C o u r s e M a n a g e m e n t & O r g a n i z a t i o n
LN 105 is organized around an on-line interactive syllabus. This means that the official syllabus is available only on the World Wide Web in order that students and the instructor may interact with it. You may copy the syllabus, lecture notes, identification reviews; however, the official syllabus is the one on-line. This means that it may change over the course of the semester, so be sure to check it every day. If the syllabus does change, an announcement will be made in class and in the banner at the top of the home page.
The on-line interactive syllabus contains not only the daily assignments, but the instructors lecture notes and several exercises required to successfully complete the course. The purpose of the lecture notes is to allow the student access to an outline of the class discussion for review. Grading should then be based less on stenographic ability than ability to think through linguistic problems. Having the lecture notes on line will also somewhat reduce the student's note taking and the instructors board scribbling. In this way the course seeks to return to the original Socratic function: the intellectual conversation between mentor and student.
The syllabus also contains phonetic and phonological exercises which each student must complete. These are drills which teach you the intenational phonetic alphabet (IPA) and the phonological features of the sounds of US English. Please spend time enough on these exercises to master the concepts they teach. Other exercises are linked to relevant assignment. Students are responsible for all the information IN and LINKED TO the syllabus. Be sure to take advantage of all the new information made available by the World Wide Web.
In order to access the LN 105 on-line interactive syllabus you will have to use an internet browser. The Information Services and Resources (ISR) provides workshops for those unfamilar with this software or web navigation. In order to do the phonetic and phonological exercises, you will have to have a special font called 'LN105". It should be on the Windows computers in Taylor and Dana Halls and on the computers in the Multimedia Lab in the Bertrand Library. Please let me know if any of these computers have not been set up for this course. If you own your own computer, you may download the fonts directly from the syllabus. They come with instructions on how to install them.
You should also read your e-mail regularly, since news relevant to the course will be announced via e-mail. You can also ask the instructor questions about the course by e-mail at any time the question occurs to you. If you have any specific questions about using the online syllabus or encounter any problems, including finding a dead link, please speak to the instructor.
