Postgraduate Course: Current Issues in Language Evolution (LASC11073)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will survey the current hot topics and controversial issues in the study of the evolution of language, focussing on the close reading of recent research papers in addition to a selection of "modern classics" in the field. |
| Course description |
The course will map out what the key points of debate and active research are and cast a critical eye on the directions the field is taking.
Lectures will primarily be student-led, with a selection of papers being made available in the weeks before the course starts. Students will select those papers to be discussed and each student will give at least one presentation summarising one or more of this selection. The class time will be divided roughly equally between presentation and discussion.
|
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 18,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
79 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Each student will prepare 2 mock "peer-reviews" of 3 pages each on papers chosen from the selection provided for the course. These will require the student to put themselves in the place of a referee looking at the paper for inclusion in a journal. They should summarise the paper, give strong and weak points, make a recommendation on whether it should be published and any changes that might be necessary.
Assignment 1 deadline: 12 noon, Thursday 11th February 2016
Page limit: 3 pages maximum (1.5 spaced, 11 point or above)
Return deadline: 4th March 2016
Assignment 2 deadline: 12 noon, Thursday 7th April 2016
Page limit: 3 pages maximum (1.5 spaced, 11 point or above)
Return deadline: 29th April 2016 |
| Feedback |
Feedback given on presentations of papers. Session giving detailed feedback in class on first assessment. Comments provided on submitted assessments |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- gain an up-to-date interdisciplinary understanding of the field of language evolution
- gain the ability to extract the important points from a research paper and summarise that paper in a presentation
- gain effective skills for debate and discussion of both pros and cons of a particular argument
- gain training in the preparation of peer-review commentary
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Simon Kirby
Tel: (0131 6)50 3494
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: |
|
© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 21 October 2015 12:14 pm
|
University Homepage