Instructor: Nikhil Sood                                              

Email: nikhil.sood@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-1:30 OR by appointment (please email me to set up).

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Course description

All people use language—it is a human universal. But language use is incredibly culturally-specific, differing across communities, groups, ages, and modes of communication, to name just a few. Linguistic anthropology, one of four fields in the discipline of anthropology, studies how people use language in their everyday lives. Like cultural anthropology, it is holistic and comparative in its approach to the study of humanity, and stresses qualitative research. This course will introduce students to the basic concepts, theories, and methods of linguistic anthropology, and demonstrate how language and culture are interrelated. Readings and lectures will explore important themes in linguistic anthropology and prepare students for work in more advanced courses in the major, as well as to understand human cultural and linguistic diversity better.

Course Goals and Objectives

The goals of this course are:

• to introduce students to the wide range of topics covered in linguistic anthropology
• to demonstrate the complex ways in which language and culture are interrelated
• to encourage a cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary perspective on knowledge 
• to inspire a deeper interest in the condition we call “being human.”
• to learn about the multifunctionality of language and how it works

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Define and describe the basic concepts, theories, and methods of linguistic anthropology
• Discuss how and why language matters
• Elaborate the complex interrelations between language, culture, and power

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Grading:

One-on-one meeting with me:                                                                                     10%

Participation:                                                                                                               25%

3 Response Papers (15% x 3):                                                                                      45%

Final Paper:                                                                                                                 20%

TOTAL:                                                                                                                      100%

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Class Requirements:

One-on-One meeting with me: (10%) At least once during the semester, please come to my Office Hours for a one-on-one conversation with me. You can do so by simply showing up during my office hours (Mondays 12:30-1:30), or by making an appointment with me through email. This is just a way for us to get to know each other, with nothing required except showing up ready to talk! 

Participation: (25%) This includes making sure that you come to each of our class sessions having carefully read the assigned readings for that class, being attentive and engaged during our class sessions, and participating in class discussions and activities.

Response Papers: (14% x 3) You will complete 3 small assignments over the course of the semester. For each assignment, you will respond to a question or prompt as posted on Blackboard, and must relate your answer to readings from class and to our class discussion (500-750 words). 

Final Paper: (20%) This will grow out of our conversations together. I will post the assignment guidelines and a grading rubric later in the semester, but in plenty of time for you to plan ahead and know what to expect. 

Plagiarism Course: Students must complete the University of Indiana course on plagiarism and submit the certificate of completion before they are able to submit the first Response Paper. The course can be found at: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/.

NOTE: All written work must be submitted as a Word File. The title of the file must include your name. The text must be double-spaced, written in 12 point font, and with one-inch margins.

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Grading Scale:

A+       98-100%          A         93-97%                                    A-        90-92%

B+       87-89%            B          83-86%                                    B-        80-82%

C+       77-79%            C         73-76%                                    C-        70-72%

D+      67-69%            D         63-66%                                    D-        60-62%

F          0-59%

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Communication and Technology:

Communicating with me: Please contact me using the email address provided at the top of this document (nsood@gradcenter.cuny.edu). Please include our course name (ANTH 1300 People and Language) in the Subject line of any email communication with me.

Communicating with you: I will use both the BC Portal and Blackboard to communicate with students, so please make sure that the email you use is correctly listed in both. 

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Instructor’s responsibilities:

To present course material clearly, to assist students in talking and thinking about readings and concepts discussed in the course, and to respect and value students’ opinions and contributions. To be clear about what is expected from students, what the requirements of the course are, and to be available to answer students’ concerns and questions. To give students feedback often, and to have assignments graded and handed back in a fair and timely fashion. In addition, as an educator, I support the rights of undocumented students to an education. If you have any concerns in that regard, feel free to discuss them with me, and I will respect your wishes concerning confidentiality. For resources and support, please check-out Brooklyn College’s Immigrant Student Support Office. 

website: Immigrant Student Success Office

email: isso@brooklyn.cuny.edu Instagram: @issobc or visit: https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/DACA

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