THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2014

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Language Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Current Issues in Language Evolution (LASC11073)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaLanguage Sciences Other subject areaNone
Course website Please use Learn Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis 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. 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.

Formative feedback;
- feedback given on presentations of papers
- session giving detailed feedback in class on first assessment
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Origins and Evolution of Language (LASC11072)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?No
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 12/01/2015
Breakdown of 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 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
No Exam Information
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 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: Thursday 12th February 2015, 12 noon
Page limit: 3 pages maximum (1.5 spaced, 11 point or above)
Return deadline: 6th March 2015

Assignment 2 deadline: Thursday 9th April 2015, 12 noon
Page limit: 3 pages maximum (1.5 spaced, 11 point or above)
Return deadline: 1st May 2015
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Monica Tamariz
Tel: (0131 6)50 6658
Email: monica@ling.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
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