Students
SPHL3300 – Language as Evidence
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
Convenor and Lecturer
Linda Cupples
Contact via Email
AHH, 3.517
By appointment
Tutor
Jo Fitzgibbon
Contact via Email
12SW
By appointment
Tutor
Caroline Moir
Contact via Email
12SW
By appointment
Tutor
Thembi Dube
Contact via Email
By appointment
Tutor
Ryssa Moffat
Contact via Email
AHH
By appointment
Tutor
Andrea Chan
Contact via Email
12SW
By appointment
Alice Wu
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
50cp at 2000 level or above including 20cp from (LING210-220 or LING2210-2240 OR PSY238 or PSYU2238)
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
20cp in LING or SPH or SPHL units at 3000 level
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit, you will integrate material covered in previous units to learn how your program of study fits together. You will explore the use of different types of empirical linguistic data to investigate aspects of language as small as the phoneme or as large as whole texts. The unit is project-based, enabling you to prepare for postgraduate and research studies in speech, hearing and language sciences, or for a wide range of professions in which collection or analysis of language data is relevant. Also covered are topics relating to the research process more generally, including: critical evaluation of the literature; ethical issues in research; defining research questions; collecting, presenting, analysing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data; providing constructive peer feedback; and effective oral and written presentation skills. |
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 research methods relevant to the study of speech, hearing and language sciences
- ULO2: Describe the strengths and limitations of various speech, hearing and language research techniques
- ULO3: Identify methods for collecting and analysing empirical speech, hearing and language data
- ULO4: Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
- ULO5: Develop research protocols for presentation in both oral and written form, and revise proposals in light of peer feedback
- ULO6: Critically evaluate published research, and provide constructive peer feedback on research proposals in speech, hearing and language sciences
General Assessment Information
Procedure for Late Assignments
- Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and the student is two days late their mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)
- Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class. Any student with unsubmitted work at this date will receive a mark of 0 for the assessment task.
- 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.
- Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.
- For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration\
- If a student fails the unit due to non-submission of an assignment or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.
- Unit convenors have the discretion to determine whether or not students should fail a unit on the basis of lateness penalties alone if other learning outcomes of the unit have been met.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Search | 5% | No | Tutorials in week 5 |
| Reflections I and II | 20% | No | Friday September 11 and October 30 |
| Oral presentation | 25% | No | PowerPoint slides due at 4pm Friday October 2 |
| Peer Feedback | 10% | No | Tutorials in weeks 9 and 10 |
| Project proposal | 40% | No | Friday November 6 |
Literature Search
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: Tutorials in week 5
Weighting: 5%
You will present the results of a database search related to your proposed individual research topic in your tutorial class.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
Reflections I and II
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: Friday September 11 and October 30
Weighting: 20%
You will submit two (2) written reflections throughout semester, each worth 10% of the unit mark. Each reflection will be no more than 300 words in length.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify research methods relevant to the study of speech, hearing and language sciences
- Describe the strengths and limitations of various speech, hearing and language research techniques
- Identify methods for collecting and analysing empirical speech, hearing and language data
- Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
- Critically evaluate published research, and provide constructive peer feedback on research proposals in speech, hearing and language sciences
Oral presentation
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: PowerPoint slides due at 4pm Friday October 2
Weighting: 25%
You will deliver a 4-minute oral presentation with two (2) accompanying PowerPoint slides in your tutorial class. The oral presentation and PowerPoint slides should provide a summary of the essential aspects of your project proposal under the following headings: Project Title, Aims and Background, Significance and Innovation, Design and Methods, National Benefit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify research methods relevant to the study of speech, hearing and language sciences
- Describe the strengths and limitations of various speech, hearing and language research techniques
- Identify methods for collecting and analysing empirical speech, hearing and language data
- Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
- Develop research protocols for presentation in both oral and written form, and revise proposals in light of peer feedback
Peer Feedback
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: Tutorials in weeks 9 and 10
Weighting: 10%
You will provide anonymous peer feedback in the form of comments and/or questions on the oral presentations delivered by a selection of other students in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify research methods relevant to the study of speech, hearing and language sciences
- Describe the strengths and limitations of various speech, hearing and language research techniques
- Identify methods for collecting and analysing empirical speech, hearing and language data
- Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
- Critically evaluate published research, and provide constructive peer feedback on research proposals in speech, hearing and language sciences
Project proposal
Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Friday November 6
Weighting: 40%
You will prepare and submit a 2,000 word proposal for an individualised research project that you have designed over the course of the unit. The proposal will cover the following aspects: Project Title, Aims and Background, Significance and Innovation, Design, Methods, National Benefit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify research methods relevant to the study of speech, hearing and language sciences
- Describe the strengths and limitations of various speech, hearing and language research techniques
- Identify methods for collecting and analysing empirical speech, hearing and language data
- Formulate and refine research questions in speech, hearing and language sciences
- Develop research protocols for presentation in both oral and written form, and revise proposals in light of peer feedback
- Critically evaluate published research, and provide constructive peer feedback on research proposals in speech, hearing and language sciences
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
Classes
Lectures: For this unit, one 1-hour, on-line lecture is scheduled per week for weeks 1 to 7 only. The lectures will be audio-recorded and made available on the ilearn website prior to the scheduled delivery time of 2 pm to 3 pm Tuesday. The lecture programme is outlined in this guide.
