Syllabus
Western Seminary —
DIS 516 Language
& Culture Learning
2 credits, 30 clock hours
7-11 June 2004,
Galen Currah, D.Miss., Instructor
E-mail:
GalenCurrah@WesternSeminary.edu
Office: Milliken Hall, room
307; telephone 503.517.1912 or 800.547.4546, home: 503.254.5625
Course Description
Outlines a practical method for learning another language in the living setting of its own culture. The course draws on introductory phonetics, general linguistics, and psycholinguistic theory. (Western Seminary Catalog)
Course Goal
To be able to learn to speak another language, and to feel confident in your ability to do so.
Course Objectives
1. To know basic, universal principles of language and culture.
2. To understand a practical process for language acquisition within a society.
3. To apply the first steps of language learning with a personal tutor.
4. To analyze one’s own English language patterns from linguistic theory.
5. To synthesize a personal program of language learning from available insights.
6. To evaluate language learning tools and their suitability to one’s needs.
Textbook
Brewster, E. Thomas and Elisabeth S. Brewster. Language Acquisition Made Practical. [LAMP] Colorado Springs: Lingua House, 1976. xvi+382 pp. ISBN 0-916636-00-3
Still
in print after 25 years, this venerable tool remains as useful as ever and will
serve you as a guide and reference work through your language learning and
beyond. Available for purchase at Carriage House Bookstore
and on the used book shelf at local bookstores.
Credit Requirements
· Attend and participate in daily classes and discussions.
· Read the textbook, gleaning exercises for your personal language-learning strategy.
· Read the papers handed out in class, gleaning insights for your personal culture learning.
· Write daily quizzes covering the main points of the previous day’s lectures.
· Elicit four dialogues and language help from a speaker of another language.
· Write a final examination covering the main points of the week’s reading and discussions.
· Submit an outline of your personal language learning strategy (about ten pages).
Time estimate
In addition to the daily classes, students should set aside about four hours outside of class for interviewing another language user, reading the textbook, reviewing their notes and handouts, and writing a personal language-learning strategy.