Course Description

Each day, we use language in many ways.  We comprehend and produce speech, we write and read text, and we learn new words as well as learn new languages.  This course will address a variety questions that address aspects of the psychology of language.  These questions include: How do we produce and recognize speech? How do we perceive words and letters?  How do we learn and recall information from texts?  How can we improve texts to make them easier to read?  How do children learn languages?  How does the brain function to process language? 

 

Required Text

Carroll , D. W. (2004).  The Psychology of Language, Belmont, CA, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.

The book is available in the campus book store.  It may also be ordered from a variety of web site bookstores including amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

 

Course Web page:  The  course web page is at: 

http://www-psych.nmsu.edu/~pfoltz/psy301.html  This web page contains a copy of the syllabus, information about the class, grades, answers to questions from class, a set of all the overheads that I use in class and links to other pages with information about the psychology of language.  It will be updated throughout the semester.  If you are not a user of the web, see me for some help on how to access it on campus.  You will need to know how to access this page for some assignments.

 

Prerequisites:  Psy 201 (Introduction to Psychology), or consent of instructor.

 

Evaluation Procedures:

Exams: 

                  There will be three exams.  Each exam will be worth 100 points.  The final exam is not comprehensive (i.e. it will only cover material from the last third of the semester).   The exams will usually consist of about 5 essay questions and 10 multiple choice questions.    For students in 301, each exam will count for 25 percent of your final grade.

                  A good deal of the material from the chapters will be discussed during the lecture.  Information that is presented both in the text and in the lecture is more likely to form the basis for exam questions than information from a single source.  However, some questions will be based solely on material from the text, while others only from lecture topics. 

 

Papers:

                  One review paper will be assigned in class.  The purpose of this paper is to have you read a research article in psycholinguistics and write a reaction paper.  Papers are due on April 13th.  The paper is worth 10% of your grade.  In addition, two small take-home writing assignments will be given during the class.   Each will be worth 5% of your grade.  Graduate students in Ling/Psy 501 will also be given additional reading and writing assignments.

 

For students in Ling/Psy 501 only:  A final paper is required in addition to the above papers.  You will develop the topic in collaboration with the professor.   Please make an appointment with the professor early in the semester to discuss possible topics.  Graduate students will all make final presentations of their projects at the end of the semester in class.

 

Class participation:

                  This course will primarily be a lecture course.  Nevertheless, the best way to learn about psycholinguistics is through discussing the ideas presented in the class and through participating in experiments and seeing demonstrations and videos presented in class.  Thus, I may end lectures early and pose questions for class discussion.  In addition, you may be called upon to participate in a variety of experiments and demonstrations during class time. 

                  Attendance will not be taken in this class, except for in the first few weeks for paperwork purposes.  However, your participation will be noted during the class discussions, experiments, and demonstrations.  Class participation will count for 5 to 10 percent of your grade.

 

Determining your final grade: 

Your final grade will be a weighted average of:

 

Psy/Ling 301

Ling 501

exam 1

25%

20%

exam 2

25%

20%

exam 3

25%

20%

papers

20%

30%

class participation

 5%

10%

 

 

 

Contacting the professor:

I can usually be reached at my office phone (646-1980) and I check my email  (pfoltz@crl.nmsu.edu) regularly.  If you canÕt make it to the scheduled office hours, please contact me and IÕll be happy to set up an appointment for another time. 

 

Withdrawals:  To withdraw from this class, you must complete and turn in a signed withdrawal form.  The last day to drop with a "W" is March 11th.

General Policies:

1. The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

2.  Make-ups will not typically be permitted for exams.  Exceptions will be granted with a note from the health center or your private doctor, or for other extenuating circumstances.  If you miss an assignment or exam, please see me as soon as possible. 

3.  If a student is caught cheating, the policies described in the New Mexico State University Handbook will apply.  Penalties could range from earning no points for the work to expulsion from the university.  Academic misconduct results in a grade of F for the class.

4.  If you have, or think you may have, a disability that interferes with your performance as a student in this class, you may wish to self-identify.  You can do so by providing documentation to the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located at Garcia Annex (phone: voice 646-6840, TTY 646-1918).  If you are already registered with the SSD Office and need accommodations please provide your "Accommodation Memo" from the SSD within the first two weeks of class. 

 If you have a condition that may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or that may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the Coordinator for SSD.  Feel free to call Ms. Elva G. Telles, EEO/ADA & Employee Relations Director at 646-3333 with any questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  All medical information will be held in strict confidence.

5.  Ringers for cell phones must be turned off during class.  Offending students may be asked to leave class.  Offending cell phones may be placed in a vise and squeezed until they sizzle and crackle.