanglish. In Growing Up Bilingual: Puerto Rican Children in New York. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, p. 80-114. ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 7: Performance M, 4/9 LL Chapter 8, p. 160-183. Performance, Performativity, and the Constitution of Communities. Th, 4/12 Abu-Lughod, Lila (1986). Honor and Poetic Vulnerability. In Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 186-207. ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 8: Language and Gender M, 4/16 LL Chapter 9, p. 185-213 Language and Gender. AND LAR Chapter 18, p. 435-451. Authors E. Ochs and C. Taylor, The Father Knows Best Dynamic in Family Dinnertime Narratives. Th, 4/19 HOMEGIRLS, Chapter 5, p. 118-175. Muy Macha: Gendered Performances and the Avoidance of Social Injury. ______________________________________________________________________________ Unit 9: Conclusions M, 4/23 HOMEGIRLS, Chapter 9, p. 265-291. Thats the Whole Thing [tiN]!: Discourse Markers and Teenage Speech. AND HOMEGIRLS, Conclusion, p. 292-296. LANGUAGE AUTOBIOGRAPHY DUE THIS WEEK IN RECITATIONS 6

Th, 4/26 Reading TBA (available online through sakai) ______________________________________________________________________________ M, 4/30 THE MAGIC LECTURE [when everything suddenly makes sense] TUESDAY 5/8 FINAL EXAM 8pm to 11pm