This syllabus is subject to
announced changes. You are responsible for all such changes whether or not you
are present when they are announced.
CLASS DAY, TIME, AND ROOM: Class meeting: Mon.
1:00-3:40 p.m., BALA 226
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English,
Department of Languages and Literature, College of Liberal Arts,
Northeastern State University
Mailing
address: NSU-BA, 3100 E.
Office phone: 918-449-6541 NSU-BA switchboard: 918-449-6000
Office: BALA 280 Office
hours (all times p.m. unless labeled
otherwise): Mon. 11:30 a.m.-12:50, 3:50-5:30; Tues. & Wed.
3:00-4:20, 7:20-7:40; Thurs. 5:30-7:10,
10:10-10:30
Fax
for faculty in BALA: 918-449-6571 (Faxes must include cover sheet with my
name.)
Mailbox: Box 4 in BALA 261
(Give items for my mailbox to staff assistant in BALA 267.)
E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@att.net
Instructor’s faculty Web
page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer
Alternative path to faculty
Web page: www.nsuok.edu > Current
Students > Academics > Faculty Web sites > Mercer
E-MAIL POLICIES:
(1) You don’t need to send the same message to BOTH of my
e-mail addresses; my NSU e-mail is automatically forwarded to my ATT account.
(2) To receive e-mail announcements relevant to this
class, please enable your e-mail to receive messages from my ATT account. If you don’t, my messages may go to your spam
folder.
(3) Please do NOT submit a completed assignment by e-mail unless I
specifically ask you to do so or unless it is the only way you can submit it on
time. If you must submit a completed assignment by e-mail, send it by
attachment, but also submit it in hard copy (to me, my office, my
mailbox, or by fax) at your first opportunity.
PREREQUISITES: ENGL 4083: Linguistics
CATALOG
DESCRIPTION:
“This course traces the linguistic evolution and historical development of
Modern Standard English from Proto-Indo-European through Old English and Middle
English.”
COURSE
PURPOSE:
This course is required for a B.A. in English Education and for English
certification. It counts as an upper-division
English elective for a B.A. in English or a minor in English or Applied
Linguistics.
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this course
you should be able to
(1) identify and apply facts relating to
the historical, cultural, and linguistic development of the English language.
(2) analyze features of Old English,
Middle English, and Early Modern English in important literary passages.
(3) explain the historical changes that
led to specific features of today’s Modern English.
(4) identify important steps and factors
in the making of the Oxford English
Dictionary.
(5) interpret etymologies in college
dictionaries and the Oxford English
Dictionary.
(6) respond to audio-visuals relating
to the development of the English language.
INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS:
(1) Required textbook: Baugh,
Albert C., and Thomas Cable. A History of the English Language. 5th ed.
(2) Additional required reading:
(3) Documents on class Web
page: Please print and bring to class
each week the study guide and any other documents that relate to that week’s
assignment. During the quiz each week
you will be allowed to look at a clean, unmarked copy of the relevant study
guide.
COMPUTER
FORMAT AND MANUSCRIPT FORM: Use a computer to produce documents for this
class. Carefully follow the guidelines in “Computer Format and Manuscript Form”
on the home page of my faculty Web site under “Documents for all
classes.”
INSTRUCTIONAL
PROCEDURES:
Study-guide questions will provide the
basis for our in-class discussion of each chapter of the textbook. Maps, photographs, articles, comic strips,
and video and DVD clips will supplement our class discussion of textbook
material. Out-of-class viewing of videos
and DVDs will broaden your understanding relevant issues. Your
reading of The Meaning of Everything will
help you understand the history and features of the Oxford English Dictionary, and doing an exercise will give you
experience in using the OED.
DAILY
AVERAGE:
Your daily average will be the percentage of points you earn out of the number
possible for the following:
(1) QUIZZES: Near the beginning of each class period, after
you have had an opportunity to ask questions, you will be subject to a quiz on
that day’s assigned reading. To take
quizzes, you must be present in class; missed quizzes cannot be made up for
any reason. Usually, each quiz will
be worth ten (10) points.
(2) STUDY GUIDES: Each week in which reading has been
assigned from the textbook, you are expected to earn a
minimum of five (5) points by answering questions from the weekly class study
guide. (Fully answering all questions on
a single study guide could be worth eight [8] to twelve [12] points, depending
on the length of the study guide.) Additional
study-guide points you earn beyond those required will help compensate for any
other daily points you miss during the semester. (See “STUDY GUIDES”
below.)
(3) REQUIRED VIDEO/DVD
RESPONSES: You will also receive daily points for writing two (2) required
video/
(4) OED EXERCISE:
Near the end of the semester, to give
you experience in the use of the Oxford
English Dictionary, you will do an OED
exercise, worth twenty (20) points.
STUDY GUIDES: A study guide for each week’s assignment will
be posted on the class Web page. Please
use each study guide as follows:
(1) As you read
each chapter from the textbook, read the relevant study-guide questions from
the class Web page, and look for the answers to the questions.
