BBI 3301 / INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE AND CULTURE This course presents a survey of a wide variety of topics having to do with

the relationship between language and culture. The course surveys a variety of topics relevant to the anthropological study of language, including the origin of language, functions of language, non-verbal communication, how language effects thought as well as cultural beliefs and behavior, and how linguistic analysis has been used in the more general study of language and culture. Through this course, students will learn about the history of linguistics, and develop a grasp of the issues pertaining to language, human evolution, and the relationship between language, thought, culture, and various other sociological parameters. EVALUATION
A. There will be TWO exams. The first (MID-SEMESTER EXAMINATION) will be

worth 30% and the second (FINAL EXAMINATION) will be worth 40% each. They will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. The exams will test knowledge of material presented in the FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS and READINGS. Not everything in the face-to-face meetings will be in the readings, and not everything in the readings will be discussed in the face-to-face meetings. But assume that all of it will be on the exams. MID-SEMESTER EXAMINATION: The examination will cover topics in UNITS 1- 4 of the course module. FINAL EXAMINATION: The examination will cover topics in UNITS 5 - 8 of the course module.

The schedule for the examinations is issued by the PUSAT PENDIDIKAN LUAR.
Make-up exams will only be provided due to serious illness, and on compassionate grounds. In both cases, appropriate documentation will be necessary. Only students who present an official letter of excuse will be permitted a make-up exam for full credit, which will comprise of an essay of five pages, as directed by me.
B. You will also be given a WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT to work on. You are also

responsible for submitting the assignment which will be worth 30% of your total course grade in Week 9. The questions will be given to you during our first faceto face meeting (19 June 2011). The goal of the assignment is to explore a topic of your interest in more depth than was possible during the semester. This will give you an opportunity to display evidence of your own skills in summarizing and critically reviewing the readings of your choice.

The written assignment will be graded on the following scale: A Excellent: very well and clearly written; shows no to very few flaws or grammatical and spelling errors; well organized conceptually; all or very nearly all concepts, including the most difficult concepts, well expressed; with no factual errors. B Good: well written but with enough flaws in clarity, organization, grammar and/or spelling to make it less than excellent; may have some concepts somewhat inaccurately or unclearly construed and difficult concepts or some facts missing. C Adequate: well enough written to convey concepts but not enough to be considered good or excellent due to organizational, grammatical, and/or spelling errors which detract from its clarity and overall quality; most basic concepts necessary for adequate comprehension expressed but more difficult concepts missing or misconstrued; may have enough factual errors to detract from quality but not enough to distort basic understanding. D Poor: serious enough flaws of written expression, conceptual content, and fact to require greater attention and improvement; does not demonstrate adequate grasp of conceptual or factual material. F Failure: generally dishonest work which does not meet the most basic requirements of assignment. NEGOTIATING A BETTER GRADE? You might wish to come see me or write to me about changing your grade, for whatever reason. Before doing so, please note that the following are not reasons to ask for a better grade: Needing to get a better job; needing to keep your scholarship; problems youre having with other courses; your expectation that this was going to be your easy course this semester; and generally any other reason that has nothing to do with your knowledge of this class. ACADEMIC HONESTY In order to meet the requirements of this course, it is expected that all of your written work, including the writing assignment and in-class exams, will represent your own honest, individual, and original efforts to engage with the material in this class. Please be careful with your written work. Dishonesty of any kind (e.g., copying or borrowing) will not be tolerated, and will result in a failing grade for the class. You are expected to cite your sources properly and include a list of references. You must be scrupulously honest in documenting the work that you have drawn from others. You may prepare your citations in any standard style used in scholarly writing (e.g., MLA, APA), but please be sure to use it consistently and correctly.

Here are some examples of academic integrity violations. DO NOT DO THESE!!! Copying from or looking on to a neighbor's exam during the mid-semester or final Copying a friend assignment Smuggling notes into a closed-book exam. Giving a false reason (e.g., death of a relative) for missing an exam or turning in the assignment late INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Name: Ain Nadzimah Abdullah E-mail: ain@fbmk.upm.edu.my / ain@putra.upm.edu.my Office Phone: 03 8946 8740 / 03 8947 1202 Office Location: InfoComm Development Center (iDEC) Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 Serdang, Selangor Course blog: ainnadzimah.tumblr.com Please feel free to come by my office, call or email me if you'd like to discuss your progress and/or other concerns during the semester. And remember: the only dumb question is the one you dont ask