Lars Hinrichs

Digital Text Analysis

The course gives an introduction to the computational skills needed to conduct digital text analysis using the R programming language. The analytical activities thus covered include text mining as well as statistics, predictive modeling, content modeling, sentiment analysis, and more. While the method training spans the whole semester, our readings in applied studies employing examples of these techniques will be divided among (corpus) linguistics, literary studies and textual studies. The course is directed at students with research interests in any of those fields, as well as anyone with a specialization in Digital Studies. Students will gain the computational skills to conduct original research on digitized text collections as well as datasets relevant to humanistic studies.    

E 310D  l  Introduction to Digital Studies

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  xxxxx

Semester:  Fall 2021

Cross-lists:  n/a

Prerequisites:  none.

Description:  Because much data in the humanities consists of unstructured text, and because there is growth in both data volume and complexity, this course will focus on careful and critical application of exploratory techniques.  The students’ work will be in the realm of exploratory data analysis (EDA), initially described in John Tukey’s classic text by the same name; this is a general approach to examining data through visualizations and broad summary statistics (location, shape, spread, dependence, and order statistics).  Students will learn the R programming language to perform both analysis and visualization.

Texts:  Arnold, Taylor and Lauren Tilton. Humanities Data in R: Exploring Geospatial Data, Images, and Text. Springer: 2019.

Requirements and Grading:  In class exams (10%); Discussion Lead (5%); Weekly Posts (30%); Data Set Review (15%); Final Project: Critical Data Analysis Research Paper (40%).

E s316N  l  World Literature-WB

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  80685

Semester:  Summer 2021, second session

Cross-lists:  C L 315, 80240

Prerequisites:  One of the following: E 303C (or 603A), RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 303C (or 603A).

Description:  This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature.  The selections focus on masterworks of literature from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production.  Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings.  We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other.  Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Requirements & Grading:  The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

E 321L  l  American English-WB

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  36055

Semester:  Spring 2021

Cross-lists:  LIN 321L, 40375

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: We will begin by looking at the development of American English since colonial times.  The major part of the course will be devoted to different varieties of English in the U.S. and Canada.  We will consider linguistic variation according to factors such as region, social status, ethnicity, age, and gender.  Students will be asked to perform their own case studies of a variety of English spoken in Texas.

The basic text for the course will be American English by Wolfram and Schilling-Estes (second edition, Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, 2005).  Additional readings will be made available electronically.

Requirements & Grading: There will be a final exam (30%) and one in-class quiz per week (20%).  In addition, students will be asked to present an oral report on their own research and fieldwork on one variety of American English, and to produce a written version of this report of at least six pages (40%).  The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

E 310D  l  Introduction to Digital Studies

Instructor:  Ortiz Baco, J

Unique #: 34289

Semester:  Fall 2020

Cross-lists:  n/a

Prerequisites:  none.

Description:  Because much data in the humanities are unstructured text, typically, and because there is growth in both data volume and complexity, this course will focus on careful and critical application of exploratory techniques.  The students work will be in the realm of exploratory data analysis (EDA), initially described in John Tukey’s classic text by the same name; this is a general approach to examining data through visualizations and broad summary statistics (location, shape, spread, dependence, and order statistics).  Students will learn the R programming language to perform both analysis and visualization.

Texts:  Arnold, Taylor and Lauren Tilton. Humanities Data in R: Exploring Geospatial Data, Images, and Text. Springer: 2019.

An EDA approach prioritizes studying data directly in order to generate hypotheses and ascertain general trends prior to, and often in lieu of, formal statistical modeling.  Towards this end, students will learn some simple metrics that describe key characteristics such as the average or central tendency (mode, median, and mean); distribution, shape (patterns, skewness or kurtosis and L-moments), and spread (range, variance, and standard deviation); potential correlation or dependence (correlation coefficient).  Deciding which summary statistics to use depends on which questions the students seek to answer.  Often before even looking at the data, it’s useful to articulate exactly what your goal or problem is.  These statistical methods will help students understand their data and formulate questions in their writing.  In addition, students will approach EDA and continuous and categorical data through learning about histograms, quantiles, binning, control flow, and aggregation techniques; about EDA and multivariate analysis through learning about scatter plots, working with text, points, line plots, scatter plot matrices and correlation matrices; as well as EDA and advanced graphics through output formats, working with color and legends, randomness and using additional parameters.  The second half of the semester will focus on using these techniques in the context of natural language processing (including tokenization and sentence splitting, lemmatization and part of speech tagging, dependencies, named entity recognition, coreference) and text analysis (term frequency: inverse document frequency, topic models, and stylometric analysis).

Requirements and Grading:  In class exams (10%); Discussion Lead (5%); Weekly Posts (30%); Data Set Review (15%); Final Project: Critical Data Analysis Research Paper (40%).

E 323L  l  English as a World Language

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #: 34880

Semester:  Fall 2020

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course helps students understand and describe the different Englishes that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language.  We will then study some varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context.  As part of this course, students learn how to use the statistical scripting language R, which we use to statistically analyze vowel formant measurements - a way to quantitatively describe accents.  Based on this quantitative work, the course carries the QR flag.  No previous knowledge of statistics or phonetics is required.

Texts:  Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading:  Midterm (20%) and final (20%) exam. Intro to sound description module (15%); Intro to R (15%); Analyzing vowels in R (15%).  Find, analyze and report on data in a selected variety of English (15%).  Attendance is mandatory and the final grade may be adjusted up- or downward by up to 3% based on in-class participation.

E 323L  l  English as a World Language

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  34975

Semester:  Fall 2019

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course helps students understand and describe the different Englishes that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language.  We will then study some varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context. As part of this course, students learn how to use the statistical scripting language R, which we use to statistically analyze vowel formant measurements - a way to quantitatively describe accents.  Based on this quantitative work, the course carries the QR flag.  No previous knowledge of statistics or phonetics is required.

Texts: Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading: Midterm (20%) and final (20%) exam. Intro to sound description module (15%); Intro to R (15%); Analyzing vowels in R (15%). Find, analyze and report on data in a selected variety of English (15%). Attendance is mandatory and the final grade may be adjusted up- or downward by up to 3% based on in-class participation.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35635

Semester:  Spring 2019

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer instruction: No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This class begins with a linguistic introduction to African-American Vernacular English, Jamaican Creole, and Trinidadian Vernacular/Creole.  While there are clear similarities between the contexts in which African-American Vernacular English on the one hand and anglophone Atlantic creoles on the other emerged, linguists do not agree on whether African-American speech is actually historically rooted in a creole, in the way that Jamaican or Trinidadian speech are.  We will gather the available linguistic evidence as we approach this question.

In the final third of this course, the social dimensions of the language varieties we study will take center stage.  Both in North America and in the Caribbean, black Englishes are subject to severe public stereotyping.  Students will learn how to productively contribute to such conversations by focusing on social and linguistic facts.

Possible Texts:  

Devonish, H., 1986. Language and Liberation: Creole Language Politics in the Caribbean. London: Karia.

Rickford, J.R., 1998. The creole origins of African-American vernacular English: Evidence from copula absence. In: S. Mufwene, J.R. Rickford, G. Bailey and J. Baugh, eds., African American English: structure, history, and use. London/New York: Routledge, pp.154–200.

Smitherman, G., 2006. Word from the Mother: Language and African Americans. Routledge.

Smitherman, G. and G. Smitherman-Donaldson, 1986. Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America. Wayne State University Press.

Requirements & Grading:  Essay 1: 20%; Essay 2: 20%; Essay 3: 25%; Final exam: 25%; Misc. assignments: 10%.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35685

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course helps students understand and describe the different Englishes that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language.  The course will begin with a historical overview of the causes of the spread of English throughout the world and its rise to world language status.  We will then look at a number of different varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context.

Texts:  Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading:  There will be two exams: mid-term (20%) and final (30%).  In addition, students will work on a semester project involving the collection of interview data (15%), quantitative or qualitative analysis of the data (20%), and a report on their findings (15%).  Attendance is mandatory and the final grade may be adjusted up- or downward by up to 3% based on in-class participation.

Quantitative Methods in the Language Sciences

The course teaches computational methods in text mining, natural language processing, and applied statistics. As such, it provides training in the programming languages R and Python. Discussions and readings will foster critique of the process of matching up data, research questions, and methods. The course will benefit anyone working with and studying text, including both linguists and literary scholars interested in digital approaches.

Students interested in this course should also take note of LIN 392, “Analyzing Linguistic Data”, taught by Professor Erk. While E 396L endeavors to teach applicable skills in a suite of methods from data generation to presentation and interpretation of results, LIN 392 is primarily focused on statistics, and as such provides more in-depth statistical training. LIN 392 and E 396L can be taken in tandem to considerable benefit.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35350

Semester:  Spring 2017

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L

Flags:  Global Cultures

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the different 'Englishes' that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language.  The course will begin with a historical overview of the causes of the spread of English throughout the world and its rise to world language status.  We will then look at a number of different varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context.

