Outline

Overview

This unit of study equips students with some general tools for the close analysis of literary language. Grammatical concepts will be introduced and applied to the description of prose, poetry and drama, and students will explore the changing relations between form and meaning in English from the earliest times up to the present. A number of key strands in contemporary language study will also be presented, including semiotic theory, rhetoric and discourse studies and theorizations of the relationship between texts and subjectivity.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Nick Riemer, nick.riemer@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Assessment Take-home assessment consisting of short-answer and essay questions opened	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 17 Jun 2021 at 23:59	1500wd equiv. Open from 15 June 0900hrs.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	First exercise This exercise develops & tests understanding of concepts from weeks 1-5.	15%	Week 05 Due date: 02 Apr 2021 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Second exercise This exercise develops & tests understanding of concepts from weeks 1-8.	15%	Week 09 Due date: 03 May 2021 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay The essay develops your understanding of key themes of the unit.	30%	Week 12 Due date: 28 May 2021 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

The first two exercises, jointly worth 30% of the total marks, develop and test grammatical concepts introduced in the first 8 weeks of the course. You are not expected to undertake any reading for the exercises other than the prescribed reading for each week of lectures and tutorials.

The essay is an independent research task in which you are asked to explore a single topic in depth. For this piece of work, it is not enough to limit yourself to the compuslory readings prescribed each week. Instead, you are expected to read widely around the topic, using as a starting point the works listed in the course bibliography. The essay is worth 30% of the total marks for the course.

The take-home exam tests your understanding of the entire content of the course. No research beyond the complusory set reading for the course will be necessary. The exam is worth 40% of the total marks for the course.

Assessment criteria

This Guide indicates broadly the qualitative judgments implied by the various grades which may be awarded. A more precise evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of individual essays will be provided in markers鈥� comments. These comments will take account of the different standards likely to be achieved by Junior and Senior students and, among Senior students, by second and third year students.

85%+ (High Distinction)

The work demonstrates a deep and intelligent understanding of, and individual engagement with material;
presents a very close analysis of focal texts or issues;
addresses a specific issue and develops an independent critical or theoretical argument successfully;
indicates awareness of complexities and qualifications in argumentation;
demonstrates careful thought about the critical, historical and/or theoretical context of the texts or issues;
provides evidence of wide-ranging reading;
is properly referenced and well-presented.

The writing is characterized by creativity, clarity, and independent insight. A High Distinction is distinguished from a Distinction by the work鈥檚 demonstration of awareness of subtleties, nuances, qualifications and a possible other case. Work which is awarded a mark of over 90% in Senior level units of study will often contain some publishable or potentially publishable elements.

75-84% (Distinction)

The work demonstrates an intelligent understanding of, and individual engagement with material;
analyzes focal texts or issues appositely;
addresses an issue and presents a well-argued, coherent case;
demonstrates careful thought about the critical, historical and/or theoretical context of the texts or issues;
provides evidence of reading beyond what is strictly required for the task;
is properly referenced and well presented.

The writing is characterized by individuality, clarity, and independent insight. A Distinction is distinguished from a High Credit chiefly by the quality of theoretical understanding and the range of intellectual enquiry it demonstrates.

70-74% (High Credit)

The work provides evidence of independent reading and thinking about focal texts or issues and their contexts;
shows some clear understanding of relevant critical and theoretical considerations and of the conceptual issues raised by a unit of study;
uses close critical analysis;
avoids summary;
indicates an intelligent attempt at a critical or theoretical argument;
is clearly and effectively written;
is well-referenced.

A High Credit is distinguished from a Low Credit chiefly by the extent of independent discussion of focal texts or issues, and by some obvious attempt to interpret the outcome of close analysis.

65-69% (Low Credit)

The work shows some understanding of relevant critical and theoretical considerations and of the conceptual issues raised by a unit of study;
demonstrates some independent reading and thinking about focal texts or issues and their contexts;
uses close critical analysis;
avoids summary;
attempts a critical or theoretical argument;
is clearly and effectively written;
is adequately referenced.

A Low Credit is distinguished from a High Pass by the extent of independent discussion of focal texts or issues, the clarity of the writing and the extent to which it attempts a more general critical and/or theoretical argument.

58-64% (High Pass)

The work gives some evidence of ability to attempt an independent argument and to structure material coherently;
demonstrates a genuine attempt at independent reading and thinking about focal texts or issues though the essay may contain some oversimplification or superficiality;
generally avoids summary, paraphrase or unsubstantiated assertion;
may sometimes present quotation for illustrative purposes merely, but does also present the outcome of some critical analysis;
is adequately expressed;
is adequately referenced.

50-57% (Pass)

The work provides clear evidence of having read and thought about focal texts or issues;
attempts a coherent argument though there may be ellipses in argumentation;
uses some close critical analysis;
may paraphrase fairly extensively;
tends to use quotation for illustrative purposes only;
may tend towards generality in answering a question;
may present simplistic comment or unsubstantiated assertions;
is adequately expressed though there may be some weaknesses in this area;
may contain some referencing errors.

