Course Title: Introduction to Language

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Introduction to Language

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
LANG1389	City Campus	Postgraduate	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 1 2024

Course Coordinator: Gillian Darcy

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1716

Course Coordinator Email: gillian.darcy@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Bulding 37. Floor 5

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

In this course you will be introduced to concepts underlying the nature and properties of human language, its uses and applications in social interaction. You will focus on the way sentences are structured grammatically (syntax and morphology), the way language sounds (phonetics and phonology), and the meaning and use of language (semantics and pragmatics). You will also examine how languages are acquired, learned and used (applied linguistics), thereby enhancing your ability to learn another language.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This is an optional course in the Master of Translating and Interpreting, MC214. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and analyse the concepts and formal properties of language (syntax, morphology, phonetics, phonology, semantics, pragmatics) and how they are used to encode meaning in human language.

2. Apply the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to transcribe English phonetically.

3. Identify and evaluate the commonalities and distinctions of human languages.

4. Linguistically analyse non-English languages.

5. Critically examine your own language and apply various learning strategies for second/foreign language acquisitions.

Overview of Learning Activities

You will be engaged in learning that involves a range of activities both face-to-face and online such as lectures, seminars, guest speakers, the presentation of audio-visual materials, and interactive tutorial activities including group-based discussion and problem-solving tasks.

You will be expected to actively contribute to the construction of a supportive learning environment, in which peer-based learning will be an important component. Participation in discussions and activities, and engagement with the weekly reading materials is expected.

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.

A list of prescribed and recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources.

You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning. There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.
 
Assessment tasks
 
Progressive Assessments
Assessment Task 1: Reading Logs/reflective tasks, 20% (CLO1, CLO3, CLO4)
Assessment Task 2: Problem Set, 15% (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4)
Assessment Task 3: In-class presentation 20% (CLO3, CLO4, CLO5)
Final Assessment
Assessment Task 4: Analysis Project, 45% (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4, CLO5)
 
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
 
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
 
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.