Texts:  Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading:  There will be two exams: mid-term (30%) and final (40%). In addition, students will be required to submit one 8-10-page essay about one variety of English (20%).  The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

E 316N  l  World Literature

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35260

Semester:  Fall 2016

Cross-lists:  C L 315

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description:  This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature.  The selections focus on masterworks of literature from the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production.  Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings.  We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other.  Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Requirements & Grading:  The final grade will be composed of the following parts:  Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

E 321L  l  American English

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  34510

Semester:  Spring 2016

Cross-lists:  LIN 321L

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: We will begin by looking at the development of American English since colonial times.  The major part of the course will be devoted to different varieties of English in the U.S. and Canada.  We will consider linguistic variation according to factors such as region, social status, ethnicity, age, and gender.  Students will be asked to perform their own case studies of a variety of English spoken in Texas.

The basic text for the course will be American English by Wolfram and Schilling-Estes (second edition, Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, 2005).  Additional readings will be made available electronically.

Requirements & Grading:There will be a final exam (30%) and one in-class quiz per week (20%).  In addition, students will be asked to present an oral report on their own research and fieldwork on one variety of American English, and to produce a written version of this report of at least six pages (40%).  The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

E 360K  l  English Grammar

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  34660

Semester:  Spring 2016

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: In roughly the first third of the course we will practice traditional, structuralist ways of analyzing sentences. From then on, the goal will be to gain familiarity with both formal and functional ways of describing and discussing selected grammatical problems. In order to understand the debate between the two, we will read publications from the Chomskyan tradition and from more data-based research. There will also be a component of active work with digital language corpora.

Texts: Texts will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading: Course grade from two one-hour tests: 25% each; Final exam: 35%; Homework, quizzes, and class participation: 15%.

This course is structured as a methodological survey of the quantitative study of language variation and change. Its primary interest lies in the evolution of theory and methods since the 1960s. Equal attention will be paid to sociolinguistic and to corpus-based approaches. Case studies will mostly deal with English-language datasets and environments, but students will be free to conduct their own work on data in other languages. The primary requirement for those students who wish to obtain credit is to produce and write up a carefully designed study of a socio- or corpus-linguistic dataset. In addition, regular short presentations on selected readings, complementing the main set text,

Primary readings:

• S. Kiesling, Linguistic Variation and Change. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP (2011).
• M. Krug & J. Schlüter, Research Methods in Language Variation and Change. Cambridge: Cambridge UP (2013).

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

E s316N  l  World Literature

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  82740

Semester:  Summer 2015, second session

Cross-lists:  C L 315

Flags:  Global Cultures

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: One of the following: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  83370

Semester:  Summer 2014, second session

Cross-lists:  C L 315

Flags:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.

Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35860

Semester:  Spring 2014

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the different 'Englishes' that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language. The course will begin with a historical overview of the causes of the spread of English throughout the world and its rise to world language status. We will then look at a number of different varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context.

Texts: Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading: There will be two exams: mid-term (30%) and final (40%). In addition, students will be required to submit one 8-10-page essay about one variety of English (20%). The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L

Unique #:  35870

Semester:  Spring 2014

Cross-lists:  n/a

Prerequisites: C L 315, E 603B, 316K, or T C 603B.

Description: This course offers an introduction to language-based approaches to literature. Taught by a linguist and directed at literature majors and beginning graduate students, its goal is to enhance close reading through skills in the responsible analysis of the material side of literary language.

The semester schedule is divided into seven sections:

(1) Introduction: the materiality of language.

(2) Core linguistics: syntax and phonetics.

(3) Linguistic theories of metaphor.

(4) Speech act theory: the foundations of performativity.

(5) Social variation, individual styles, and heteroglossia.

(6) Prosody and rhetorical tropes.

(7) Linguistic form and the aesthetics of realism.

Texts: Readings will be provided in a reader, available at the Co-op bookstore.

Requirements & Grading: Students who participate will be required to complete reading assignments (literary and theoretical texts) for each class session. Active participation in class discussions and team assignments is required. The total grade consists of the following components: Three essays (between 3 and 6 pp. each), 55%; Final exam, 30%; In-class participation (including occasional quizzes), 15%.

Studying Computer-Mediated Discourse: Data, Methods, Applications

The language used in computer-mediated communication -- more compactly referred to as computer-mediated discourse -- has been the object of linguistic and rhetorical study for more than two decades. This course will take stock of the various interests, methods, and uses that have evolved in this (comparatively) new object of study.

Thematic foci of the course include the following: multilingualism, performance and performativity, verbal play, and orthographic variation (all of these in online discourse). Among the analytical methods of particular interest are: statistical analysis of variation in linguistic features, discourse analysis, online ethnography, conversation analysis, and narrative analysis.

