Students

APPL8030 – Languages and Cultures in Contact

2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jill Murray
Margaret Wood
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAppLing or MAppLingTESOL or MAuslEngInt or PGDipAuslEngInt or MTransInter or MTransInterMIntRel or MTransInterMAppLingTESOL or MIntPubDip or MDevStud or MAccComm or MEd or MAdvTransInterStud
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Based in the field of Anthropological Linguistics, this unit investigates language, society and culture. The content and activities of this unit aim to develop an awareness and understanding of the theories and practical implications associated with linguistic diversity, exploring topic areas which include migration, transnationalism, and identity. The focus is on how worldview influences the language choices of a group and how group values, beliefs and practices generate, maintain, and transform norms of interaction within a culture.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Identify, explain and describe regional and social variation within a language
  • ULO2: Apply theories relevant to language and society links and language and culture links
  • ULO3: Identify and differentiate and explain cultural, psychological and social dimensions of interaction
  • ULO4: Identify, interpret and explain culture-specific aspects of vocabulary, interaction norms and genres
  • ULO5: Examine your everyday lives and identify and explain culturally motivated behaviours
  • ULO6: Explain and critically evaluate the application of theories of intercultural competence to intercultural education

General Assessment Information

WRITING, CITING AND REFERENCING

  • This unit uses the APA Style. Guidelines can be found at http://guides.lib.monash.edu/ld.php?content_id=12586146
  • You are strongly advised to use bibliographic software such as  Mendeley to organise your reading resources and produce correct reference lists for your assignments. 
  •  Macquarie University provides a number of services intended to help students with academic writing.
  • Use scholarly books and articles from electronic or print scholarly journals. You can read Wikipedia or any other generic source for general ideas but do not use these in your work.   

Late assignments The policy regarding late assignments has now been standardised across postgraduate Linguistics units. 

  • Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 5% of the total mark available for the assignment per day
  • Late submission of an assignment without an extension will not be permitted after marks have been released to the rest of the class.
  • Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.
  • For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
  • Assignments submitted after the deadline, regardless of the reason, will be marked and returned at a date determined by the unit convenor.

Extensions cannot continue beyond the start of the following semester, and students should be aware that long extensions may impact graduation dates.

Academic Honesty

As a good student, you are responsible for ensuring academic integrity practices are followed at all times. Your first step is to read the University's Academic Honesty Policy, and make sure you know what constitutes good practice. Then make sure you know how to reference and cite correctly. There are other practices we need to consider, and one of these is the potential for collusion.

Informal study groups are encouraged as a good way to assist your learning, but please remember that all your independently assessed assignments must be totally independently completed. Unless you are doing a group project where each member contributes to producing one piece of work, for which you get the one mark, using part or all of someone else's work constitutes collusion and breaches the University's Academic Honesty policy.

Do not collude with any other student by selling, giving, lending, explaining or showing all or parts of your independently assessed work/answers/past or current assignments, and do not ask to buy, borrow, see and use all or parts of the work of another student.

Do not reuse any work you have presented for assessment in this or another unit. This will activate a turnitin alert.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Discussion board 10% No Every week. Assessed web post by Friday Sept 25
Quiz ( 2) 30% No Friday 18 Sept and Monday 9 November
Links between language and culture. 60% No Monday October 19

Discussion board

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Every week. Assessed web post by Friday Sept 25
Weighting: 10%

 

Each week, there will be a discussion task related to the reading and lecture content. These will take a range of forms and one will be formally assessed. These will be spread across weeks 2-12 of the unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, explain and describe regional and social variation within a language
  • Apply theories relevant to language and society links and language and culture links
  • Examine your everyday lives and identify and explain culturally motivated behaviours
  • Explain and critically evaluate the application of theories of intercultural competence to intercultural education

Quiz ( 2)

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: Friday 18 Sept and Monday 9 November
Weighting: 30%

 

Each quiz will contain 15 multiple choice questions relating to the content of each half of the unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, explain and describe regional and social variation within a language
  • Apply theories relevant to language and society links and language and culture links
  • Identify and differentiate and explain cultural, psychological and social dimensions of interaction
  • Identify, interpret and explain culture-specific aspects of vocabulary, interaction norms and genres
  • Explain and critically evaluate the application of theories of intercultural competence to intercultural education

Links between language and culture.

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Monday October 19
Weighting: 60%

 

Research project on a topic relevant to the links between language and culture.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theories relevant to language and society links and language and culture links
  • Identify and differentiate and explain cultural, psychological and social dimensions of interaction
  • Identify, interpret and explain culture-specific aspects of vocabulary, interaction norms and genres

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

In 2020, this unit will be offered in online mode with a blend of synchronous and asynchronous activities. These include readings (available to download from the library site via Leganto), videos (usually provided through links to youtube), independent activities and  tasks requiring responses on the discussion board. These give you the opportunity to interact and share ideas with other students.  There will be one interactive  session per week, Wednesday 3-5 pm Sydney time.  This session will involve input from the lecturer and some group activities and tasks and will be recorded and uploaded to the ilearn site.

Unit Schedule

TOPIC AND ASSESSMENT TIMETABLE

WEEK

Topic

TASK

Week 1: 27 July

Language in Society (JM)

Informal web-post – (introduction  and goals)  

Week 2: 3 Aug

Language Culture and Thought (JM)

Informal web-post

Week 3: 10 Aug

Culture in Everyday Interactions (JM)

Informal web-post

Week 4: 17 Aug

Culture and Vocabulary (JM)

Informal web-post

Week 5: 24 Aug

The Power of Words: Linguistic Taboos (JM)

Informal web-post

Week 6: 31 Aug

Non-Verbal Communication (JM) 

 

Informal web-post

Week 7: 7 Sept

Aboriginal Culture and Languages.

 (Guest lecturer, Joe Blythe)

Assessed web post.  

BREAK

 

Quiz 1 on all material from the first half of the unit.

Week 8: 28 Sept

Cultural Differences in Writing (JM)   

Informal web-post

Week 9: 5 Oct

Culture and Communication in Business Settings (JM) 

Informal web-post

Week 10: 12 Oct

Culture and Communication in Health Provider Settings (JM)

Informal web-post

Week 11: 18 Oct

Culture and Metaphor (JM)

Research essay

Week 12: 26 Oct

Cultural Issues in Interpreting and Translating (guest lecturer – Jean Cho)

Informal web-post

Week 13: 2 Nov

Teaching, Learning and Access to Intercultural Knowledge

Informal web-post (summing up)

 

 

Quiz 2 on material from the second half of the course.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.