LING 322: Varieties of American English (CRN 972)
MWF 11:00-11:50, SCHU 307

Home -- Policy Statement -- Syllabus -- Major Project -- Angel -- Research Links -- Milne Library

Instructor: Dr. Amie A. Doughty
Office: 313 Netzer Administration Building
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-10:45; W 1:00-1:45; and by appointment
Phone: 436-2493
E-mail: amie.doughty@oneonta.edu
Web Address:http://employees.oneonta.edu/doughtaa

Required Text:
Wolfram, Walt, and Ben Ward, eds. American Voices: How Dialects Differ from Coast to Coast. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007. ISBN: 978-1-4051-2109-5.

Course Description:
This course will explore the different varieties and dialects of English in the United States, including both regional and cultural variations, from the first English settlements to the present. Coverage will also include the impact of other languages on American English. Prerequisite: LING 201 or JrS.

Substitution Note for Dual Education Majors: If you are taking this class as a substitute for LING 201, you must have the chair of the English Department sign a Substitution Waiver form for you. If you do not submit the form, this course will count as a 300-level elective.

Course Policies:
Attendance: You are expected to attend class and to be prepared to discuss the assigned readings and homework. If you are unable to come to class, it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed and to get notes from a classmate or from me during my office hours. See below for the University Policy on WIs due to excessive absences.

Class Discussions: I like to make my courses student-centered, so I try to limit lectures. There will be times that I need to present materials in lecture format, but you are always welcome to ask questions as they occur to you. I expect everyone's full participation in each activity, though I do not expect perfection in class. Do not be afraid to make mistakes (or to answer if you think you might be wrong) because you cannot learn without making mistakes.

Cell Phones, Pagers, and Portable Music Players: These devices must be turned off for the duration of the class period. If your phone rings in class, you will be asked to leave. If I see you texting in class, I will ask you to leave. If you believe you should be excluded from the cell phone restriction, see me individually.

Classroom Etiquette: You are expected to comport yourself politely in class. I expect you to refrain from talking to your classmates during lectures and discussions unless you are asked to work in groups. If you have a question about what is being presented, ask me, not a neighbor. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be asked to leave the classroom, and I will determine what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Assignments:

• Participation and Miscellaneous: I expect everyone in class to participate. When I ask questions or place you in groups for discussion, you need to be willing to talk. It’s all right if you don’t have a perfect answer; it’s not all right if you just sit and stare at me. In addition to noting your participation level, I may also occasionally have you do in-class exercises or, if no one is talk and/or it is clear no one has done the reading, I may give pop quizzes. Participation and miscellaneous is worth 10% of the final grade.
• 3 Exams: You will take 3 exams this semester, including the final exam. See the syllabus for specific dates. Exams 1 and 2 will be worth 20% each of the final grade; the final exam is worth 25% of your final grade.
• Presentation or research paper: This project will be worth 25% of your final grade. See separate sheet for assignment guidelines.

Assignment Formatting: All assignments must be submitted according to MLA formatting guidelines. For this class, do not use a title page for any of your papers unless instructed to do so in class. Use a 12-point font (yes, I can tell the difference) in Times New Roman (no fancy fonts in this class and no use of Courier). Failure to follow formatting instructions will result in your paper’s grade being lowered. I will explain what MLA formatting looks like to the class before the first paper is due. You may also find instructions for it in most handbooks.

Grammar and Mechanics: I expect your papers to have correct grammar and mechanics and to be proofread. Grammatical, mechanical, and formatting errors, especially proofreading errors, will lower your paper grade in the following manner: For every page of your out-of-class papers, you will be allowed one different type of error (e.g. 2 types of errors on a 2-page paper; 12 types of errors on a 12-page paper). Once you have exceeded your error allowance, you will lose 1/2 point per additional error type. Error types will be defined using the following rubric:

• Each proofreading error will count as 1 type (thus 5 proofreading errors will count as 5 types of errors).
• Homonym, usage, spelling, and other word-level errors will be counted by word (e.g. their/they’re/there is 1 type; it’s/its is 1 type; and wonder/wander is 1 type—if all 3 appear in the same paper, it will count as 3 types).
• MLA, mechanical (punctuation), and grammatical errors will be counted by first occurrence of an error only (e.g. 12 comma splices will count as 1 type; 5 comma errors will count as 1 type; a missing header will count as 1 type; a subject-verb agreement error will count as 1 type).