(2) Before you come to class, answer as many of the questions as you can. Copy and paste the text of the study guide
into your own document; retain the numbers, letters, and questions from the
study guide; and insert your answers in highlighting or
color so they will stand out from the
questions and explanatory material. At
the top of each study guide you submit, report the amount of time you spent
answering the questions, not including time spent merely reading the
assigned works.
(3) If you spend thirty (30) minutes or more
answering any study-guide question marked “extra credit,” submit your
answer separately from the rest of the study guide and put a completed
“Extra-Credit Submission Form” on top.
(See “Documents for all classes” near the top of my home page.)
(4) Bring to class
two (2) copies of that week’s study guide: one copy with your answers inserted
and a clean, unmarked copy to look at during the quiz.
(5) In class ask about any study guide questions you
can’t answer and, if you wish, make handwritten additions to your study
guide. Unless you tell me otherwise, I
will assume that all handwritten answers have been added in class.
(6) At the end of each class period, submit your study guide. I will assign daily points to your answers and
return your study guide the following week.
(7) If you are not able to attend class but have a study guide to submit, please leave it at
my office the next time you are on campus.
Do NOT submit study guides by e-mail.
EXTRA-CREDIT DAILY POINTS: You may earn an unlimited number of
extra-credit daily points for answering study-guide questions (beyond the five
[5] points required per week) and for other activities listed below. Your daily
average, however, cannot exceed 100%.
All extra-credit work is due before final exams begin.
Place a completed “Extra-Credit
Submission Form” on top of each extra-credit item you submit. Carefully follow the “Instructions for Extra-Credit Submissions.” Both of these documents are found near the
top of the home page of my faculty Web site under “Documents for all classes.”
Of the various ways to earn extra credit listed and explained under “Other
Types of Extra Credit” in “Instructions for Extra-Credit Submissions,” the
following apply to this class:
·
PERFORMANCES: For example, you may watch and respond to selections from The Story of English, Do You Speak American?, or The Adventure of English: 500 A.D. to 2000
A.D., not including episodes shown in class or used for required
video/
·
CLIPPINGS OR INTERNET MATERIAL
·
RECOMMENDATION
OF
·
ADDITIONAL READING of fewer than fifty (50) pages related to this class. If you read more than fifty (50) pages from a
single source, however, you may take an oral exam (rather than submit a
response in writing) and add the points to your exam grade for The Meaning of Everything (rather than
count them as extra-credit daily points).
·
RESEARCH
·
CREATIVE WRITING: Be sure to add an explanation clearly relating your work to this
class.
REQUIRED
VIDEO/
EXAM
ON THE MEANING OF EVERYTHING: Read Simon Winchester’s The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English
Dictionary (see INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS above), and take an objective exam on
its content. To prepare for this exam, use the document “Study Questions for The Meaning of Everything” on the class
Web page.
For
additional points on this exam grade, you may read and take an oral
exam on the following related book (available for checkout from libraries or
for purchase in bookstores or online) or some other relevant book for which you
get my approval in advance:
·
Winchester, Simon. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of
Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the
LATE
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: In this class, academic misconduct includes but is not limited to
cheating on quizzes or exams, submitting work that is not your own, failing to
identify a source whose exact words or ideas you have used (for example, on a
study guide or extra-credit submission), copying a source’s exact words without
using quotation marks, or assisting others in these actions. The consequences
of academic misconduct are described at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx.
ATTENDANCE: Enrollment in this course
obligates you to attend class regularly.
Absence from any class period is serious, causing you to miss an entire
week of class work. Absence from
more than two (2) class periods is considered excessive, indicating that
you are not likely to succeed in the class.
If you enroll late, you will be counted absent for each period you have
missed from the beginning of the semester.
Attendance
will be taken from quiz papers. To be
marked present, you must submit a quiz paper with your name, the course
number, and the date. If you
arrive after the quiz or do not attempt to answer any of the questions,
submit a quiz paper with these three (3) items so that you will be counted
present. If you must leave class
immediately after the quiz or before the break, write “ABSENT” in LARGE
LETTERS beside your name on the quiz paper (but you will receive any quiz
points you earn). If you must leave
class any time before the end of the period, please tell me in
advance.
ENGLISH EDUCATION PROJECT: If you are an English Education major, be sure to
save electronically all the documents you produce in required English classes
and internships. You will need these
documents later to complete the required English Education Project. For more information, see “English Education”
on the Web page of the Department of Languages and Literature on the NSU Web
site or contact Ms. Connie Henshaw, NSU’s English Education Specialist (henshacc@nsuok.edu
or 918-444-4502).
CHILDREN ON CAMPUS: According to NSU-BA policy, children
under age sixteen (16) cannot be left unattended anywhere on the campus,
including the library, café, and student lounges. If in an emergency you feel that you need to
bring a child to class with you, please ask my permission. The appropriateness of a child’s coming to
class depends on the child’s age and behavior and on the content to be covered
in class.