Below 50% (Fail)

Work may fail for any of the following reasons:

no evidence of having read the prescribed material closely;
sloppy, inconsistent presentation;
preponderance of paraphrase, mere plot summary or listing of superficial characteristics;
excessive use of quotation for illustrative purposes only, without any attempt at analysis;
excessive level of generality in answering a question;
inappropriate or obscure expression;
incoherent general structure;
inadequate referencing;
late submission of work without extension.

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For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the .

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the .

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a听simple extension.鈥� The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can鈥檛 complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
-	No Description	Block teaching (36 hr)
Week 01	1. Englishes 鈥� diversity and uniformity in speaking 鈥楨nglish鈥�	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	2. The idea of a 'language' and 'grammar'	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	3. Grammatical thinking	Lecture (1 hr)
	4. Nouns and pronouns	Lecture (1 hr)
	Introductory tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	5. Grammatical prescription and the imposition of standards 鈥� dictionaries and grammars	Lecture (1 hr)
	6. Adjectives, prepositions, adverbs	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 3 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	7. Power and English: women, men and language	Lecture (1 hr)
	8. Verbs and verb phrases (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 4 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	9. Power and English: the empire of English	Lecture (1 hr)
	10. Verbs and verb phrases (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 5 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	11. Power and English: language in Australian society	Lecture (1 hr)
	12. Verbs and verb phrases (c)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 6 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	13. Rhetoric, propaganda, language	Lecture (1 hr)
	14. Clause and sentence (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 7 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	15. Clause and sentence (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	16. Clause and sentence (c)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 8 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	17. Old English (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	18. Old English (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 9 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	19. Middle English (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	20. Middle English (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 10 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	21. Early Modern English (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	22. Early Modern English (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 11 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	23. Word, meaning and metaphor (a)	Lecture (1 hr)
	24. Word, meaning and metaphor (b)	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 12 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	25. Contemporary ideologies of language	Lecture (1 hr)
	26. Recapitulation and preparation for the exam	Lecture (1 hr)
	Week 13 tutorial	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

You are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The readings listed below are compulsory, and must be completed before each lecture. With the exception of extracts from Collins and Hollo鈥檚 English Grammar: An Introduction (鈥楥 and H)鈥�, all readings are available through the 鈥楻eading List鈥� section of the course鈥檚 Canvas site. C and H should be bought: you will need it throughout the semester, and it will regularly be used for exercises in tutorials. Please make sure to buy the 3rd edition, not an earlier one. Students are recommended to buy the paper edition, which is available from Gleebooks at 49 Glebe Point Rd near the university, as well as by mail-order. An Ebook version is available for purchase on line for students who so wish.

Week 1

1. Englishes 鈥� diversity and uniformity in speaking 鈥楨nglish鈥�

R. Huddlestone and G. Pullum, 鈥楾he aim of this book鈥� and 鈥楶rescriptivism, tradition, and the justification of grammars鈥�, sections 1 and 2 of ch. 1 of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Cambridge, CUP, 2002, pp. 2-11
P. Collins and C. Hollo, English Grammar. An Introduction, ch. 1 鈥業ntroduction鈥�, skipping 1.5 and 1.6 (鈥楥onstituent Structure鈥� and 鈥楥lasses and Functions鈥�).

2. The idea of a 鈥榣anguage鈥� and 鈥榞rammar鈥�

David Crystal, 鈥楪rammatical mythology鈥�, ch. 13 of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge, CUP, 1995, pp. 190-195.
Ricardo Otheguy, Ofelia Garc铆a and Wallis Reid, 鈥楥larifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics鈥�, Applied Linguistics Review 6 (2015): 281鈥�307. Note: this reading is an article from an academic journal. To read it, enter the title into the Fisher library catalogue and download the full article.

Week 2

3. Grammatical thinking.

C&H ch. 2, 鈥楢 preliminary overview鈥�

4. Nouns and pronouns

C&H ch. 3, 鈥楴ouns and Noun Phrases鈥�

Week 3

5. Grammatical prescription and the imposition of standards

Brinton, L. J. & L. K. Arnovick. Early Modern English verbal constructions and Eighteenth-Century prescriptivism.听 Chapter 11 of The English language: a linguistic history.听 Don Mills, OUP, 2006, 357鈥�379. Note: only the second half of this chapter, pages 357-379, is set for this lecture.听听听听听听听听听听听

6. Adjectives, prepositions, adverbs

C and H ch 5. 鈥楢djectives, Adverbs, Prepositions and Associated Phrases鈥�

Week 4

7. Power and English: women, men and language

Anne Curzan, 鈥楴onsexist language reform and its effects鈥�, ch. 5 of Fixing English. Prescription and Language history, Cambridge, CUP, 2014, pp. 114-136.
Coates 2004; Coates, J. Quantitative Studies. Chapter 4 of Women, Men and Language. 3ed. Routledge, 47-69.

8. Verbs and verb phrases (a)

C and H ch. 4 鈥榁erbs and Verb Phrases鈥�

Week 5

9. Power and English: the empire of English

Ngugi wa Thiong鈥檕, 鈥楾he language of African literature鈥�, in Decolonising the Mind. The Politics of Language in African Literature. Harare, Zimbabwe Publishing House, 1981, pp. 4鈥�33.

10. Verbs and verb phrases (b)

As for lecture 8.

Week 6

11. Power and English: language in Australian society`

鈥楲anguage loss鈥� and 鈥楲anguage Use at the Roper River Mission鈥� sections of John W. Harris, Northern Territory Pidgins and the Origin of Kriol, Canberra, 1986, pp. 305-310.
Diana Eades, 鈥楩eatures of Aboriginal English communicative style鈥�, ch. 4 of Courtroom Talk and Neocolonial Control, Berlin, Mouton, 2008, pp. 91-118.

12. Verbs and verb phrases (c)

Alan Cruse, Meaning in Language, 3ed, OUP 2011, pp. 297-307 (sections 15.1-15.3.5 inclusive)

Week 7

13. Rhetoric, propaganda, language

George Orwell 鈥楶olitics and the English language鈥� (1946), in Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus (eds) The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. Volume IV. London, Secker and Warburg, 1968, pp. 127-140.
Noam Chomsky, 鈥楴otes on Orwell鈥檚 problem鈥�, in Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use, New York, Praeger, 1986, pp. 276-287.

14. Clause and sentence (a)

C and H ch. 6, 鈥楥lause Structure and Clause Type鈥�

Week 8

15. Clause and sentence (b)

As for lecture 14.

16. Clause and sentence (c)

Annabelle Lukin,听David Butt and Christian Matthiessen, 鈥楻eporting war: grammar as鈥漜overt operation鈥濃€�, Pacific Journalism Review 10 (2004), 58鈥�74

Week 9

17. Old English (a)

Barber, Charles, 鈥極ld English.ch. 5 of The English Language: A Historical Introduction.Cambridge: CUP, 1993, 100鈥�126.
Hughes, Geoffrey, 鈥楾he foundations of English and the formation of the base register, ch. 2 of A History of English Words, Oxford, Blackwell, 2000.

18. Old English (b)

As for lecture 17.

Week 10

19. Middle English (a)

Smith, J., 鈥楳iddle English鈥�, ch. 4 of Essentials of Early English, 2ed, London, Routledge, 2005, pp. 90鈥�121.
Millward, C., 鈥楳iddle English鈥�, A Biography of the English Language.Fort Worth: Holt, 1988, 141鈥�191

20. Middle English (b)

As for lecture 19.

Week 11

21.听 Early Modern English (a)

Curzan, A. and M. Adams, 鈥楬istory of English: Old to Early Modern English鈥� [excerpt], ch. 13 of How English Works: A Linguistic Introduction, New York, Pearson, 2006, pp. 458鈥�476.
Brinton, L. J. & L. K. Arnovick. 鈥楨arly Modern English Syntax鈥�, excerpt of ch. 11, 鈥楨arly Modern English verbal constructions and Eighteenth-Century prescriptivism鈥�, of The English language : a linguistic history.听 Don Mills: OUP, 345鈥�356.

22. Early Modern English (b)

As for lecture 21.

Week 12

23. Word, meaning and metaphor (a)

Nick Riemer, 鈥楳eaning in the empirical study of language鈥�, chapter 1 of Introducing Semantics, Cambridge, CUP, 2010, pp. 1-43.

24. Word, meaning and metaphor (b)

As for lecture 23.

Week 13

25. Contemporary ideologies of language

Roy Harris 1987, 鈥楾he Grammarians鈥� Paradise鈥�, chapter 5 of The Language Machine, 95-123.

26. Recapitulation and preparation for the exam

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Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. An understanding of the diversity of English language in its different contexts of use
LO2. Competence in the basic grammatical and linguistic description of English texts.
LO3. Appreciation of some of the different considerations underlying the choice of a theory for this purpose
LO4. Familiarity with the principal characteristics of the different stages of English linguistic history
LO5. Facility in independently researching questions relating to English language

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one鈥檚 personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Students' impressions of the course, as expressed both during and after the semester, allow us to fine-tune various aspects of teaching and assessment. The current shape of the course is the result of many years' feedback from both students and staff. Please don't hesitate to raise any concerns you have with your tutor or the lecturer during the semester itself. Doing so will let us act on feedback while the course is still running, rather than at the end when it is too late.

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .

爆料王

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

爆料王

ENGL1007: Englishes: Language Society Text Time

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links