This course is an introduction to Austronesian languages, exploring the history, and the linguistic and socio-cultural-political diversity of the Austronesian world. Austronesian is the world's largest language family in terms of geographical spread, spanning more than half the globe: from Madagascar to Easter Island, and from Taiwan to New Zealand. This vast and diverse language family is also one of the best documented. It includes both major world languages with millions of speakers, like Indonesian and Tagalog, and tiny Oceanic languages spoken on remote islands with only a couple of hundred speakers. During the course students will learn about the migration and dispersion of the Austronesian people and salient features characterising their languages, social organisations and cultures. Case studies are used to represent certain salient Austronesian features in relation to particular (sub)regions and societies to cover topics in Austronesian sound systems and grammars, writing systems, ritual language and religions, language contact and change, language ecology, the politics of language, language landscape and verbal arts. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

On successful completion of the course, students will have the skills and knowledge to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic terminology, concepts and issues of the field of linguistics and related fields as they pertain to the Austronesian languages;
2. Identify and discuss the salient linguistic and socio-cultural characteristics of the varieties of the Austronesian language family;
3. Assess the typical arguments pertaining to the history and typological properties of  the varieties of  Austronesian languages;
4. Analyse and compare linguistic systems, and related socio-cultural-political aspects based on concrete data;
5. Undertake guided research and analysis of data for a selected topic for a given project;
6. Present and justify the research results of the project with clarity and focus, both orally and in writing.
7. Evaluate the suitability of a particular simple theoretical framework for a given descriptive Austronesian project.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	26-30 July The Austronesian World – introduction	Reading: The Austronesian World – introduction Reading: Blust (2013), Chapter 1
2	2-6 Aug History: origins, dispersal and subgrouping	Reading: Ross, M 2008, 'The integrity of the Austronesian language family: from Taiwan to Oceania', in Alicia Sanchez-Mazas, Roger Blench, Malcolm D. Ross, Ilia Peiros and Marie Lin (ed.), Past Human Migrations in East Asia: Matching archaeology, linguistics and genetics, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Great Britain, pp. 161-181.
3	9-13 Aug Austronesian languages: sound systems	Reading: Odden (2013): chapter 1 (what is phonology) & chapter 2 (Allophonic relations) Blust (2013), Chp 4, pp.169-212. Topics handed out Assignment#1 given out
4	16-20 Aug Austronesian languages: morphologies	Reading: Odden (2013): chps 4 (underlying representation) Lieber (2009), chaps 1 (what is morphology) & 3 (word formation)
5	23-27 Aug Austronesian languages: grammatical relations	Reading: Kroeger (2005); chap 3 (on constituent structure) & Chap 11 (sentence types) Assignment#1 due Assignment#2 given out
6	23-27 Aug Austronesian languages: sentence structures	Reading: Kroeger (2005); chap 3 (on constituent structure) & Chap 11 (sentence types) Assignment#2 given out
7	30 Aug – 3 Sept Grammars of space	Reading: Palmer, Bill. 2002. Absolute spatial reference and the grammaticalisation of perceptually salient phenomena. In Giovanni Bennardo (Ed.), Representing space in Oceania: culture in language and mind, 107-157. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. Assignment#2 due Chosen topics due
8	27 Sep – 1 Oct Sociolinguistics I: politeness	O’Keeffe (2011): Chapter 4 (Politeness in Context) Short Critical Summary due
9	4 - 8 Oct Sociolinguistics II: language contact, multilingualism and language policy	Reading: Reading: Meyerhoff (2006), chapter 6: Multilingualism and language choice
10	11-15 Oct Educational linguistics: language documentation and conservation.	Reading: Florey (2010), chapter 1: Introduction (in Endangered Languages of Indonesia) Oral Presentation
11	18-22 Oct Anthropological linguistics: verbal arts and ritual language	Reading: Florey (2010), chapter 1: Introduction (in Endangered Languages of Indonesia) Oral Presentation
12	25-29 Oct Contemporary transformations: language, religion and ethnicity	Reading: Bucholtz, Mary, and Kira Hall. 2004. "Language and identity." In A companion to Linguistic Anthropology, 369-394. Oxford: Blackwell.
13		Research Essay Due 7 June 2019

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Problem sets	30 %	27/08/2021	15/10/2021	1,4
Critical summary	5 %	15/10/2021	10/11/2021	1,2,3
Research plan	5 %	15/10/2021	29/10/2021	4,5,7
Oral presentation	10 %	08/10/2021	22/10/2021	2,3,4,6
Research essay	50 %	08/11/2021	22/11/2021	1,4,7

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The students will be expected to do all home assignments and the weekly readings (articles). They spend at least a total of around 10 hours per week for various activities: 3 contact hours (2 hours lectures and 1 hour tutorial) and around 7 hours for weekly readings, tutorial preparation, and assessment items (problem sets and term paper).

 

Since the course focuses on interactive problem solving, all students are encouraged to attend tutorials.

Assessment Task 1

Problem sets

The problem set assignments (2-4 pages or no more than 1500 words) will test your ability to apply certain concepts in linguistics and related fields to data, and analyse linguistic phenomena in a particular Austronesian language.

Problems will be assessed primarily (about 70%) on the accuracy and insightfulness of analysis. For example, missing a case-marking morpheme where there clearly is one would count as a failure of accuracy, while failing to notice an opportunity to use a simple syntactic rule would count as a failure of analytic insight. Organisation and coherence of expression will account for the remainder, approximately 15% each.

Assessment Task 2

Critical summary

The critical summary  (no more than 1000 words) will test your ability to read and explore the literature relevant to your research topic critically.

Assessment Task 3

Research plan

The research plan (no more than 1000 words) will test your ability to work out an outline of a research essay on a given topic.

Assessment Task 4

Oral presentation

The presentation (10 minutes) will test your ability to present your research and respond to questions and comments.

Assessment Task 5

Research essay

The research essay  (3,000-3,500 words) is a report on a particular topic in Austronesian linguistics and related fields (details on separate handout), which will test your ability in integrating the knowledge of the core linguistic domains in larger contexts, including in relation to sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics.

The research essays will be assessed according to these criteria:

·     Mechanics 10%

·     Referencing 15%

·     Structure 15%

·     Content 60%

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students