LING3003 Linguistics Field Trip

Dr. Kofi Yakpo and Dr. Hanbo Liao

Capstone Course. Sem 2, 6 credits

Course Description

This course is one of several capstone courses offered by the Linguistics Programme. Capstone courses are required for students majoring in General Linguistics. The field trip is technically designated as a final year course but may be taken in the third or fourth year.

The aim of the course is to provide an opportunity for students of linguistics to have first-hand experience with languages as they are spoken and used in particular settings, and to carry out an empirical investigation on some aspect of a language ‘on-site’ (e.g. structural, cognitive, socio-cultural, or technological aspects of a language). The field trip is the best way of putting knowledge about language structure and use into practice, and forms an essential part of a linguist’s training.

To satisfy the requirements of the course, students should be actively involved in pre-trip preparations then (1) participate in a 10-14 day field trip outside Hong Kong (e.g. to China, SE Asia, Europe, or Africa), led and supervised by members of staff; (2) carry out an empirical investigation of a linguistics topic in consultation with their supervisors; and (3) write up and hand in a report upon return from the field trip.

Government Support: Students who have financial difficulties in meeting the cost of the field trip can apply for a grant from the government via the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS), or the Faculty Student Mobility Fund through the Faculty of Arts.

Pre-requisite
LING1000

Please note that the only ‘hard’ prerequisite is LING1000. However, individual instructors can require additional ‘soft’ prerequisites in order to select students when a course is oversubscribed and a selection has to be made (e.g. LING2056 and/or LING2040).

Note: For General Linguistics majors only.

Course Details
For comprehensive information on field trip destinations, syllabus, student projects, videos, pictures, and fun facts of past linguistics field trips, click on this link!

Syllabus:
Field trip destinations in 2023-24 are Indonesia (1-10 March 2024) and Thailand (22 May – 1 June 2024). Please pay attention to SIS and our email(linguist@hku.hk) for further details.

Assessment:
Attendance in the pre-trip course, participation in the field trip and a written report.

Tutorials:
N/A

Course Timeslots (1)

TUE
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CPD-1.43