!! REGISTRATION ALERTS !!

1) Please remember to read the "COMMENTS" section associated with every course for important information (e.g., This is where you find out if a course is not offered in a particular Session.) [posted Apr. 15.13]

2) LING 447 can be repeated for credit. However, t he first time it is taken it MUST count as the "Capstone Course" requirement. After that, it can count toward "List B: Core Courses". [posted Apr. 15.13]

3) Regularly check your progress toward completing your degree requirements on Degree Navigator.

Course News

2013 Summer Courses

ENGL 229/921 - Topics in Language and/Rhetoric (English as a Global Language). No prerequisites (3 credits). More information at http://www.english.ubc.ca/courses/summer2013/229a-921.htm [posted March 24, 2013]

LING 300/311 - Despite being listed on the SSC for Summer 2013, LING 300 and 311 will NOT be offered. This error is being corrected. Sorry for the confusion! [posted March 1, 2013]

2013 Winter Courses

Ling 447 Sections in Winter Term 1 and Term 2

Ling 447: Perceptual Adaptation

Time: Term 1, M/W/F, 10:00-11:00 AM

Instructor: Molly Babel

Description: How do we understand those who speak with accents and dialects that we have never heard before? What are the limits to the mechanisms which allow for intelligibility in the face of phonetic variation? Do infants and toddlers exhibit the same perceptual flexibility as adults? In this course we will answer these questions through the study of a phenomenon called perceptual adaptation, which is the term used to describe listeners’ ability to understand the variable spoken world which surrounds them.

Ling 447: Information Structure

Time: Term 1, T/R, 2:00-3:30 PM

Instructor: Michael Rochemont

Description: This course will provide a basic introduction to Information Structure (IS). We will examine the central notions of IS, including Topic, Focus and Givenness, both their semantic/pragmatic interpretation and their manifestation in natural language prosody (e.g. sentence stress) and syntax. IS deals primarily with how the form of a linguistic expression reflects the temporary state of a discourse, and so is concerned with “information packaging” as opposed to strictly semantic content. A familiar example from English illustrates the types of problems explored. Consider the following four distinct possible pronunciations of the sentence ‘John likes Mary’: JOHN likes Mary, John likes MARY, John LIKES Mary, and JOHN likes MARY. The differences among these variants are said to be differences in the expression of focus. What precisely is it about each of these pronunciations that makes it phonetically and phonologically distinct from the others? Observe that each of these pronunciations imposes distinct conditions on the discourse contexts in which it can be felicitously used. What are these conditions? How are they best characterized? How do other languages express these same variations in information packaging? Some languages do not use prosody at all, but instead use morphological or syntactic means to give expression to focus variants. Many languages, including English, use a combination of prosodic and morphological and/or syntactic markers of focus. During the course, students will be expected to participate in seminar-type discussions, present literature reviews (both orally and in writing), conduct original research, participate in a research group, and present research findings (both orally and in writing). Required courses: LING 200, 201. Recommended courses: LING 300, 311, 327.

Ling 447: Lexical Processing

Time: Term 2, M/W/F, 10:00-11:00 AM

Instructor: Joe Stemberger

Description: This course will explore the lexicon from a psycholinguistic perspective. How do speakers (and listeners, readers, and writers) locate words in the mental lexicon when speaking (and listening, reading, and writing)?

SCOPE: 1) We will address both the production and perception of lexical items. 2) The lexicon is a component of language which interfaces with all other components of language and many other components of cognition. Morphology will be a major topic, with lesser attention to phonology (and phonetics), semantics, and syntax. Memory and attention will weave through many weeks of the course. 3) One major issue has always been what the units of lexical representation are, and this has attracted more and more attention recently. We will cover this debate. 4) We will address lexical processing throughout the lifespan, from early in development (for both typically and atypically developing children), through adult processing, to the effects of aging and damage to or degeneration of the language areas of the brain. 5) A large proportion of human beings speak two or more languages, and the organization of bilingual language systems has been a hot topic for a long time. We will address the literature both within and beyond the Indo-European languages.

FORMAT: Seminar: lectures and discussions focused around readings. There will be a final paper. There will be some graded homework assignments, and probably a test.

Ling 447: How to establish common ground: The grammar of Canadian ‘eh’ and other confirmationals

Time: Term 2, T/R, 2:00-3:30 PM

Instructor: Martina Wiltschko

Description: Canadians are famous for using ‘eh’ (as in What a great game, eh?). But many languages of the world have particles with similar functions. We call these expressions confirmationals.

In this course we explore the grammar of confirmationals. What are the contexts in which speakers can or even must use confirmationals? When can confirmationals not be used? How are confirmationals integrated into a sentence? What types of linguistic means do languages exploit to construct confirmationals? What if anything is universal about the form, function, and distribution of confirmationals? And what is the range of variation within and across languages?

We will explore these questions by i) collecting and analysing relevant data from different dialects and languages and by ii) exploring the relevant literature which spans across many sub-disciplines of linguistics.