In their own, original work for this course, students will trace the full trajectory of a discourse-oriented research project from data compilation and corpus creation via the formulation of an up-to-date research question and the selection of (an) appropriate method(s) to the presentation and write-up of their findings.

While familiarity with computer programming or scripting languages would be useful, it is by no means required. Tutorials in the Python scripting language may be offered if the number of students interested reaches a critical mass.

Readings:

• Androutsopoulos, Jannis and Michael Beisswenger (eds.) 2008. Data and methods in computer-mediated discourse analysis. Special issue of Language @ Internet. Vol. 5. http://www.languageatinternet.org/articles/2008
• Thurlow, Crispin & Kristine Mroczek (eds.). 2011. Digital discourse: language in the new media. (Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics). Oxford: Oxford UP.
• Additional papers provided through the course website.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L            Areas:  --/ B

Unique #:  83513            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Summer 2013, first session            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.

Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L            Areas:  -- / B

Unique #:  83720            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Summer 2013, second session            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.

Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 35%; Final exam, 35%; Quizzes, 18%; Classroom participation, 12%.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L            Areas:  n/a

Unique #:  35267            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Spring 2013            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  C L 315            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.

Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 22%; Final exam, 23%; Writing assignments, 25%; Quizzes, 20%; Classroom participation, 10%.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L            Areas:  IV / G

Unique #:  35325            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Spring 2013            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  LIN 323L            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the different 'Englishes' that are spoken around the world: major standard varieties such as British and American English, emerging standard varieties such as those found in many postcolonial societies, and second-language varieties such as those of continental Europe and other parts of the world where English is not a first or official language. The course will begin with a historical overview of the causes of the spread of English throughout the world and its rise to world language status. We will then look at a number of different varieties of English in detail, using real language data and attempting to describe them in terms of their structure and their social context.

Texts: Readings for the course will be made available in a reader, details TBA.

Requirements & Grading: There will be two exams: mid-term (30%) and final (40%). In addition, students will be required to submit one 8-10-page essay about one variety of English (20%). The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Course Description: We will begin by looking at the development of American English since colonial times. The major part of the course will be devoted to different varieties of English in the U.S. and Canada. We will consider linguistic variation according to factors such as region, social status, and ethnicity, as well as individual speech style. Students will be asked to perform their own case studies of Texas English.

 Texts: The basic text for the course will be Introducing Sociolinguistics by Miriam Meyerhoff (London/New York: Routledge, 2006). Additional readings will be made available electronically.

 Grading: There will be a final exam (30%) and one midterm exam (20%). In addition, students will be asked to present an oral report on their own research and fieldwork on one variety of American English, and to produce a written version of this report of at least six pages (40%). The remaining 10% of the grade will be given for attendance and class participation.

 Computer Instruction?  No

 Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing. No exceptions.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Prerequisites: Completion of at least thirty semester hours of coursework, including E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.

Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading: The final grade will be composed of the following parts: Midterm exam, 22%; Final exam, 23%; Writing assignments, 25%; Quizzes, 20%; Classroom participation, 10%.

Instructor:  Hinrichs, L
Unique #:  83032
Semester:  Summer 1 2010
Cross-lists:  NA
Areas:  IV
Flags:  NA
Restrictions:  None
Computer Instruction:  Y/N

Prerequisites:  Completion of at least thirty semester hours of coursework, including English 603A, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description:  This course is an introduction to the systematic study of literature. The selections focus on masterworks of Western literature since the Middle Ages. Students will learn how to read a literary text as an (a) artifact that (b) reflects the historical, social, and cultural circumstances of its production. Consequently, lectures will introduce basic concepts from critical theory and rhetorical analysis, and apply these to the readings. We will also discuss, for each work, its historical background and how our knowledge of a text and its context can inform each other. Discussions and assignments are designed to sharpen critical skills and focus on practical exercises in interpretation.

Texts: 

• Simon, P. (ed.). 2009. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. (Paperback edition in 2 volumes, ISBN 978-0-393-93303-1.) Required.
• Goethe, J. W. (1774[1970]). The Sufferings of Young Werther. Transl. H. Steinhauer. New York: W.W. Norton. (ISBN 0-393-09880-X.) Required.

Requirements & Grading:  The final grade will be composed of the following parts:

• Weekly tests                     30%
• Final exam                        35%
• RAPs                                15%
• Pop quizzes                      10%
• Classroom participation      10%

For more information, please download the full syllabus.

Introduction to the study of the syntactic structure of modern English from the viewpoint of generative grammar. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. English 360K and Linguistics 360K may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing

Introduction to the study of the syntactic structure of modern English from the viewpoint of generative grammar. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. English 360K and Linguistics 360K may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing