Discipline: Anthropology Degree Credit  [X]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Anthropology 8


COURSE DESCRIPTION
8 Language and Culture Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
An introduction to the anthropological study of language in world cultures. Characteristics of human verbal and non-verbal communication, language diversity and change, and the relationship of language to culture and social groups. 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
An introduction to the anthropological study of language and communication in world cultures.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

Distinguish the unique characteristics of the discipline of
anthropology, the concepts of culture, cultural diversity, and
language; the subfield of linguistic anthropology; and the
significance of language in acquiring, transmitting, and
participating in culture.

Define the characteristics of human language, grammar, and parts
 of speech, as they are manifested in different languages and
 societies.

Apply the methods of linguistic analysis to verbal and non-verbal
communication events and social situations.

Assess current debates in the study of human language and
culture.

Discuss the value of linguistic anthropological perspectives and
methods for understanding of social and cultural issues.
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 
  1. The Discipline of Anthropology
    1. The holistic perspective: anthropology compared to disciplines in the social and biological sciences and the humanities
    2. The characteristics of culture; the relationship of cultural diversity with linguistic diversity
    3. The relation of linguistic anthropology to the other subfields of anthropology
  2. The Nature of Human Communication
    1. The characteristics of human communication and language
    2. Symbols and the application of meaning
    3. Language and the brain
    4. Children’s acquisition of language
    5. Bilingualism
    6. Sign language
  3. Descriptive linguistics
    1. The biological apparatus of speech
    2. Phonetics: consonants and vowels; syllables and suprasegmentals; phonology
    3. The International Phonetic Alphabet
    4. Morphemes and morphology; parts of speech
  4. Syntax
    1. Rules for phrase- and sentence-making
    2. Transformational rules
  5. Semantics and Pragmatics: the manipulation of meaning through language
  6. Sociolinguistics
    1. Dialects and their relationship to groups within society
    2. The development of pidgins and creoles and their relationship to social circumstances
    3. The effects of gender on language
    4. Relationship between language and culture, linguistic relativity, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
    5. Linguistic nationalism
  7.  Nonverbal communication
    1. Paralanguage
    2. Proxemics
    3. Kinesics
  8.  Historical linguistics
    1. How languages change
    2. Linguistic divergence, language families, glottochronology
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Class lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in order to explain concepts and allow students the opportunity to respond to them and relate them to their own knowledge and cultural and linguistic experiences
  • Videos, films, and slides in order to illustrate research methods, to present  examples of concepts, and to examine linguistic behaviors (e.g., kinesics) that may be subtle and difficult for nonmembers of a culture to model
  • Pair, small group, and class exercises, such as simulations that allow students to discover the meaning of concepts (e.g., morphology, nonverbal communication, linguistic relativity)  and experience them in a controlled environment, or such as interviews that allow students to practice sociolinguistic techniques
  • Instructor generated handouts that help students acquire and organize information in assigned readings and in classroom presentations (e.g., study guides, outlines, and video guides), that illustrate relationships (e.g., graphic organizers), and that provide students with guidelines and data necessary for  analysis of language in a cultural context
  • Web-based/web-enhanced/online activities in order to present key concepts and to supplement and enrich those presented during class or in texts
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Quizzes and examinations designed to determine knowledge of linguistic terminology and concepts, current debates in the discipline, and the application of concepts to specific linguistic examples
  • Essays, reports, posters, and research papers designed to demonstrate knowledge and application of methods of linguistic research, and assess key theoretical debates within the discipline, and apply concepts to social and cultural situations
  • Assignments reflecting individual, pair, and group participation in classroom learning activities that permit the student to apply linguistic concepts and experience verbal and non-verbal communication events and scenarios from a linguistic anthropological perspective
  • Final examination that assesses mastery of basic terms, concepts, and theoretical perspective of anthropological linguistics
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Ottenheimer, Harriet J. . The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. any: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
  • Ottenheimer, Harriet J. . Linguistic Anthropology Workbook and Reader. any: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
  • Rowe, Bruce M. and Diane P. Levine. A Concise Introduction to Linguistics. any: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2006.
  • Salzmann, Zdenek. Language, Culture, and Society: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. 4 ed. any: Westview Press, 2006.
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