Admission requirements
Students of the MA linguistics, the MA Linguistics (research), the MA Asian Studies (60 EC and 120 EC) or the MA Asian Studies (research) with (some) knowledge of an Asian language are welcome to attend this course.
Description
In this course, we investigate a number syntactic phenomena in the languages of Asia, especially East Asia, South Asia and South East Asia (we limit our attention to the syntax of these languages, because the sounds – phonology, phonetics – will be the topic of a course in the second semester). In studying the different phenomena, we take a comparative perspective. This means that, if our topic is the noun phrase, we will look at the noun phrase in, say, Mandarin, Japanese and Hindi and try to find out what they have in common and where they differ. Where do we position adjectives? (in front of the noun? behind it? with or without a marker?) How do we form relative clauses? How do we express definiteness? Do we employ a classifier? This way, we will not only learn more about the individual languages, but also about the phenomenon of language more generally. Topics we will look at include classifiers and result denoting sentences.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, the student will have gained a deeper understanding of a number of properties of some of the languages spoken in Asia; they will also have learned more about the phenomeonon of human language more generally. At the same time, the student will have developed further their research skills (finding information, finding and analyzing data, processing existing literature on the topic, formulating hypotheses, linguistic reasoning, etc.), as well as their skills in reporting on their findings, both in writing and orally, for general as well as scholarly audiences. As only few assignments are individual assignments and the seminars aim at discussing material and findings, the student will have gained more experience in dealing and working together with others.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
The deadline(s) in MyTimetable is/are set for administrative purposes only. The actual date(s) will be communicated by the lecturer(s) in Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance
Attendance and participation are obligatory for seminars and language courses. Students are required to attend all sessions. The lecturers need to be informed without delay of any classes missed for a good reason (i.e. due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, family issues, problems with residence permits, the Dutch railways in winter, etc.).
Absence in 3 or more classes will result in a failing attendance grade unless you face extenuating circumstances. In this case, contact the study adviser and Board of Examiners to apply for exemption.
Assessment method
Academic integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation. For information on plagiarism (in the context of academic writing at large), see clips 4-5-6 in this series of video clips.
Students must submit their assignment(s) to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.
Assessment and weighing
Students will hand in two written assignments (a term paper and a report, both graded); students will also do/participate in an oral presentation (pass/fail); the instructor expects active participation (not all assignments are graded). The term paper will count for 50% of the final grade, the shorter written assignment for 30 and the active participation for 20%.”
Final marks
Final marks are formed by the weighted average.
In order to pass a course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher.
Each course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Submission of term papers and written assignments
Students must complete all papers and assignments on time.
Late submissions for all written work for the first or second attempt will result in a deduction of marks as follows:
1-24 hours late = -0.5;
24-48 hours late = -1.0;
48-72 hours late = -1.5;
Submissions more than 72 hours late, including weekends, will receive a failing grade of 1,0 for the assignment.
If students face extenuating circumstances they can request an extension by contacting the [Board of Examiners](Exemptions and petitions - Leiden University). Note that such a request needs to be submitted four weeks before the deadline.
Word limits
A mark deduction applies to papers which exceed the world limit or word range specified in the course description. Students who exceed this word limit will receive an automatic penalty of 0.5 mark deduction.
Resit
Only if the total weighted average is 5.49 or lower the marked components of the course which resulted in a grade of 5.49 or lower can be redone.
Inspection and feedback
Written assignments will be returned with feedback. Students can make an appointment to discuss their written work with the instructor.
Reading list
Readings for the course time will be announced through Brightspace as we go along.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the information bar on the right.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Herta Mohr.