{"id":2,"date":"2011-01-07T23:55:08","date_gmt":"2011-01-07T23:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ling.bu.edu\/blogs\/lx502s11\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2011-04-08T08:58:00","modified_gmt":"2011-04-08T13:58:00","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/ling-blogs.bu.edu\/lx502s11\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"Course information"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

Section A1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meeting time:<\/strong> MWF 2-3, CAS 314<\/p>\n

Instructor:<\/strong> Peter Alrenga
\nEmail:<\/strong> palrenga@bu.edu (preferred)
\nPhone: <\/strong>(617) 353-6221
\nOffice: <\/strong> 621 Commonwealth Ave., Rm. 110
\nOffice Hours:<\/strong> M 3:30-5; Th 11:30-1\u00c2\u00a0(and by appt.)\n<\/td>\n

\n

Section B1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meeting time:<\/strong> MWF 2-3, STO 143<\/p>\n

Instructor:<\/strong> Paul Hagstrom
\nEmail:<\/strong> hagstrom@bu.edu (preferred)
\nPhone: <\/strong>(617) 353-6220
\nOffice: <\/strong> 621 Commonwealth Ave., Rm. 105
\nOffice Hours:<\/strong> T 11-12; W 12-1; Th 11-12 (and by appt.)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Prerequisite:<\/strong> CAS LX250 (Introduction to Linguistics)<\/p>\n

Course Description: <\/strong>People use sentences to convey information about themselves and about the world in which we live. \u00c2\u00a0This course provides an introduction to the study of how meaning is encoded and expressed in natural language. \u00c2\u00a0The study of linguistic meaning comprises two disciplines:\u00c2\u00a0 semantics<\/em>, the study of the conventional meaning carried by words and sentences, and pragmatics<\/em>, the study of how speakers use words and sentences to convey meaning. \u00c2\u00a0Despite its title, this course is concerned with both aspects of linguistic meaning.<\/p>\n

We will examine some of the basic concepts, findings, and theoretical approaches that underlie research in semantics and pragmatics.\u00c2\u00a0 Along the way, we will also acquaint ourselves with some of the formal tools that are employed in the study of meaning.\u00c2\u00a0 Throughout, our focus will be on an empirical understanding of meaning in natural language (i.e., this is not a logic class).\u00c2\u00a0 In particular, we will investigate various aspects of the semantic structure of English while constructing an explicit theory of linguistic meaning.<\/p>\n

Reading: <\/strong>The required textbook for this course (available at the BU Bookstore) is:<\/p>\n

Kearns, Kate.\u00c2\u00a0 2000.\u00c2\u00a0 Semantics<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 Palgrave Macmillan.<\/p>\n

Several supplementary readings will also be assigned\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthese will be made available to you via the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Readings\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 section of this website. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all readings are required, and should be completed by the beginning of class.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Attendance & Participation:<\/strong> Regular attendance and participation are expected, and will constitute 5% of your final grade.<\/p>\n

Exams:<\/strong> There will be two in-class midterm exams:\u00c2\u00a0 the first will be on Wednesday, February 16, and the second will be on\u00c2\u00a0 Monday, March 28.\u00c2\u00a0 Each midterm exam will constitute 15% of your overall grade.\u00c2\u00a0 There will also be a cumulative final exam on Tuesday, May 10 from 12:30-2:30pm, which will constitute 20% of your overall grade.<\/p>\n

Homework:<\/strong> There will be weekly homework assignments.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of the problems will be technical exercises designed to develop familiarity with our formal tools, and will not require prose write-ups.\u00c2\u00a0 Others will be more substantial problems in semantic analysis and argumentation, and will require clear and well-reasoned exposition.\u00c2\u00a0 The assignments will both test your understanding of previously covered material and also serve to introduce new topics that will be discussed in subsequent classes.\u00c2\u00a0 In some cases, you will not yet have the tools to fully solve a particular problem\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyour goal here will be to develop a novel proposal for how to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Assignments will be due at the beginning of class. \u00c2\u00a0Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made.<\/strong> Your lowest homework score will be dropped; the rest will account for 45% of your final grade.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Your homework assignments should be presented in coherent prose \u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c groups of complete sentences that lay out your thinking clearly, explicitly, and in an organized fashion.\u00c2\u00a0 Assignments should be typed, with enough space for our comments.\u00c2\u00a0 (Logical symbols may be hand-written, though these are also available in word processing programs such as Microsoft Word.)\u00c2\u00a0 Remember to include your name, the date, and the assignment number on each assignment.\u00c2\u00a0 Multi-page assignments should be stapled.<\/p>\n

Linguistics is a collaborative discipline, and I encourage you to discuss the assignments with each other.\u00c2\u00a0 However, each student must write up his\/her answers independently, without reference to the written work of any other student.\u00c2\u00a0 Also, give due credit to your collaborators by listing their names at the top of your assignment.\u00c2\u00a0 Any external sources that you consult must be cited in your assignment<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0For a full statement of the CAS Academic Conduct Code, visit http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/students\/undergrad-resources\/code\/<\/a> (see in particular \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Definition of Plagiarism\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Examples of Plagiarism\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Section A1 Meeting time: MWF 2-3, CAS 314 Instructor: Peter Alrenga Email: palrenga@bu.edu (preferred) Phone: (617) 353-6221 Office: 621 Commonwealth Ave., Rm. 110 Office Hours: M 3:30-5; Th 11:30-1\u00c2\u00a0(and by appt.) Section B1 Meeting time: MWF 2-3, STO 143 Instructor: Paul Hagstrom Email: hagstrom@bu.edu (preferred) Phone: (617) 353-6220 Office: 621 Commonwealth Ave., Rm. 105 Office …<\/p>\n

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