Instructor	Youri Zabbal
Office	South College 305 South College 314 (Office Hours) South College 226 (Mailbox)
Office hours	TuTh 12:00-1:00 & Th 3:00-4:00, or by appointment
Email
Phone	(W) 413-545-0885 (H) 413-586-2137
Textbook (Optional)	Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction. William O'Grady et al. Bedford/St. Martin's. 5th Edition. 2004.

PURPOSE OF COURSE

This course is a formal introduction to theoretical problems in Linguistics meant to address some of the questions that Linguistics is concerned with, as well as the theories used to answer these questions. The course focuses primarily on solving linguistic problems. This course satisfies the R2 requirement, and is a more formal alternative to Ling 101. It is a requirement if you go on to major in Linguistics.

ATTENDANCE

I do not grade on participation or attendance, but you will find that you must attend class in order to keep up. The lecture material, homework and valuable discussions are available only in class. There is an optional textbook for the course, but it is no substitute for attending class as I often deviate from the text. If poor attendance causes you not to do well, I will ask you to drop the class.

READINGS

The readings for the class consist of notes on the lectures, small problems, and possibly excerpts from actual articles and books on aspects of Linguistics. Please complete any assigned readings before the day they are listed on the schedule, so that we can discuss them in class.

COURSEWORK

Homework assignments must be completed before the day they are due on the schedule. Homework will be discussed the class after they are due. Everyone is required to take part in the homework discussions, even if they do not turn in the homework.

GRADING

• HOMEWORK 35% 10 regular assignments and one make-up assignment. Each will be handed out on a Friday, due the following Wednesday
• TESTS 45% There will be three term tests
• FINAL 20% Cumulative
• Alternatively, TESTS 20% FINAL 45% (if higher)

I will calculate your final grade based on the following scale:

A 90-100 B+ 80-84 B- 74-70 C 63-66 D+ 57-59 F 0-49
A- 85-89 B 79-75 C+ 67-69 C- 60-62 D 50-56

EXTRA CREDIT

If you participate in a linguistics experiment during the term I will award you with 2% to your final grade. You can do a maximum of two experiments during the term.

LATE WORK

Late homework will not be accepted without a good reason. Assignments are due on Wednesdays. However, I do accept homework on Friday if you provide a good reason. If you need extra help, this IS considered a good reason provided you let me know ahead of time and come see me during my office hours on Thursday.

CHEATING

While I encourage group work, all work you turn in must be your own. This means that you can figure out assignments together but you must write them up by yourself, without anyone else's input. The first time I catch you cheating, you will get a zero on that homework or test. The second time, I will give you a failing grade for the course and report you to OMBUDS.