EAK389 Korean language in culture and society                             Spring 2008

 

Call Number  8529   / 3 credits

Professor:  Dr. Andrew Sangpil Byon                                                    

 

Assistant Professor

East Asian Studies Dept. – HU 244

State University of New York at Albany

Albany, NY 12222

E-mail: abyon@albany.edu

(518) 442-2597 (voice)

(518) 442-4118 (fax)

http://www.albany.edu/eas/byon.html

Office Hour: MF 1130AM-1230PM or by an appointment

Class meeting time & location: MWF 140PM- 235PM, HU032

 

 

1. Prerequisites:

 

One year of any foreign language learning (preferably at the college level) and some knowledge of linguistics are helpful, but not required.

 

2. Course Description:

 

This course covers basic concepts and issues in Korean applied linguistics. Perspectives include foreign language acquisition, pragmatics, and Korean sociolinguistics.

 

Students will learn (a) basic concepts of second language acquisition to better understand foreign language learning process, (b) fundamental aspects of pragmatics, such as politeness and speech acts, to better understand the nature of actual language use, and (c) Korean socio-cultural values reflected in Korean language. Course activities include substantial readings and discussion, a mid-term, a final paper, and a final exam.

 

3. Student Responsibilities:

 

This is your opportunity to get the most you can out of this classroom experience. Such errors as excessive absence, tardiness, or homework not completed only detract from the learning experience and make it harder to complete the course successfully. This class will move quickly, and students are cautioned against falling behind.

 

Students are expected to attend ALL classes. NO unexcused absences will be permitted; and there will be no review of material for students who miss class. Each unexcused absence beyond three allowed will result in a reduction of the student’s final letter grade by one level (A becomes -A), and this continues for each successive absence as well. Tardiness is also not acceptable and considered inappropriate behavior in a university classroom. Three repeated lateness will be counted as an unexcused absence.

 

When absent, it is the student’s responsibility to find out what has been assigned and to turn it in on the same day as the other students. Late assignments submitted will receive only partial credits.

 

 

4. Course requirement and evaluation

___________________________________________

Assignment & class discussion/participation        100

A midterm                                                        250

A final paper (4-5 pages)                                   250

A final exam                                                     400

TOTAL                                                           1000

 

A (1000-930) / A- (929-900) / B + (899-870) / B (869-830) / B- (829-800) / C+ (799-770) /

C (769-720) / C- (719-700) / D+ (699-670) / D (669-620) / D- (619-600)…..

 

 

5. Textbooks:

 

·         Sohn, H (Ed) (2006). Korean Language in Culture and Society.  Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN: 0-8248-2694-9 (available at the Campus book store).

  • Course reader service EAK389 (available at the Campus book store copy center).

 

 

6. Course semester (tentative & subject to change)

 

Week One

Orientation

 

Second language acquisition

 

Week Two

  1. SLA #1 “Introduction: describing and explaining L2 acquisition” (pp. 3-14)
  2. SLA #2 “The nature of learner language” (pp. 15-30)
  3. SLA #3 “Interlanguage” (pp. 31-35)

 

Week Three

  1. SLA#4 “Social aspects of interlanguage” (pp. 37-42)
  2. SLA#5 “Discourse aspects of interlanguage” (pp. 43-50)
  3. SLA #6 “Psycholoinguistic aspects of interlanguage” (pp. 51-62)

 

Week Four

  1. SLA #7 “Linguistic aspects of interlanguage” (pp. 63-71)
  2. SLA #8 “Individual differences in L2 acquisition” (pp.73-78)
  3. SLA #9 “Instruction and L2 acquisition” (pp. 79-88)

 

Pragmatics

 

Week Five

  1. Pragmatics Ch1  “Definition and background” (pp. 3-8)
  2. Pragmatics Ch2 “Deixis and distance” (pp. 9-16)
  3. Pragmatics Ch5 “Cooperation and implicature” (pp.35-46)

           

Week Six

  1. Pragmatics Ch6  “Speech acts and event” (pp. 47-58)
  2. Pragmatics Ch7  “Politeness and interaction” (pp. 59-69)

 

Week Seven

  1. Pragmatics Ch9 “Discourse and culture” (pp. 83-89)
  • Ch1. Introduction: Korean language in culture and society

            Mid-term

 

Sociolinguistics

 

Week Nine

  • Ch. 2 The invention and use of the Korean alphabet
  • Ch. 3 Standard language and cultured language
  • Ch. 4 Korean in contact with Chinese

 

Week Ten

  • Ch. 5 Korean in contact with Japanese
  • Ch. 7 Korean proverbs
  • Ch. 11 The structure and use of Korean honorifics

 

Week Eleven

  • Ch. 12 Usage of Korean address and reference terms
  • Ch. 13 Phatic expressions in Korean
  • Ch. 15 Korean cultural values in request behaviors

 

Week Twelve

  • Ch. 17 Gender differences in Korean politeness strategies
  • Ch. 18 Advertisement in Korean
  • Ch. 19 TV ads as a reflection of culture: the case of Korea, Japan and the US.

 

Week Thirteen

  • Course-reader #16 Intercultural communication in cognitive values: Americans and Koreans
  • Course-reader #17 Cross-cultural realization of greetings in American English

 

Week Fourteen

  • Course-reader #18 Suggestions to buy: TV commercials from the U.S. Japan, China, and Korea
  • Course-reader #19 Culture, negotiations and international cooperative ventures

 

Week Fifteen

            Review & the last day of the class/ reading days

Final exam (the final paper due)