Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Adam Smith
Felicity Cox
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores some common misunderstandings about language, and introduces students to a range of linguistic topics such as historical linguistics, language evolution, writing systems, and gesture. The unit showcases what linguists do outside of academia and provides practice in analysing real linguistic data.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.
All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.
Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).
To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.
Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.
Late Submissions
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.
For example:
Number of days (hours) late |
Total Possible Marks |
Deduction |
Raw mark |
Final mark |
1 day (1-24 hours) |
100 |
5 |
75 |
70 |
2 days (24-48 hours) |
100 |
10 |
75 |
65 |
3 days (48-72 hours) |
100 |
15 |
75 |
60 |
7 days (144-168 hours) |
100 |
35 |
75 |
40 |
>7 days (>168 hours) |
100 |
- |
75 |
0 |
For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Etymology and Meaning | 20% | No | Week 5 |
Writing Systems Quiz | 10% | No | Week 7 |
Language data analysis | 20% | No | Week 10 |
Major Essay | 50% | No | Week 13 |
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%
You will be provided with a set of words. These will form the basis of two tasks. The first involves finding the oldest and newest definitions of the word, according to the OED. The second task involves searching online for examples of the words in context. One of the words that has been investigated will then be the subject of a discussion of how its meaning has changed over time and what factors might account for this change.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 10%
You will complete an online quiz which focuses on topics covered in the unit about writing systems. This will involve deciphering ancient scripts and identifying types of writing system, as well as demonstrating an understanding of key terms.
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 20%
You will be required to collect or collate data relating to a particular area of linguistics that has been discussed in the unit. You will use this data to analyse the validity of a hypothesis about language use.
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 50%
This is the main piece of assessment for the unit. You will be provided with a list of essay questions on iLearn, which relate to content across the unit, and you will choose one of these for your essay, which should be of no more than 1500 words, and must appropriately use academic sources to support your argument.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
This unit is taught through 2 x 1 hour lectures each week and 1 x 1 hour tutorial.
All lectures will be delivered on-campus on Monday (1pm) and Wednesday (2pm). A recording of the lecture will be available later on the day of delivery. All tutorials will also be on-campus.
There is no textbook for this unit. All readings are available through the Leganto reading list, accessible via the iLearn page.
A weekly schedule will be available on iLearn. Topics that will be covered include:
Etymology and Meaning
Historical Linguistics
Speech and Articulation
Signs and Gesture
Language Acquisition
Folk-linguistics
Myths and realities about linguistic jobs
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
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.
Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone
In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.
As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.
Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.
Unit information based on version 2024.01R of the Handbook