Okay here are the rules for signatures etc.
Per semester, if you have
- four or fewer absences in a
semester then you can get a signature for the minimum number of points.
- five to seven absences then you have to write
one essay.
- eight or more absences then you have to write
two essays.
exam (and signature for one
semester) = 2 essays
exam (and signature for two
semesters) = 3 essays
Essay topics are
by student choice but no student can do more than one essay from a given
subject area (unless one has already been done in each subject area.
Alternately a
student may do a longer essay on a topic of their own choosing (but related to
the subject area of the class, get the subject approved ahead of time).
The essays may be written in English or another
language that the instructor understands.
Essay
questions: An essay
should be between one and two pages in length (1 page = 1800 characters with
spaces). The general distribution of ideas should be:
Between one third and one half: Summarize what we have
done in class and/or the readings (in your own words).
Between one half and two thirds: Your own opinion
and/or ideas. You are allowed to be very speculative here and propose theories
of your own. Originality is favorably looked upon.
Other topics may be added up until June 1, 2012.
The actual topics are below the jump (click where it says 'czytaj więcej')
General topics
Choose three particular design features of human
languages. Indicate either how each is necessary for the functioning of human
language and/or imagine how a language without that design feature might work.
What are the three kinds of empirical studies of
linguistic relativity? Give examples of each. Do you think they are convincing
or not? Why?
What are some of the arguments for and against the
idea of linguistic relativity? Do you tend to believe that it is a valid
concept or not? Why?
What is a linguistic postulate? Can you give some
examples of (possible postulates) from languages that you know? Can you talk
about cultural correlates of the postulates?
Discuss the structure of cultural themes and
grammatical themes and discuss their differences. Does this seem like a valid
concept?
Weird languages
Daniel Everett has made several unusual claims
concerning the Pirahã language found in Brazil.
1.
Summarize
three of his findings.
2.
Find
alternate explanations for these.
David Gil's description of Riau Indonesian challenged
some assumptions on features that languages must have.
1.
Summarize
three of his claims.
2.
Find
alternate explanations for these.
Culture and values
How is culture defined and how are cultures compared
in the model of Geert Hofstede.
Language invention
Discuss one attempt to test the interaction between
language thought and reality through the creation of a language. Discuss the
picture of reality that emerges from the language.
Compare and contrast two different constructed experimental languages.
Speculation
Are the ideas behind linguistic relativity suitable
for quantitative or qualitative study? How can qualitative studies be verified?
To what degree do you think the structure of a
person's first language influences the way they think about reality? Do you
perceive reality in different ways depending upon the language you are using?
Why do you think some people very resistant to the
idea of linguistic relativity?
Metalanguages and the building
blocks of human thought
What are some of the attempts to discover the building
blocks (basic concepts upon which other concepts are based) of human thought?
How successful have such attempts been?
Discuss the Meta-language of Ann Wierzbica. Do you
think it does a good job of making it possible to compare the semantics of
different languages?
Financial linguistics
What is the correlation between language structure and
savings and health behavior that Keith Chen claims to have discovered? Do you
think this is credible? Do you think there are other possible explanations?
Metaphors and Phrames
How important is the metaphor in human perception and
thought? What kinds of thoughts are only possible through metaphor?
How can people's perceptions of issues or problems be
affected by how they are presented?
What are systematic metaphors? How do they work? What
are some systematic metaphors found in your culture?
Neuro-linguistic programming
What are the basic concepts behind neuro-linguistic
programming? Why isn't it taken more seriously academically?
How could the claims of NLP be tested? Would
confirmation of NLP ideas through academic testing change how people understand
communication?
The bi-cameral mind
What is Jaynes' basic concept? What kind of evidence
is there that supports his ideas?
What kind of language is possible for people without
consciousness (self-awareness)? What kinds of social relations will appear
among people without consciousness?
How are schizophrenia, hypnotism and the search for
altered states related to the suppression of consciousness and/or the loss of
the bicameral mind.
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