Ling 447: Beyond Rules and Constraints: Fuzzy Phonology

Time: Term 2, Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30-11:00 AM

Instructor: Kathleen Currie Hall Description: In this course, we will examine phonology from a very different viewpoint than that taken in Ling 200 and 311, where most phonological patterns are assumed to be categorical. What happens when a pair of sounds isn’t really contrastive OR allophonic? What do we do with phonological processes that seem to apply only some of the time? Are all words created phonologically equal?

It turns out that these kinds of “fuzzy” phenomena are quite common, and that there are a number of tools for describing and analyzing them. In this course, we will explore the roles of frequency, probability, statistics, and information theory in shaping and understanding phonological phenomena.

Coursework will involve reading and discussing original papers on these topics, practical applications of probabilistic tools to phonological data, and a final research paper that explores in depth some area of fuzzy phonology.

LING 311(Studies in Phonology). Unfortunately, due to a typo, SIS lists LING 201 (Introduction to Syntax and Semantics) rather than LING 200 (Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology) as the prerequisite for LING 311. This is incorrect! However, as it stands, the system will not let you register in 311 unless you have 201, as opposed to 200.

We are working to correct this error. In the meantime, if you wish to register in 311, have taken 200, and have not taken 201, please contact the Undergraduate Advisor, Henry Davis Henry.Davis@ubc.ca, and he will arrange to have you force-registered in 311.

**Updates

LING 313 and 314 - The newly numbered two 300-level phonetics courses are now in the Academic Calendar: they are 313 (T1) and 314 (T2). However, the requirements for majors and minors have not yet been updated in the calendar. 313 is a List A course and required for both Linguistics and Speech Science majors; 314 is a List B course and required only for Speech Science majors. [posted June 6, 2012]

LING 405 - The new numbering for the morphology course (405)has also gone through, along with new prerequisites (300, 311, 327 recommended). 405 is a "List B" course. [posted June 6, 2012]

PSYC 217 (Research Methods). Day time sections are restricted for SPSC, COGS and PSYC Majors. Non-degree students (Diploma and Unclassified) need to speak with Jennifer Janicki, Pscyhology Advisor, for manual registration. You will need to take the course in the evening sections. If a seat becomes available in a daytime section then you contact Jennifer. Diploma students take priority over Unclassified students. Contact Jennifer at: Undergrad@psych.ubc.ca

Content Info and Course Planning

Prerequisites: We strongly recommend the following prerequisites to be taken before the following list of courses:

445: 200 and 201 (currently, none) 431: 300 and 311 (currently, 311) 451: 222 and 311 (currently 311) 452: 222 and 300 (currently 300) [posted June 6, 2012]

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GET EXPERIENCE

Paid

Looking for Summer Employment?

Tips on finding employment from the Faculty of Arts: http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/View.aspx?id=432973&q=572552922&qz=8185dc [posted April 2/13]

Volunteering

Please see information listed on the Get Involved/Volunteering link of the Ling undergrad website. [posted March 1, 2013]

Co-op

(info coming)

Internship

Interested in an Internship in China?? Have you thought about doing an internship in China and gaining professional, international experience?

Come join us on Thursday, March 7 (5:30pm in Buchanan, Room A203) as CRCC Asia visits the University of British Columbia to give a presentation about their opportunities in Beijing and Shanghai!

CRCC Asia's Internship Program offers a unique opportunity to gain international work experience in the world’s most vibrant economy. Recently featured in the Wall Street Journal and the BBC, CRCC Asia is exceptionally well positioned to provide motivated students with exciting internships and resume-building experience.

Using their extensive networks in Asia they offer a wide range of placements across various industries including business, marketing, engineering, law, health care, finance and NGO's among others. Fluent English is the only language requirement. Program start dates are year-round and internships can be one, two or three months.

Be sure to stop by and have all your questions answered!

Also check out their website for more information: CRCC Asia Internship Program [posted March 1, 2013]

Observation

(info coming)

Tri-mentoring

(info coming)

Speech Sciences Majors Receive "Certificate of Excellence" in Tri-mentoring

Congratulations to Michelle Chen (2nd year), Erica Tabuena (3rd year) and Regina Wenk (3rd year) for receiving a "Certificate of Excellence" in the Tri-mentoring program. Michelle, Erica and Regina along with their Mentors, Diane Jones (B.A.'75, M.Ed.'83) and Lucia Da Silva (Graduate student, Ph.D. program) were honoured at a reception in Brock Hall on March 27, 2013. The Tri-mentoring Tri-mentoring welcomes alumni, graduate students and undergraduate students to participate in the program. Photo below[posted April 2/13]

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EVENTS

Linguistics

Linguistics in High-School! The first-ever Canadian high-school linguistics Olympians have just returned from the 9th International Linguistics Olympiad (http://www.ioling.org/2011/). This is the first time the contest has been held in North America (in Pittsburgh, PA), and the first time Canada has been represented.

