CASD 2231 Speech & Language Development: Contact / Info

Attendance and punctuality:  Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to arrive promptly. If you cannot attend class, notify me within 24 hours before or after the class session by e-mail. Students are responsible for all work missed.

Participation:  Each student is expected to contribute to the class by raising questions and joining in class discussions.  

Assignments: Required readings and assignments must be completed by the due dates stated on this syllabus or announced in class. Students are responsible for submitting all assignments by the beginning of class on the designated dates. Late assignments will not be accepted without prior permission from the instructor.

• All assignments should be typed, proofread, and spell-checked before submission.
• Written assignments should conform to the standards detailed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
• If you cannot attend class on the day that an assignment is due, you are expected to send it electronically or with a classmate.
• All written assignments must be submitted to the instructor via e-mail as a Microsoft Word document in an attachment by the beginning of the class on the date that the assignment is due. Each assignment will be given a numerical grade based on content and writing.

Language sample analysis activities:  Students will be provided with language samples from normally developing children and will be required to transcribe and analyze the samples. Due dates for these assignments will be announced in class or will be posted on the course website. 

Course website: Students are required to check this course website for announcements prior to each class and are responsible for all instructions posted.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Participation - based on in-class oral and written contributions 5%
• Language sample analysis assignments 10%
• Journal article review and oral presentation 20%
• First exam 20%
• Second exam 20%
• Third exam 25%

Students who lose points for participation due to lateness or absence will not be provided with opportunities to make up the lost  points.

Grading Scale:

A+ = 100, A = 94-100, A- = 90-93, B+ = 87-89, B = 84-86, B- = 80-83, C+ = 77-79, C = 74-76, C- = 70-73, D+ = 67-69, D = 64-66, D- = 60-63, F = 59 & below

There will be no extra-credit assignments accepted for this course.

Academic Integrity: The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. These offenses are punishable by penalties such as failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for implementing that policy can be found at this site: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation.

Disability-related academic accommodations: To receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at 718-951-5538. Students who have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services should provide the instructor with the course accommodation form and discuss the specific accommodation(s) with the instructor.

Non-attendance because of religious beliefs:  Refer to the state law regarding non-attendance because of religious beliefs in the Brooklyn College Bulletin on p. 53.

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the five main components of language.
2. Describe current theories of language acquisition and their impact on our understanding of language development.
3. Describe the relationship between the development of language and the development of cognitive, perceptual, motor, emotional, and social skills.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the normal speech and language acquisition process in children.
5. Identify differences in language acquisition across individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
6. Demonstrate skills in language sample analysis and professional writing.

Assessment formats:  Exams, class discussion, language sample analysis assignments, paper and oral presentation.

Journal article review:  

Based on class discussions, required readings, and other scholarly sources of your choice (e.g., journal articles, see list of recommended texts), write a review that includes the following components:

• The research problem addressed in the study
• A brief description and analysis of the methodology
• A brief description of the results
• A brief description of the conclusions
• A discussion of the clinical and/or theoretical implications of the study
• Strengths and limitations of the study

Requirements:

• The paper should be typed using a 12-point font, double-spaced, with a header on all pages according to APA style. Do not exceed 3 pages. 
• Provide the citation of the article at the top of your review using APA format.
• Include an introduction and a conclusion.
• Submit the paper to the instructor via e-mail as a Microsoft Word document in an attachment by the due date stated on the course schedule. The title of the attachment should be the student’s last name, followed by ARTICLE REVIEW, exactly as follows: e.g., Jones_ARTICLE REVIEW. The title of the e-mail should be: 2231 Article Review. Submissions that do not adhere to these precise instructions may be rejected.  

Oral presentation:  

Each student will present his/her paper on an assigned date using Microsoft PowerPoint. All components of the paper outlined above should be addressed. The presentation must be between 8-10 minutes. Be prepared to answer scholarly questions from the instructor and fellow classmates. You are responsible for saving your PowerPoint presentation to the desktop of the classroom computer and for checking that it is formatted correctly prior to class.

Prepare a one-page handout outlining your presentation in bullet form. Distribute this to the class at the time of your presentation.  

The paper and presentation will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Inclusion of all components listed above
• Accuracy and relevance of information 
• Organization and clarity of written and oral presentation 
• Oral communication skills and creativity 
• Ability to respond to questions posed by the instructor and classmates 
• Content, organization, and clarity of outline

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.

Berko Gleason, J., & Bernstein Ratner, N. (2016). The development of language (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. 

Brice, A. E., & Brice, R. G. (2009). Language development: Monolingual and bilingual acquisition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Hulit, L. M., & Howard, M. R. (2015). Born to talk: An introduction to speech and language development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.  

Justice, L. M., & Ezell, H. K. (2016). The syntax handbook: Everything you learned about syntax but forgot (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Owens, R. E., Jr. (2016). Language development: An introduction (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Pence Turnbull, K. L., & Justice, L. M. (2017). Language development from theory to practice (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. 

Retherford, K. S. (2007). Guide to analysis of language transcripts (3rd ed.). Greenville, SC: Thinking Publications.