Undergraduate Course: Structure of a Language A (LASC10123)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course gives students the chance to acquire in-depth knowledge of the structure of a selected language, expanding their analytical skills and awareness of linguistic diversity. Students will be provided with the support necessary to undertake close grammatical analysis of a range of textual or other kind of material in an unfamiliar language. |
| Course description |
This course will give students the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge of the structure of a selected language and to build their skills in linguistic analysis and in communicating specialist information to a variety of audiences. Students will be provided with the support and resources that will enable them to engage in the analysis of textual or other kind of material in the target language. Students will be able to develop their understanding of the language's structure and relevant grammatical concepts, and to apply this knowledge as they engage with a varied set of data. Coupled with additional readings, this will enable them to gain an in-depth understanding of the language's structure, as well as to engage, as appropriate, with relevant sociolinguistic, historical, and cultural context as well as the diachronic development of the language.
The choice of language will vary from year to year: information will be provided in advance to allow students to make an informed choice.
The course will be focused primarily on developing structural understanding rather than practical mastery of the language; students will be required to engage closely with linguistic theory throughout the course. Students should expect a significant independent study component in preparation for the teaching sessions.
In any given term, Structure of a Language (B) is the same course as Structure of a Language (A), but students who have already taken (A) in another year are entitled to take it a second time by enrolling in (B). While every year the general learning outcomes are identical, they are applied to a different language, so taking it twice will effectively mean taking two very different courses.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
Structure of a Language B (LASC10122)
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Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have a background in linguistic theory sufficient to take LEL Honours courses. Courses in the structure of a foreign language (including English) are unlikely to suffice, but this will depend on the circumstances; please consult the CO if unsure. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 18,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 14,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
164 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1. Final project paper (60%)
2. Mid-term project paper (30%)
3. Participation in supervised practicals (10%)
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| Feedback |
For assessment 1, students will receive feedforward advice in a meeting with the course lecturer around week 6, and feedback as part of the evaluation.
For assessment 2, students will receive feedback as part of the evaluation.
For assessment 3, students will receive feedback during the practicals and in the class that follows the practical.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Carry out grammatical analysis of data from a previously unfamiliar language
- Demonstrate mastery of key linguistic concepts relevant to the structure of the language
- Effectively and accurately communicate information about the structural and/or sociohistorical aspects of an unfamiliar language to specialist and/or non-specialist audiences
- Formulate research questions to which data from the language is relevant, and demonstrate an understanding of how these questions can be addressed
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Reading List
| A Reading List, including links to appropriate resources, will be provided for each iteration of the course. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry skills:
- Close analysis of complex linguistic data
- Integration of high-level concepts with data analysis
- Understanding the theoretical significance of the data being analysed
- Identifying the best support resources to use according to the task at hand
Personal and intellectual autonomy skills:
- Ability to carry out complex analyses independently
- Ability to identify questions being raised by the data
- Creativity and inventiveness in handling unfamiliar data
Personal effectiveness:
- Ability to independently work on complex material over a sustained period of time
Communication skills:
- Ability to present complex specialist material from various angles, to both specialist and non-specialist audiences |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Learning and Teaching activities
Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 18; Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 14; Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 168)
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Benjamin Molineaux Ress
Tel: (0131 6)50 6977
Email: benjamin.molineaux@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Susan Hermiston
Tel: (0131 6)50 3440
Email: Susan.Hermiston@ed.ac.uk |
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