History of the English Language:
The Archaeology of Fossil Poetry
The poets made all the words, and therefore language is the archives of history, and, if we must say it, a sort of tomb of the muses. For, though the origin of most of our words is forgotten, each word was at first a stroke of genius, and obtained currency, because for the moment it symbolized the world to the first speaker and to the hearer. The etymologist finds the deadest word to have been once a brilliant picture. Lanugage is fossil poetry.
--Emerson, “The Poet”
Course Overview:
As Emerson suggests, a more precise title for this course (and its rather boring and forbidding name, HEL) would be something like: The Archeology of Fossil Poetry. Yes, we are studying the English language from an historical and conceptual point of view. But in effect, we are still studying poetry. Learning how to dig for the origins and evolution of our language. Learning (and I hope, being inspired by) the poetic power of our language that we put to use everyday. With that in mind, consider this a hands-on course in the experience of the English language, how it gets to us in Sioux City, where it is going, what we can do with it.
Texts:
David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
Lee Thomas and Stephen Tchudi, The English Language: An Owner’s Manual
Course Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to provide each student with a broader historical, theoretical, and creative understanding of the ways we think about and use the English language: formally and informally, consciously and unconsciously, effectively and ineffectively. This understanding is the foundation for more thoughtful and effective use of English, be it in the English classroom as a student and/or teacher, in writing for professional or personal audiences in business or law or journalism, in communicating in any aspect of one’s life.
Related to this greater understanding of English, this course gives particular attention to these outcomes for the English major:
3]Applies knowledge of English language structure and history, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss texts; adjusts his/her use of spoken and written language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. As such, the course will focus on your making substantial progress in developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in the field of English, specifically in using and studying the English language.
8]Participates actively as a knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical member of a variety of literacy communities, in the classroom, in the department, and in the larger communities of the College and the region. As such, the course will focus on your developing greater understanding and appreciation of the complexity of English, in its history and theory and practice.
Course Expectations and Policies:
Some crucial things you can expect from me as an educator and the leader of your experiences in the course.
Response: One of my roles is to assess your learning in the course so that I can help in that process. That means more than giving you a grade. It means giving you the response (employing a variety of methods of assessment, some with numbers, some without) that you will need to understand your own learning and thus perform in this course (and beyond it) more effectively and thoughtfully—the main objective of this and any course I teach. I understand that you may be more used to “grades” alone rather than this broader emphasis on response and qualitative assessment; feel free to talk with me whenever you feel you need a response that is more oriented toward a number.
Curiosity: I am a learner and love the process of learning; that is why I teach. This means that my curiosity for the subjects in this course and my desire to learn more about them will be part of the course and should encourage you, I would hope, to be equally curious and passionate about your learning. I will be a leader of the course but be prepared to have me follow your lead as well.
Flexibility: Since I am a learner and the course is therefore a work in progress, you should expect the course to evolve. We will follow a general syllabus with assignments given in advance; but be prepared for some changes to be made based on where we are going at a given time. You should always consult the course web page for updates. Regarding disabilities: If you have an identified disability which may impact your performance in this class, schedule an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss adaptations or accommodations which may be necessary to provide you with an equal opportunity for success in this course.
Some crucial things I will expect from you as a student (and fellow learner) in this course.
Participation: If you are going to participate more effectively and thoughtfully in your own learning (an objective of the course) you will need to participate on a daily basis. Class participation is a key component of the course and will be part of your overall grade. It involves keeping up in your journal writing, speaking and listening actively in class, being prepared for discussions, and using technology effectively and appropriately (see my Technology Use policy posted on the web). Since you can’t participate if you are absent, unexcused absences will affect your grade. An excused absence is one where you have spoken with me in advance about your need to miss class. Here is my attendance policy:
--After two absences (your free pass), each absence will count -10 from your final participation grade.
--A student who misses 50% of the classes by midterm (this includes classes missed before signed into the course) will automatically fail the course.
--Students may have the opportunity to add extra credit points to their participation grade. See me if interested or concerned about your absences.
Communication: Keep in touch with me about how things are going for you, difficulties you are having with your work, confusion, curiosity, excitement. Communicating how things are going is also a key part of participating thoughtfully in your own learning. My late work policy: As a rule, if you have not communicated with me in advance about turning in an assignment later than the due date, you will loose credit for that assignment. An assignment more than one week late will receive a 0.
Integrity: You can’t participate thoughtfully if you aren’t being fully honest with me, with your colleagues, and with yourself. Plagiarism is one form of dishonesty. In general, using the ideas and language of another without giving proper credit is plagiarism. Any student guilty of such plagiarism is subject to serious penalty for the assignment (failing) and for the course overall. We will talk about how to credit properly the use of another’s work as well as how to distinguish between collaboration and sharing (both of which are important in education) and plagiarism. For more on plagiarism and the policies of the College, consult the College Catalog and Student Handbook.
Progress: Throughout the course I will be looking for and assessing your progress as a way to help you make that progress. I will expect you to be striving for progress in all aspects of the course, willing and eager to do the work that progress requires.
Assessment:
I will use a variety of evaluation methods to assess your performance and determine your grade. These methods will be discussed in advance. The general scale I will use for determining final grades should be familiar to you (+ and – at each level may also be applied):
A/Excellent/90-100
B/Good/80-89
C/Average/70-79
D/Poor/60-69
F/Failing/below 60
What follows is an approximate guideline for how your progress and work in the course will count toward your final grade:
Participation (includes attendance and performance in class discussions): 10 %
Reading (reading logs, quizzes, midterm): 30%
Writing (three case studies): 40%
Final project/exam: 20%