Results: The four Canadian contestants took home one bronze medal, an honourable mention, and the Best Performance by a New Team award, as well as the Best Performance by an Individual on a New Team award. (Other new teams this year were from Brazil, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates.) But most importantly, the contestants had a lot of fun, met a lot of other young linguists, and represented their country with a lot of good-spiritedness and maturity.

This year's contest involved 27 teams from 19 countries, and was delivered in 10 languages. There was both an individual competition, where contestants worked alone to solve 5 puzzles over 6 hours, and a team competition, in which teams of contestants had 3 hours to figure out certain metrical rules of Sanskrit poetry.

Some links if you're interested:

Canada's medals, hopefully the first of many: http://www.ioling.org/results/Canada/ There are a bunch of pictures already up on the event's Facebook page, where you can check out our snazzy Team Canada shirts: http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-International-Linguistics-Olympiad/230095130337783
Articles in the local newspapers: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11204/1162433-53-0.stm
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_748382.html

Coming up next year: Ljubljana 2012, and hopefully TWO Canadian teams (anglophone AND francophone)! Let me know if you want to be involved, 'cuz it's a ton of fun for all involved. [posted August 8,2011]

Conferences

To be announced.

UBC

(info coming)

Faculty of Arts

Fourth Annual Dean of Arts Prize for the Best Essay in Visual Literacy **$1,000 prize for the winning essay DUE: Thursday, March 28, 2013

Every undergraduate student at UBC is invited to participate in an essay contest considering the relationship between history and memory.

The Belkin Art Gallery's exhibition Esther Shalev-Gerz poses the questions, you provide the answers. How do we locate ourselves in relation to history? How do we participate in its retelling? The retrospective exhibition Esther Shalev-Gerz illustrates the artist’s career-long investigation of significant historical moments as told and experienced by individuals. For example, Shalev-Gerz’s artwork Between Listening and Telling: Last Witnesses, Auschwitz 1945-2005 (2005) features the wordless moments of recollection from video interviews with Holocaust survivors. The views of philosopher and critical theorist Walter Benjamin on the concept of history are formative ones for Shalev-Gerz. In the seminal Theses on the Philosophy of History, Benjamin claims that “[t]o articulate the past historically does not mean to recognize it ‘the way it really was’. It means to seize hold of a memory as it flashed up at a moment of danger.” How does Shalev-Gerz’s use of individual recollection and memory, telling and listening, relate to Benjamin’s position on what it means to talk about history?

The Guidelines:

Essays must be no longer than 1,000 words in length and submitted (4 hard-copies) to the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, March 28th, 2013.

Contestants must be full-time students registered in an undergraduate program at the University of British Columbia.

For more information contact: Shelly Rosenblum, tel: 604-827-3287, shelly.rosenblum@ubc.ca

For a tour of the Esther Shalev-Gerz exhibition, contact: Naomi Sawada, tel: 604-822-3640, naomi.sawada@ubc.

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WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY BA?

The Arts Learning Plan

The Arts Learning Plan Learning Planis designed to get students thinking about creating for themselves the kind of degree and university experience that could include various opportunities for scholarly and community engagement to make the most of their time at UBC. [posted Feb. 14, 2011]

Language Education (info coming)

Speech-Language Pathology (info coming)

Language and the Law (info coming)

Language in Advertising (info coming)

Codes and Code Breaking (info coming)

Being a Linguist (info coming)

(Source: Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. 10th Ed. Eds: Anouschka Bergmann, Kathleen Currie Hall, Sharon Miriam Ross (Dept. of Linguistics, The Ohio State University). 2007.

FAQs about UBC Grad School (School of Audiology and Speech Sciences)

Please also see: UBC Graduate Degree Programs Graduate Degree Programs

How much does graduate school cost?

Each program listed will show the applicable tuition as well as other costs students have to plan for such as student fees and an estimated value for cost of living.

What percentage of students that applied for this program last year were accepted?

Each year for our September class SASS only accepts 23 Speech and 12 Audiology students. Last year SASS received 146 applications and this year for September 2010 class SASS received 170 applications.

What was the average percentage grade of the applicants accepted last year?

The GPA for last year of students accepted was 83.4%.

What was a deciding factor in the acceptance of these applicants?

The deciding factors, because of the competitiveness of the programs are: 1) completion of all prerequisite course work with excellent grades (80-85%), strong letters of reference and a compelling letter of intent.

What made those who were accepted stand out from all other applicants?

Same factors as #3 above

How many references were given by those accepted into this program?

SASS requires 3 letters of reference from students. Two must be from professors who have taught you in the past two years, and the other one can be personal, clinical or academic. There is no limit on the number of letters received as long as two are from professors.

How many hours of and what type of volunteer experience has separated those who have been accepted to those who have not?

SASS does not ask for volunteer work, only that each applicant "observe" a Speech Language Pathologist and Audiologist in their line of work. A student who has done volunteer work related to either Speech or Audiology would certainly be considered. And, if all other admission criteria had been met, this student would perhaps receive an offer over someone without volunteer experience. [posted: Oct. 26, 2011]