Course information
Intermediate Syntax, Spring 2021
(CAS LX 422, GRS LX 722)
| Meeting time |
TR 3:30 - 4:45, Zoom T 4:55 - 5:45 (grad section), Zoom |
| Instructor | Paul Hagstrom |
| hagstrom@bu.edu | |
| Office Location | Kind of irrelevant. |
| Office Hours | M 3-4, T 11-12, R 5-6 |
Prerequisite: CAS LX321/GRS LX621 (Introduction to Syntax), or consent of instructor.
Course Description: In this course, we will develop the basic tools to model syntactic knowledge using the most widely-used modern framework (“minimalism”). Data drawn from a variety of languages will be used to evaluate hypotheses as the model is developed, the goal being to arrive at some understanding not only of how the syntax of human language “works” but also of why it works that way, what the dimensions are along which languages do and do not vary. We will review phenomena that have contributed substantially to the development of the theory and identify areas where significant understanding has been achieved as well as areas where more needs to be done. By the end of the course, we will have a precisely formalized model that has wide coverage and makes specific predictions that can be tested. The topics covered in the course represent the most fundamental areas of current syntactic research, such that students having completed the course will be in a good position to pursue further study of syntax through the professional academic literature or advanced courses.
Learning objectives
Students completing this course will:
- Learn the modern framework for syntactic analysis in widespread use, enabling an understanding of the modern syntactic literature beyond those covered in this specific course
- Gain an understanding of the ways in which the current theory improves over earlier approaches, and how it connects more broadly to theories of cognitive processing
- Learn to work within a concretely specified syntactic framework to make and assess specific falsifiable predictions
- Further develop analytical skills in analyzing data and evaluating theoretical accounts and approaches
- Gain experience with the major areas of syntax where significant understanding has been achieved
Course Requirements
Homework. Weekly homework. Assignments some weeks will include reading course notes or watching an out-of-class video presentation covering a topic to be discussed. Some ungraded exercises will also be assigned from time to time, for discussion in class.
Midterm exam. There will be a midterm exam, but a take-home one. Largely indistinguishable from a homework assignment, except that it is not skippable, and it is worth about twice what normal homework assignments are worth. It will cover general concepts from the first half of the course.
Final exam. There will be a final exam, but it will also be a take-home one. Largely indistinguishable from the midterm exam (that is, it’ll be like a homework assignment, except not skippable and worth about twice what normal homework assignments are worth). It will be due on the last day of classes. It will cover concepts from the second half of the course (which, realistically, also requires concepts we talk about in the first half – but it will not specifically target material that was only discussed in the first half).
Late assignments. Late assignments will not be accepted without prior arrangement.
Class participation. There is a grading category for class participation. One can participate in various ways. Asking questions in class, posting/discussing in the Slack workspace, attending the lectures or sections. This is a pretty subjective (but leniently graded) measure, intended mainly to encourage continued engagement.
Graduate section. For students taking this as the graduate course (LX722) there is a section meeting, which will largely be reading and discussing relevant literature or digging deeper into topics covered in class. (A student taking the undergraduate course is welcome to sit in, if desired.) There will be additional reading/homework associated with this section, which is reflected in the grading schema given below.
Electronic communication
We live in an electronic age. You (unlike me) have always lived in an electronic age. You are expected to be reachable via your BU email address. The central communication center for the course is the Slack workspace. Announcements, notes on readings, homework errata, and other information will be posted here on the course blog regularly and announced in Slack. Things that are posted there will be assumed to have been communicated. Homework assignments will be submitted (and returned) using Gradescope. You are not required to typeset your answers (a photograph of a piece of paper is fine), but unreadable submissions (or, frankly, submissions that are only readable through heroic effort on my part) do not count as having been handed in.
Lectures
Course lectures will take place over Zoom, and will be uploaded to MyMedia, and cataloged on Slack. Perhaps also on Blackboard Learn. There may be occasionally videos to watch outside of class time which we will then discuss during class time.
Readings
There is a textbook that will basically be compatible with what we do in this course, but it is only “recommended” since we will not be following it super closely. David Adger (2003), Core Syntax. Oxford University Press.
Grading Scheme
| Category | LX422 | LX722 |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments (lowest score dropped) | 65% | 50% |
| Midterm exam | 13% | 10% |
| Final exam | 13% | 10% |
| Class participation | 9% | 10% |
| Graduate work | n/a | 20% |
Academic integrity
It is essential that you read and adhere to the CAS Student Academic Conduct Code. Graduate students must also follow the applicable policies of the GRS Academic Conduct code.
Collaboration.
If you decide to form a study group to work together on assignments, your collaboration should not go beyond discussing ideas together. In other words, you must write up your own assignment separately from the group, using only your own words (except when quoting other work directly, in which case use citations as standard). The underlying principle is that what you turn in should reflect your understanding and show your own ability to communicate the ideas. Here of some examples of you should not be doing:
- Having one or more members of the group produce a “group draft,” “group essay plan,” or “group grammar,” which individual members of the group then customize.
- Writing up on separate computers while conferring with each other in real time (whether in person or via skype, chat services, or any other medium).
- Using another student’s complete assignment as a reference when completing your own.