122041 PS Proseminar Linguistics 1 (2018S)

CONTENTS:
Building on the introductory module (STEOP), this course discusses the basics and ethics of academic writing and research methodology with the help of hands-on examples from English linguistics. Students will be familiarized with basic concepts and fundamental problems in the field of English syntax. They will then individually investigate one selected topic and submit their findings in the form of a written paper.

In this course, students are made familiar with:
• Basic concepts and problems in the field of syntax pertaining to the study of English
• The basic principles and ethics of academic research
• Finding and evaluating academic sources
• The basic conventions of academic writing
• Selected resources and tools used in the study of syntax

PREREQUISITES:
Please understand that this is a 6-ECTS course, which means about 150 hours of work, only 20 of which are class time. So, you will spend about 8 hours a week in addition to the contact hours working for this course. You need to be able to dedicate that much time to it.

As this course builds on knowledge and skills acquired during the STEOP (Language Analysis and ISL1), knowledge of basic concepts and related terminology in the field of English linguistics will be taken for granted.

THERE WILL BE A SHORT QUIZ COUNTING TOWARDS THE FINAL GRADE IN THE VERY FIRST SESSION to make sure that students have this knowledge readily available. The quiz will be based on the key concepts discussed in the Language Analysis Lecture Materials (which students have used in the STEOP Language Analysis class).

We suggest that students complete ISL2 before taking PS1 - Syntax, since many of the concepts used in the PS1 are discussed in the ISL2 lecture. We also strongly suggest that students have completed at least ILSS1, but ideally also ILSS2 before taking this course. Writing skills such as paragraphing (topic sentence, support, ...) and having a clear line of argumentation are taken for granted and a basic understanding of the structure of an in-text citation will prove helpful.

AIMS:
Students will be able to carry out a guided literature-based research project on a topic in the field of syntax, building on knowledge acquired in the course.

METHODS:
Reading, discussions, peer-group interaction, in-class and online exercises, lecturer input, autonomous research
In addition to our regular sessions, there will be a mandatory individual feedback session. Dates to be announced.