ANT 2330: Cross-Cultural Communication. Tues / Thurs 6:30pm 7:45pm in WC 230

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1 ANT 2330: Cross-Cultural Communication Tues / Thurs 6:30pm 7:45pm in WC 230 Joshua Raclaw (jraclaw@msudenver.edu) Office hours by appointment (CN 106) The goal of this course is to introduce you to anthropological and sociolinguistic approaches to cross-cultural variation in language use. Throughout the semester we will work towards understanding how linguistic practice, variation, and ideology vary from culture to culture, focusing on language in the United States. In undertaking these goals, we will explore a number of topics related to the study of language and society, among them: the relationship between language, culture, and thought; how everyday conversational interactions can exhibit cross-cultural variation; how language interacts with gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, occupational roles, social identities, and other factors in everyday life; how factors such as globalization and new media affect language use; and how language ideologies, language policy, and institutionalized forms of discrimination affect linguistic practice. No background in either anthropology or linguistics is required for this course. Required texts and equipment Making sense of language: Readings in culture and communication. Susan D. Blum, 2008, Oxford UP. (**Note that this is the 1st edition of the text.) In addition to the course texts, you will need access to an audio or video recording device for this class. However, having access doesn t mean that you'll need to purchase these devices; many of you may already have laptops, smart phones, or similar devices that can record audio or video data, and you may work with a partner who owns these devices. I can also provide access to a digital recorder. More information about this will be provided as the semester progresses. Grades and assignments Your grade for this course is based on your performance on the following: Participation 15% Debate 5% Homework 20% Written Assignment #2 10% Midterm exam 15% Written Assignment #3 10% Final exam 15% Written Assignment #3 10%

2 Participation Your participation grade is based on how often you come to class prepared and having done the day's readings, your participation in group work during class, how well you demonstrate your knowledge of the course material, and how often you ask questions or contribute to class discussions. Note that frequent latenesses, or frequently leaving class early, will count against your participation grade. Attendance is a crucial component of your participation grade. Because this particular summer course is held once a week, you are allowed 2 undocumented absences from a single class session without penalty. Each additional absence beyond that will lower your participation grade by onefourth. Absences due to documented illness or emergency do not count towards this limit, though documentation must be provided to me within a week of returning to campus. Absences due to religious observation, participation in an excused university sports event, or similar reason will also not count towards this limit, though documentation must be provided to me at least one weak prior to your absence. Be aware that I take attendance at the beginning of each class session; if you re late, it is your responsibility to make sure that I ve marked you down as present. Additionally, over the course of the semester we will watch excerpts from documentaries that showcase different aspects of sociolinguistic practice. The dates for these are listed on the course schedule below. Should you miss class during a day when we watch one of these excerpts, you will need to view them on your own time. Be sure to talk to me to see which parts of these videos you ll need to watch and to check where you can access them (most, if not all, are available to watch at the Auraria library). Participation is worth 15% of your course grade. Debates During the first half of the semester you will sign up to participate in a debate on a sociolinguistic issue that we will cover during the course, focusing on some aspect of language use within the United States. You can sign up to argue either in favor of (PRO) or against (CON) the issue. The dates and topics of these debates are located on the schedule below. Be aware that missed debates cannot be made up unless they are missed due to documented illness, emergency, or similar reason. More detailed instructions on preparing for your debate will be given out as the semester progresses. Participation in debates is worth 5% of your course grade.

