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 |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
| Home subject area |
Language Sciences |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
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| Course description |
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 very recent research papers (including some yet to be published) in addition to a selection of "modern classics" in the field. 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. |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 14:00 - 15:50 | | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Tuesday, 14:00 - 15:50, Zone: Central. 1.01 Dugald Stewart Building |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will gain:
- an up-to-date interdisciplinary understanding of the field of language evolution
- the ability to extract the important points from a research paper and summarise that paper in a presentation
- effective skills for debate and discussion of both pros and cons of a particular argument
- training in the preparation of peer-review commentary |
Assessment Information
| Each student will prepare 2 mock "peer-reviews" of 1000 words 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. |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Prof Simon Kirby
Tel: (0131 6)50 3494
Email: s.kirby@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:13 am
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