Course Syllabus—1/5
Samantha Bankston—Spring 2017—ENGL 381-1
Course Code & Section:
Course Title (Credits):
Term & Year:
Course Ref. # (CRN):
ENGL 381—Section 1
Language, Thought, and Culture (3 Credits)
Spring 2017
10283
Instructor:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Class Meeting Times:
Location:
Dr. Samantha Bankston
775-750-2439 (cell)
[email protected]
By appointment
M/W 2:30-3:45pm
Patterson 211
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
ENGL 102
None
Course Description
As French author Stendhal stated, “The forest must be planted all at once,” and this logic of
spontaneous emergence applies to language, thought, and culture. We will investigate the
cotemporaneous ways in which language and thought arise, and how this symbiotic relationship
expresses itself in culture. Gaining insight from linguistic theorists, anthropologists, cultural
critics, and philosophers, we will parse out the processes that condition the boundaries of thought
and expression. Beginning with Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s contention that human language began
as a passionate, musical form of communication and then became rational as speakers reached
northern climes, we will define what constitutes a language. Next, we will decipher the
codification of language and thought through the structural linguistics and anthropology of
Ferdinand de Saussure and Claude Lévi-Strauss, respectively. We will also look at cultural
phenomena in the last century as they relate to systems of language. Other problematics will be
established with respect to style, the possibility of a universal grammar, authority in language,
and the relationship between sensation and thought in culture.
Student Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
demonstrate a profound understanding of structural linguistics
analyze language in order to unearth cultural implications
closely and critically engage with theoretical texts
apply acquired knowledge to instances of cultural expression in US culture, and beyond
diagnose the ills of society based on linguistic and cultural form
Methods of Assessing Student Outcomes
1. Daily writing assignments
2. In-class discussion
3. Essays (in-class and out-of-class)
4. Exams
5. Creative theoretical writing activities
Course Syllabus—2/5
Samantha Bankston—Spring 2017—ENGL381-1
Required Texts
1. Poetry, Language, and Thought, Martin Heidegger, ISBN-10: 0060937289
2. On the Origins of Language, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Herder, ISBN-10: 0226730123
3. A Course in General Linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure, ISBN-10: 0812690230
4. Structural Anthropology, Claude Levi-Strauss, ISBN-10: 046509516X
5. Mythologies, Roland Barthes, ISBN-10: 0809071940
6. Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace, ISBN-10: 0316013323
Instructional Strategies
The instructional strategies for this course are diverse, including: class discussion, textual analysis, guided
critical reading, and lecture.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend class and actively participate. Each student is allowed three absences; this
includes being sick, having to pick a family member up from the airport, car trouble, etc. After three absences
your attendance and participation grade will be reduced in points. Instances of extreme circumstances will be
considered for excusal with proper documentation, including trips by those on the ski/snowboard team. If you
plan to be absent, let me know in advance. Additionally, habitual lateness will result in reduced points.
Class Requirements
1. Always come prepared with your textbooks and necessary materials for class. Staple your papers.
2. No cell phones in class. Anyone texting in class will be asked to leave. No laptops unless required for
class. Texting, checking your email, or playing video games in class is not only distracting to me and the other
students, but it is disrespectful.
3. Assignments must be turned in on time. If you are absent you can either have a classmate turn in your
assignment for you, or you can leave your assignment in my mailbox on the 3rd floor of Prim (near the copier).
Regardless of absence, your work is due by the start of class on the due date.
Honor Code and Plagiarism/Cheating
SNC students and faculty share the responsibility for maintaining an environment of academic honesty. Thus,
all are responsible for knowing and abiding by the SNC Faculty/Student Honor Code published in the current
SNC Catalog. The faculty is responsible for presenting the honor code and consequences for violating it to
students at the start of classes AND for reporting all incidences of academic dishonesty to the Provost.
Students are responsible for knowing what constitutes CHEATING, PLAGIARISM, and FABRICATION and
refraining from these and other forms of academic dishonesty. Violations of the honor code become part of a
student’s academic record.