3 Homeworks You will receive weekly homework assignments over the course of the semester. Due dates for these are located on the course schedule at the bottom of this syllabus. You will need to download homework assignments from the ConnectU website for this course. Completed homework assignments are due at the beginning of class and should be printed and stapled; you may also your homework to me before the start of class Please note that late homework assignments will only be accepted without penalty in cases of absence due to documented illness or emergency, in which case they are due when you return to campus. Homeworks are worth a combined 20% of your final grade. Midterm and Final exam There are two major exams for this course: your midterm exam, which will be given in-class on March 21st, and your final exam, the date and time of which will be available on ConnectU. Both exams are worth 15% of your final grade. Please note that make-up exams will only be offered in cases of documented serious illness or emergency. Written Assignments Your Written Assignments are designed to help you think about language in its social contexts. Due dates for these are located on the course schedule at the bottom of this syllabus. I will provide you with a printed description of each WA during class; you may also download a copy from the ConnectU website for this course. WAs are due via (to jraclaw@msudenver.edu) on Fridays; the exact due dates for each are given on the schedule below. Please note that late WAs will only be accepted without penalty in cases of documented emergency. Your first WA will have you collecting and analyzing the slang practices of a particular social group. Your second WA will have you analyzing the linguistic production of gender, race, or ethnicity in a television show or film. Your third WA will have you constructing a linguistic autobiography that traces how you use and think about language in your everyday life. Each of your WAs are worth 10% of your final grade. A note about ed assignments You will need to me your WAs and may optionally me your homeworks. After ing your assignment, it is your responsibility to check the Sent folder in your to make sure that you have 1) attached your assignment and 2) attached a file that can be opened. ed assignments with no attachments or corrupt attachments will be subject to the usual late policies for assignments.

4 Policy on electronic devices I do allow the use of laptops, tablets, and e-readers in class. However, I expect you to use these devices in ways that are not distracting to your fellow classmates (e.g. for taking notes rather than cruising Facebook or Youtube or Reddit or etc.) I do not allow the use of cell phones and similar devices in class. Please leave the classroom if you need to use them. No Credit Withdrawal Policy Students will be expected to know and observe the MSU Denver regulations regarding No-Credit Withdrawal (NC). It is the student s responsibility to withdraw from a course. Students who withdraw after the census date will receive an NC on their transcripts. NC stands for No Credit and does not impact the student s grade point average. NC deadlines for part-of-term classes vary. Students who have questions about tuition and fees refund deadlines should contact the Office of Student Accounts at Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students who need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor to discuss their specific needs. Students will need to provide the instructor with a disability verification letter from the Access Center before appropriate accommodations can be made. Failure to notify the instructor in a timely fashion may hinder the college s ability to assist students to successfully complete the course. The Metropolitan State University of Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in admission or access to, or treatment in, its educational programs or activities. Inquiries concerning Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 may be referred to Dr. Percy Morehouse, Director, Equal Opportunity, Metropolitan State University of Denver, ; or to the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 300, Denver, CO Discrimination based on disability in admission to, access to or operation of programs, services or activities of the university is prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Academic Dishonesty As students, faculty, staff and administrators of Metropolitan State University of Denver, it is our responsibility to uphold and maintain an academic environment that furthers scholarly inquiry, creative activity and the application of knowledge. We will not tolerate academic dishonesty. We will demonstrate honesty and integrity in all activities related to our learning and scholarship. We

5 will not plagiarize, fabricate information or data, cheat on tests or exams, steal academic material, or submit work to more than one class without full disclosure. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at the University because it diminishes the quality of scholarship and the learning experience for everyone on campus. An act of Academic Dishonesty may lead to sanctions including a reduction in grade, probation, suspension, or expulsion. For definitions and more information, see the Student Handbook which is available at Class Attendance on Religious Holidays Students at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities or submit graded assignments on particular days shall without penalty be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the student will be absent for religious reasons is given to the faculty members during the first two weeks of the semester. Nothing in paragraph one of this policy shall require MSU Denver faculty members to reschedule classes, repeat lectures or other ungraded activities or provide ungraded individualized instruction solely for the benefit of students who, for religious reasons, are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes or activities. However, presentations, critiques, conferences and similar activities involving individual students shall be scheduled to avoid conflicts with such students religious observances or holidays provided that reasonable advance notice of scheduling conflicts is given to faculty members. Because classroom attendance and participation is an important aspect of learning, MSU Denver students should not register for courses if regularly scheduled classes or activities routinely conflict with their religious observances or holidays (e.g., conflicts resulting in weekly absences for an entire semester). Any MSU Denver student who believes that an MSU Denver faculty member has violated this policy is entitled to seek relief under Section V of the MSU Denver Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedure.