Tutorials: There is one 2-hour tutorial per week for this unit. Tutorials begin in the second week of semester and run until week 13. Six optional tutorials are offered as indicated below, two of which are on-line.
Note: Students will be able to access recordings of lectures through iLearn, but no recordings will be available for the interactive and problem-based weekly tutorial classes. Students are, therefore, strongly encouraged to attend all tutorials during semester if at all possible.
Tutorial Options
Day |
Start Time |
Room |
Tutor |
|
Tuesday |
3 pm |
11WW 130 |
Thembi Dube |
|
Wednesday |
9 am |
12SW 407 |
Caroline Moir |
|
Wednesday |
9 am |
on-line |
Jo Fitzgibbon |
|
Wednesday |
11 am |
12SW 204 |
Andrea Chan |
|
Wednesday |
3 pm |
on-line |
Jo Fitzgibbon |
|
Thursday |
3 pm |
06EAR 314 |
Ryssa Moffat |
Required and recommended texts and/or materials
There is no required text for this unit.
The primary recommended text is: Litosseliti, L. (Ed.) (2010). Research methods in linguistics. London, U.K.: Bloomsbury
A secondary recommended text is: Wray, A., & Bloomer, A. (2013). Projects in linguistics and language studies (3rd Edition). New York, N.Y.: Routledge
See the unit website for details of other required readings for tutorials and assessment exercises.
Unit web page
The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Technologies used and required
Word processing is needed for completing assessments 1, 2, 3, and 5; internet access is needed for downloading lecture and tutorial materials and for uploading assignments.
No other technologies.
Unit Schedule
Week |
Beginning |
Lecture Topic |
Tutorial Activities |
|
1 |
Jul 27 |
Introduction to SPHL3300 (LC) |
No tutorials in week 1 |
|
2 |
Aug 3 |
Asking answerable research questions (LC) |
Welcome! Introductions What makes a good reflection? |
|
3 |
Aug 10 |
Critically evaluating research (LC) |
Group discussion: students' areas of interest and possible research questions |
|
4 |
Aug 17 |
Ethical issues in linguistics research (LC) |
Searching the literature |
|
5 |
Aug 24 |
Research design I: Quantitative |
Oral presentations: results of database searches Critical evaluation and peer review |
|
6 |
Aug 31 |
Research design II: Qualitative |
Group discussion: students' areas of interest and possible research questions Quantitative data activities Ethics in research |
|
7 |
Sep 7 |
Structuring a research proposal (LC) |
Group discussion: students' areas of interest and possible research questions Qualitative data activities Structure of an oral presentation |
|
|
|
Recess |
|
|
8 |
Sep 28 |
No lecture scheduled |
Group discussion: students' individual research questions Oral presentation requirements An exercise in peer review |
|
9 |
Oct 5 |
No lecture scheduled |
Students' oral presentations |
|
10 |
Oct 12 |
No lecture scheduled |
Students' oral presentations |
|
11 |
Oct 19 |
No lecture scheduled |
Group and peer discussion of project proposals (esp. aims, background, significance, innovation) |
|
12 |
Oct 26 |
No lecture scheduled |
Group and peer discussion of project proposals (esp. design, methods, national benefit) |
|
13 |
Nov 2 |
No lecture scheduled |
Last minute questions and advice! |
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
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.