BAD
WEATHER / CLASS CANCELLATION: If all NSU-BA classes are canceled because of bad
weather or any other reason, cancellation will be announced on
DISABILITIES: If you have a disability
and need special accommodations in this class, please tell me at the end of the
first class meeting you attend.
CLASSROOM COURTESY: Out of courtesy to your classmates and me, please do not
(1) engage in private conversations when the instructor or
another student is addressing the class.
(2) eat in class (unless you bring food to share with the
entire class). Drinks with lids or caps,
however, are permitted.
(3) bring children or other visitors to class without my prior
permission.
(4) repeatedly get up from
your seat during class. Please wait until the break or the end of
class.
(5) allow your cell
phone to disrupt class. Please turn off cell phones in class!
(6)
read or send text messages in class.
(7)
use a notebook computer or other electronic device in class for
any purpose other than to take notes or to look up information on the Internet
to share with the class.
(8) leave class early
or during the break without telling me in advance.
ADDITIONAL SYLLABUS INFORMATION ON NSU WEB SITE: Additional
syllabus information on the Academic Affairs page of the NSU Web site is to be
considered part of this syllabus. Please
read carefully the information that appears on the following topics at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx:
·
ACADEMIC
MISCONDUCT [including plagiarism]
·
ADA COMPLIANCE
[for students with disabilities]
·
INCLEMENT
WEATHER/DISASTER POLICY [class cancellation]
·
TEACH ACT
[copyright protection of instructional materials]
·
TEXTBOOK
INFORMATION
·
RELEASE OF
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION [privacy rights]
WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS:
·
If you drop a
class by January 23, you will
receive a 100% refund of tuition. If you drop a class after January 23, you
will receive no refund.
·
If you have never attended the class by the end of
the third week of classes, you will
be withdrawn from the course for non-attendance and will receive the grade of NA (never attended), which does not
affect your grade-point average.
·
During the sixth through the tenth weeks of the
class, if it would be impossible for you to make a satisfactory grade because
you are not attending class, submitting assignments, taking exams, and/or
otherwise making a reasonable attempt to be successful in the course, I will
have you administratively withdrawn
from the course. If you are
administratively withdrawn, you will receive a grade of AW (administrative withdrawal), which does not affect your
grade-point average.
·
If you drop a
class by April 8, you will automatically receive a W, which does
not affect your grade-point average. To
drop a class, you must process an official drop slip. Be sure to keep a copy of your drop slip to
prove that you have officially dropped.
·
If you drop a
class after April 8, you will
receive a W if you are passing or an
F if you are failing at the time you
drop.
·
The last day to drop a class is May 2.
COURSE
GRADE
(subject to announced changes):
percentage of course grade
Daily
average
(including points for quizzes, assignments, & extra credit) 15%
Unit 2 exam (chapters 5-7) 15%
Exam on The Meaning of Everything 10%
Unit 3 exam (chapters 8-9) 15%
Final exam (chapters 10-11
and comprehensive) 30%
100%
A =
90-100%
B =
80-89%
C =
70-79%
D =
60-69%
F =
0-59%
ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are subject to announced changes. You are responsible for all such changes
whether or not you are present when they are made. If a class is canceled and you receive no
instructions to the contrary, continue to follow the assignment dates that
appear below.
Jan. 9:
Introduction to course
Jan. 16: No class: Martin
Luther King Day
Jan. 23: Chapter 1, "English Present and Future"
Chapter 2, "The
Indo-European Family of Languages"
Feb. 6:
Chapter 4, "Foreign Influences on Old English"
Feb. 13: Unit 1 exam on chapters 1-4
Feb. 20: Chapter 5, "The
Norman Conquest and the Subjection of English, 1066-1200"
Submit required video/
Feb. 27: Chapter 6, “The Reestablishment of English, 1200-1500”
Mar. 5:
Chapter 7, "Middle English"
Scan Appendix A, “Specimens of
Middle English Dialects,” pages 409-20; read page 421.
Handout on “General
Prologue” of Canterbury Tales: Read first 18 lines and answer questions.
Submit required video/
Mar. 12: Unit
2 exam on chapters 5-7
Mar.
19: No class: spring break
Mar. 26: Chapter 8, "The
Renaissance, 1500-1650"
Apr. 2:
Chapter 9, "The Appeal to Authority, 1650-1800"
Answer questions about
passage from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Read handout with
definitions from Johnson’s Dictionary.
Apr. 16: Exam on The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English
Dictionary
Apr. 23: Chapter 10, "The Nineteenth Century and After"
Apr. 30: Chapter 11, "The English Language in America"
Read handout on how to
interpret entries in the OED.
Take 20-point quiz on
chapter 11 and use of the OED.
Submit OED exercise.
Last class day to submit extra credit. (Extra credit will be accepted
through May 2.)
May 7: Final
exam (unit 4 and comprehensive)