Admission requirements
BA in Linguistics or related discipline.
Description
This course approaches language as a set of cultural practices and so aims to study the Amerindian languages of South America through the lens of anthropological concerns. We focus on key cultural concepts on two levels. On the cognitive level of perceptions, concepts and categorizations, we will discuss and analyze different taxonomies such as flora and fauna, colour terms, bodyparts, sensual processes, and conceptions of the world. On the level of performative practices we will analyze the enactment of cosmological values, taking key concepts such as sociality and socialization, leadership, and possession.
Reading material for this course consists of relevant articles on a given topic that will be made known during the first class.
Course objectives
Course objective 1: To acquire a deep knowledge of the key ethnolinguistic topics in South American Amerindian cultures.
Course objective 2: To be able to identify a general typology of the linguistic expression of South American Amerindian cosmologies
Course objective 3: To compare and evaluate current research trends and outcomes of Amerindian ethnolinguistics.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the “MA Linguistics website”: http://hum.leiden.edu/linguistics/timetables-linguistics/timetableslinguistics.html.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Course Load
time spent on attending lectures and seminars: 26 hours
time for studying the compulsory literature and preparing for class: 78 hours
time to prepare for the presentation, exam and/or write a paper (including reading/research) : 176 hours
Assessment Method
Active participation including submitting weekly discussion points on Blackboard (30%), a presentation of 30 minutes (30%), and an essay (40%).
Resit: students who fail the course may resit the essay.
Blackboard
This course is supported by Blackboard.
Reading list
To be announced during class.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
When registering, students that are registered for the specialisation that this course belongs to, or the Research Master, take priority. The deadline for registration is August 15. All other students should contact the “coordinator of studies”:http://hum.leiden.edu/linguistics/advice-linguistics/.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs