Week 1 (9/3): Course Overview

Week 2 (9/10): The Sociological Approach to Language

Week 3 (9/17): Language & Social Interaction

Week 4 (9/24): Language & Socialization

Week 5 (10/1): Language & Identity

Week 6 (10/8): Language & Power

Week 7 (10/15): Guest Lecture: Sociolinguistic Perspectives

Week 8 (10/22): Language Policy

Week 9 (10/29): Midterm Exam

Week 10 (11/5): Language & Education [Final project proposal due]

Week 11 (11/12): Language & Globalization

Week 12 (11/19): Student Presentation I

Week 13 (11/26): Student Presentation II

Week 14 (12/3): Student Presentation III

Week 15 (12/10): Student Presentation IV

Week 16 (12/17): No Class [Final Paper Due]

In-class activities (33%): Every class session includes a graded component, such as quizzes on the assigned readings, in-class writing, and small group activities, each worth 3% of your grade. Your top 11 of these will count toward your grade. This allows up to three missed classes with no penalty, as make-ups will not be offered. Please bring a device or notebook for in-class activities.

The goal of in-class activities is to help you engage thoughtfully with course materials. Your original ideas and reflections are what matter. Therefore, the use of AI tools is strictly prohibited in in-class activities.

Academic Integrity Notice: Any compromise of integrity in in-class activities (e.g., using AI tools, submitting responses from outside the classroom) will result in a zero for the entire 33% portion of your final grade.

Midterm exam (30%): There will be a midterm exam comprised of short answers and essays.

Final project (37% combined): The final project allows you to explore a topic relevant to the course materials, focusing on a specific phenomenon at the intersection of language and society. You may choose to conduct a literature review or a small-scale empirical study. There are three graded components of the final project: proposal (2%), oral presentation (15%), and written report (20%).

 Proposal (2%): Submit a proposal with 1-2 paragraphs in Week 10 identifying your topic and goals. Sign up for your oral presentation date at the same time.

Oral presentation (15%): Present your project to the class during Weeks 12–15. Presentation time will depend on the size of the class.

Written Report (20%): Incorporate feedback from your presentation and submit a polished final report in Week 16. No late submissions will be accepted. You may use AI tools to assist your writing (e.g., for grammar checking or organization), but you must disclose what tools were used and how.

Academic Integrity Notice: Any misuse of AI (e.g., generating fake references or content) or plagiarism will result in a zero for the entire 20% of your grade.

Assigned readings will be made available on the course website.