KnowledgeBase:Syllabus Archive
English 321 History of English Kirk Hazen Spring, 2000 Home

History of English

Instructor: Dr. Kirk Hazen
Office: 331 Stansbury
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-2:30.
Email: khazen2@wvu.edu
Phone: 293-3107x414

Purpose: The purpose of this course is to direct you in rigorously studying the history of the English language and in learning about language change.

Goals:
1. Confront the assumptions of traditional prescriptivism.
2. Develop respect for human language.
3. Develop a non-patronizing respect for diachronic and synchronic language variation.
4. Know the major developments of each period of English history.
5. Understand the results of language change in Modern English.

Texts: Millward, CM. 1996. A Biography of the English Language. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace.

Millward, CM. 1996. Workbook to Accompany A Biography of the English Language. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Harcourt Brace.

Attendance: There is no attendance policy for this course. I believe that the course, the exams, and the material will be interesting and difficult enough to keep you in class in order to learn and pass. If you are not in class on a regular basis, passing will become nearly impossible. If you miss class, it is fully your responsibility to find out what was missed and complete any assignments by their due date.

Advice: If you feel lost or even the slightest bit confused, contact me. Email me or come by during office hours. If you cannot make office hours, we can set up a time to talk. The quicker you get your questions straightened out, the better off you will be.

Grades: Homework: The homework will come from the workbook. Homework assignments are due on their due date. If the homework is late, then it receives a zero percent. Homework is late when it is not turned in within the first ten minutes of the class period on the day it is due.

EXAMS: There will be three exams during the semester and one final exam. The final exam will be cumulative.


THE NUMBERS:
Homework (cumulative) 20%
First Exam 17%
Second Exam 17%
Third Exam 17%
Final Exam 30%

In this class I assign pluses and minuses. The official percentages are 100-97 = A+; 96-93 = A; 92-90 = A-; 89-87 = B+; 86-83 = B; 82-80 = B-; 79-77 = C+; 76-73 = C; 72-70 = C-; 69-67 = D+.

Workload: The reading load for this class may seem heavy and the reading may seem dense, but I do expect everyone to have the reading done for each class period. I also expect you to complete the assigned exercises. We have no quizzes and no papers in this class. I simply ask for reading (lots of reading), completed exercises, comprehension, and discussion.

Preliminary Class Plan

Homework (cumulative) is worth 20%. Each homework is worth about 3% of your final grade.

Section 1:

Week 1: Introduction to language, linguistics, and language change
Jan. 11 + 12 Read Chapter 1.

Week 2: Phonology and Writing
Jan. 18 + 20 Read Chapter 2 and 3
First Homework Due

Week 3: Indo-European
Jan. 25 +27 Read Chapter 4

Test One: 17 %
Review Feb. 1
Test Feb. 3

Section 2:

Week 5: Old English
Feb. 8 + 10 Read Chapter 5: (76 — 106)

Week 6: Old English
Feb. 15 + 17 Read Chapter 5: (107 — 140)
Second Homework Due

Week 7: Middle English:
Feb. 22 +24 Read Chapter 6: (141 — 179)

Week 8: Middle English:
Feb. 29 + Read Chapter 6: (181 — 222)
Mar. 2
Third Homework Due

Test Two: 17 %
Review Mar. 7
Test Mar. 9

Section 3:

Week 10: Early Modern English:
Mar. 14 + 16 Read Chapter 7: (224 -- 276)


Week 11: Early Modern English:
Mar. 21 + 23 Read Chapter 7: (277-298)
Fourth Homework Due

Week 12: Present Day English
Apr. 4 + 6 Read Chapter 8
Fifth Homework Due

Test Three: 17 %
Review Apr. 11
Test Apr. 13

Section 4:

Week 14: English Around the World
Apr. 18 + 20 Reading on Electronic Reserve:
Wolfram and Schilling-Estes Chapters 3 and 4.

Week 15: English Around the World
Apr. 25 + 27 Read Chapter 9:
Sixth Homework Due

Final Exam: Cumulative (30 %)
Monday, May 1, 2000, 3:00 -- 5:00 PM.

 

Unless otherwise noted, items published by the Center for Literary Computing are copyrighted by the authors and may be shared in accordance with the Fair Use provisions of U.S. copyright law. Redistribution or republication on other terms, in any medium, requires express written consent from the author(s) and advance notification of the publisher.
Go To Top