Plagiarism is “passing off a source’s information, ideas, or words as one’s own by omitting to acknowledge the
sources.” This refers to all sources of information, including the internet.
The following policy regarding cheating and/or plagiarism has been established:
1. First offense: student receives a failing grade for that assignment, and the instructor notifies the advisor and
the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Students identified as committing an act of plagiarism will be referred
to Student Services.
2. Second offense in the same class or any other class that semester or subsequent semesters: student receives a
failing grade for the class where the second offense takes place, and the instructor notifies the advisor and the
Vice President of Academic Affairs.
3. Third offense: the student is expelled from Sierra Nevada College. The instructor notifies the advisor and
the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Course Syllabus—3/5
Samantha Bankston—Spring 2017—ENGL 381-1
Grading Policy:
400
Attendance and homework (attendance will be judged by the completion of short writing
assignments due each class session, rather than mere physical appearance)
100
Inspired by Roland Barthes’ Mythologies, students will write an analysis of a cultural
phenomenon in the contemporary United States
100
Presentation and essay performing a structural analysis of a collection of Trump tweets
200
Midterm paper (8-10 pages)
200
Final in-class essay
----1000 Total points
930-1000 = A
730-769 = C
900-929 = A700-729 = C-
870-899 = B+
670-699 = D+
830-869 = B
630-669 = D
800-829 = B600-629 = D-
770-799 = C+
0-599 = F
Mandatory Special Accommodations (ADA) Statement
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, students with a documented disability are eligible for support services and accommodations. If a
student wishes to request an accommodation, please contact the Director of Academic Support Services,
Henry Conover, at (775) 831-7534, [email protected], on the 3rd floor of Prim Library #303,
within the first week of the semester.
The SNC Email System
The SNC email system is the official communication vehicle among students, faculty members and administrative
staff and is designed to protect the confidentiality of student information as required by the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Students should check their college email accounts daily during the
school year.
Students have the right to forward their SNC email to another email account (for example, @gmail, @yahoo).
However, confidentiality of student information protected by FERPA cannot be guaranteed for SNC email
forwarded to an outside vendor. Having email redirected does not absolve a student from the responsibilities
associated with official communication sent to his or her SNC email account.
The Mission Statement:
Sierra Nevada College graduates will be educated to be scholars of and contributors to a sustainable world.
Sierra Nevada College combines the liberal arts and professional preparedness through an interdisciplinary
curriculum that emphasizes entrepreneurial thinking and environmental, social, economic and educational
sustainability.
The Core Themes:
Liberal Arts
Entrepreneurial Thinking
Professional Preparedness
Sustainability
Literacy Statement
Using the library’s resources effectively (not just the internet) contributes to developing each of SNC’s core themes
by exposing students to high quality academic resources, diverse opinions, new ideas, and a future that includes
building on a liberal arts education. In this course, you will be expected to utilize the library’s resources (either onsite or remotely) as you complete your assignments.
Course Syllabus—4/5
Samantha Bankston—Spring 2017—ENGL 381-1
Class Schedule
All reading and homework assignments must be done prior to the assigned date.