6 COURSE SCHEDULE The schedule below lists the readings for the course, the dates for course exams, and due dates for course assignments. The scheduled readings should be completed on the day that they are listed, prior to class. For example, your first set of readings should be finished for the second class session on Jan 24. * Readings listed as Blum come from the Making Sense of Language textbook. * Readings listed as Online should be downloaded from the course website on ConnectU Note that some of the assigned Blum readings cover only part of a chapter, and some of the ConnectU readings have a set of page numbers in parentheses next to them. For these, you are only responsible for reading the pages of the reading listed for that day (though you can of course go through the entire chapter or article if the topic is one that you're interested in). WEEK 1 Foundations for studying language, culture, and society Tues 1/22 Read: -- Thurs 1/24 Read: Online The socially charged life of language (p & 20-30) WEEK 2 Culture, thought, and the categories of language Tues 1/29 Read: Online Language, thought, and culture (p & 78-95) Thurs 1/31 Read: Online Metaphor (p ) Due: Homework #1 WEEK 3 The human voice in cultural context Tues 2/5 Read: Online Male and female voices (p & ) Thurs 2/7 Read: Online Shifting voices (p & ) Due: Homework #2

7 WEEK 4 Lexical variation in everyday language use Tues 2/12 Read: Online Dude (p & ) Thurs 2/14 Read: Online Word up (p ) Due: Homework #3 WEEK 5 Conversation as cultural practice Tues 2/19 Read: Online Conversational exchanges (p ) Thurs 2/21 Read: Online Properties of greetings (p ) Read: Blum Chapter 45 (p ) Due: Homework #4 WEEK 6 Language attitudes and ideologies Tues 2/26 Read: Blum Chapter 23 (p ) Read: Blum Chapter 24 (p ) Class: Video excerpt American Tongues Thurs 2/28 Read: Blum Chapter 42 (p ) Due: FA #1 WEEK 7 Language, ethnicity, and identity Tues 3/5 Read: Blum Chapter 28 (p ) Thurs 3/7 Read: Online Language, race, and ethnicity (p ) Due: Homework #5

8 WEEK 8 Language and gender Tues 3/12 Read: Online Language and gender: Women s language (p ) Read: Online Language and gender: Conversation (p ) Thurs 3/14 Read: Online Language and gender: Public talk (p ) Class: Debate #1 Due: Homework #6 WEEK 9 Midterm examination Tues 3/19 Read: -- Class: Midterm review session Thurs 3/21 Read: -- Class: Midterm examination WEEK 10 Tues 3/26 Thurs 3/28 Spring break Class cancelled Spring break Class cancelled Spring break WEEK 11 Tues 4/2 Language and new media Read: Online Language online Thurs 4/4 Read: Online Enregistering internet language (p ) Class: Debate #2 Due: FA #2

9 WEEK 12 Tues 4/9 Societal multilingualism Read: Online Language contact and contact languages Thurs 4/11 Read: Blum Chapter 17 (p ) Class: Video excerpt Speaking in Tongues Due: Homework #7 WEEK 13 Language policy and linguistic practice Tues 4/16 Read: Blum Chapter 15 (p ) Read: Blum Chapter 14 (p ) Thurs 4/18 Read: Online The U.S. and Canada Class: Debate #3 Due: Homework #8 WEEK 14 Tues 4/23 Sign language and deaf culture Read: Online American Sign Language Thurs 4/25 Read: -- Read: Blum Chapter 1 (p ) Class: Video excerpt Through Deaf Eyes WEEK 15 Language shift and globalization Tues 4/30 Read: Blum Chapter 13 (p ) Read: Blum Chapter 21 (p ) Thurs 5/2 Read: -- Class: Video excerpt The Linguists

10 WEEK 16 Tues 5/7 Course wrap-up Students Choice (TBD) Read: TBD Thurs 5/9 Read: -- Interested in learning about language and animal communication? The relationship between language and religion, language in different occupational contexts, or language and sexual identities? Language use in a particular area of the world or within a particular community of interest? Something else entirely? TBD by you! Class: Final exam review session Final exam: TBA