There is no limit to the number of points you can lose with this policy, so go through your papers carefully. This policy will apply to the research paper only.

Late Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements for an extension.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the passing off of another's work (whether quoted, paraphrased or summarized) as your own without proper documentation, including on take-home exams. If you are caught plagiarizing, you are subject to a variety of punishments, including expulsion from the university. Do your own work. See the university policy below on Academic Dishonesty.

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

Emergency Evacuation/Shelter-in-Place Procedures: In the event of an emergency evacuation (i.e., fire or other emergency), classes meeting in this building are directed to reassemble in the IRC Lobby so that all persons can be accounted for.  Complete details of the College’s emergency evacuation, shelter-in-place and other emergency procedures can be found at <http://www.oneonta.edu/security/>.

University Policies: The following policies can be found in your Student Handbook or the Code of Student Conduct (both available online) and are particularly applicable to this class.

Flagrant Non-Attendance

• Students missing 25% or more of class, any time from the second week of class up until the last day to withdraw from an individual course (see Keydates and Deadlines or Faculty Reference Guide for specific dates) may be removed from the course by the instructor.
• The Registrar will assign a “WI” (Involuntary Withdrawal) grade.
• Students appearing on the final grade sheet will be assigned a final grade (not a “W”, Incomplete or Pending grade), regardless of student’s class attendance.

Final Exams
Instructors must follow the final exam schedule as posted in Keydates and Deadlines (www.oneonta.edu/registrar). The final exam week is part of the 15 class weeks required by the State Education Department. If an instructor does not hold a final examination, the final examination period must be used as the final class day. Exceptions to this may be made only in an emergency and only with prior approval of the department chair and the division dean. Under no condition shall a study day be used to administer a final exam. Students are held responsible for selecting a course schedule with the final exam schedule in mind. There is no policy preventing a student from having exams in one day.

Student Disability Services (SDS)
All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Student Disability Services (SDS), 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the SDS Office. It is entirely your responsibility to contact SDS and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an SDS accommodation plan. Any previously recorded grades will not be changed.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty is defined as any act by a student that misrepresents or attempts to misrepresent to an instructor or any College official, the proficiency or achievement of that student or another student in any academic exercise for the purpose of influencing a grade on a piece of assigned work, on an examination or quiz or in a Course as a whole, or that is intended to alter any record of a student's academic performance by unauthorized means.
A Student deemed guilty of an act of academic dishonesty may, depending on the nature of the offense, be subject to one or more of the following measures: failure of the assignment or examination, failure of the course, or dismissal from the College. Furthermore, for a second offense, referral of the case to the Standing Disciplinary Board is mandatory. The penalties that may be assessed by the Board are listed under the Procedures of the Standing Disciplinary Board as published in this publication; however, the normal penalty is suspension or dismissal.
It is the Student's responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty as published in this publication and the Undergraduate Catalog. However, individual faculty members may wish to explain the policy as it relates to their courses. It is emphasized that a student who has any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty has the responsibility of clarifying them by conferring with his/her instructors.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
The following examples, although not all-inclusive, are intended to help students understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Other acts should not necessarily, be considered as falling outside the scope of this policy because of their absence from this list.

• Plagiarism that is, using materials from another's work without acknowledgment, using quotations without  identification as such or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.
• Copying and/or modifying another person's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Knowingly permitting one's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination, laboratory procedure, or other exercise.
• Taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
• Altering or attempting to alter a grade on any piece of graded work, a grade written in an instructor's personal records, or a grade written on any College form or transcribed in any official College record.
• Submitting a College form with a forged signature.

Background from Backgrounds Archive