Date
w 1/18
m 1/23
Topic
Introduction
Myth and Language, Barthes
w 1/25
Myth and Language, Barthes
m 1/30
On the Origins of Language, Rousseau
w 2/1
On the Origins of Language, Rousseau
m 2/6
Structural linguistics, Saussure
(five class sessions, from CGL)
w 2/8
m 2/13
Principles of Physiological Phonetics, CGL
General Principles of Linguistics, CGL
w 2/15
Culture! Mythologies, Barthes
m 2/20
w 2/22
m 2/27
No Class
Synchronic Linguistics, Saussure, CGL
Diachronic Linguistics, Saussure, CGL
w 3/1
Culture! Mythologies, Barthes
m 3/3
Structural Anthropology, Lévi-Strauss
w 3/8
Structural Anthropology, Lévi-Strauss
m 3/13
w 3/15
m 3/20
Spring Break
Spring Break
Culture! Mythologies, Barthes
w 3/22
Structural Anthropology, Lévi-Strauss
m 3/27
Structural Anthropology, Lévi-Strauss
Assignment
“Myth Today” (pp. 217-249) from Mythologies
Write a one paragraph summary
“Myth Today” (pp. 249-end) from Mythologies
Write a one paragraph summary
On the Origins of Language (pp. 1-31)
Write a short analysis (1 paragraph) for each chapter
On the Origins of Language (pp. 31-74)
Write a short analysis (1 paragraph) for each chapter
“Introduction” (all chapters)
½ page summary of a chapter of your choosing
“Appendix”; write a half-page summary
“Part I”; describe the difference between synchronic and
diachronic linguistics, chez Saussure (1/2 page)
“The Writer on Vacation”; “Wine and Milk”; “The Blue Guide”
Write an analysis of the 3 essays, forging a cultural connection
between them in 1 page
“Part II”; write ½ page description of what constitutes a sign
“Part III”; describe the difference between “popular etymology”
and “analogy”, provide an English example of popular
etymology
“Steak-Frîtes”; “Electoral Photogeny”; “Striptease”
Select one of the essays and write a paragraph demonstrating
the connection between the cultural phenomenon and language
“Author’s Preface”; “II” and “III”; How is the linguistic sign
arbitrary a priori but not so a posteriori? (1/2 page)
“IV” How is a language spoken by a population a reflection of
the entire culture of that population? (1/2-1 page)
“Racine is Racine”; “The Agony Column”; “Plastic”
Explain how each cultural phenomenon is expressed in
contemporary American culture
Midterm paper due
“VI” and “VII”; What is problematic about designating a
society “primitive”? (1/2 page)
“VIII”; What does the discrepancy between the models
described by the Winnebago imply about the relationship
between language and social organization? (1/2-1 page)
w 3/29
m 4/3
w 4/5
m 4/10
w 4/12
m 4/17
Structural Anthropology, Lévi-Strauss
A structuralist analysis of Trump’s
tweets
“XI”; What is the difference between langue and parole? (1/2 p.)
Authority and American Usage, David
Foster Wallace
Authority and American Usage, David
Foster Wallace
The Culture Industry, Adorno
(Handout)
The Culture Industry, Adorno
(Handout)
“Authority and American Usage” (pp. 66-99); Locate one
cultural reference DFW makes and what purpose it serves
“Authority and American Usage” (pp. 99-end); How does
DFW’s use of language undermine authority? (1/2 page)
“Culture and Administration”; How does the language of
administration inform culture? (1/2-1 page)
“Free Time”; Adorno’s methodical writing style deliberatively
entails his view of the relationship between language and
thought...extrapolate and expose this relationship (1/2 page)
“Building Dwelling Thinking”; What does Heidegger mean
when he says that language is the house of Being? (1/2 page)
“Language” and “...Poetically Man Dwells...”; Why does poetry
hold a privileged position w/r/t thought? (1/2 page)
Mythology essay on an element of US culture due
“Postulates of Linguistics”; What is problematic about
Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar? (1/2 page)
“Cartographies of Style”; What constitutes style in art? (1/2 p.)
w 4/19
Poetry, Language, Thought, Heidegger
m 4/24
Poetry, Language, Thought, Heidegger
w 4/26
The Four Postulates of Linguistics, D&G
(Handout)
Style, from Artmachines, Sauvagnargues
m 5/1
w 5/3
m 5/8
Final
(Handout)
Writing and Difference, Derrida
(Handout)
Reading Day
In-Class Essay
Presentations & Essay: a structuralist analysis of Trump
tweets
“Structure, Sign, and Play”; Outline some of Derrida’s key
criticisms of the structuralist project
Reading Day
In-Class Essay