Linguistics and Multilingual Studies @ NTU + Module Review
If you plan to take the LMS major, be prepared to question things you never questioned before, study things you may not expect and if you aren't really into certain things but are forced to take in order to clear AUs, suffer a little.
I'll not go into details regarding the core mods- if you are already in LMS, there is already no escape; if you need the major to get into certain jobs, you'll bite the bullet. However, if you are seriously deciding I'll share a little.
I was advised by a kind senior of what I needed to clear- 3 2000s series mod, 3 3000s and 4 4000s (6 if you wanna avoid FYP). This guidelines may or may not have changed but it is what I abide by (year 2015 entry).
2000 non-core mods:
HG2024 X-RATED LINGUISTICS: LANGUAGE, SEXUALITY AND DESIRE
As the title suggests, the topics here are X-rated. To the people out there who plan to take this as a UE and expect to take a course about pornography, you will be sorely disappointed. Plus the LMS major girls are likely to shoot you a dirty look or two. This module talks about language and its relation with gender identities, sexuality and even cover the subject of love. The work load is relatively heavy for a 2000 mod: 2 online essays, 1 presentation, 2 in-class quizzes and a mini project. Great prof who's sassy, direct and knowledgeable.
HG2012 COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS
This module has a significantly lower workload (kinda). If you are good at MCQs and reading long, tedious and difficult research papers while remembering and understanding the details you should do well. Besides weekly quizzes based on those papers (only 10 qns), there were only 2 assignments. Prof is very knowledgeable, however there are times that he might forget that we aren't exactly experts of the field.
3000 non-core mods:
HG3040 LANGUAGE EVOLUTION
For a 3000 mod, the workload was relatively acceptable: 1 group presentation, 1 group research project, 1 final exam (that is during the final lesson of the semester) consisting of 40(?) MCQ questions and 1 in-class essay.
HG3023 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS
This mod seems to have not too large of a workload- 1 group presentation + group discussion facilitation, 1 glossing and transcribing of a folktale spoken in a language that is neither English or your mother tongue and 1 write-up based on the before assignment. However, the prof is known to be very knowledgeable and demanding. The work is slightly appalling to most of us who has not transcribed since year 1. Otherwise, an enriching course that covers a large range of social, cultural and linguistic field.
4000 non-core mods:
HG4041 THEORIES OF GRAMMAR
If the name hasn't already scared you off, and you are good at syntax, this is the mod for you. Perhaps it is because of the poor textbook choice, but I can say that I am SCARED and SCARRED. Prof is amazing, making what I took hours to read but did not understand something I could understand. However the mid terms and final bring home assignments really made most of us puke blood. Especially those of us who did not like or were bad at syntax. Also, there is weekly participation, 1 group presentation and 1 research paper. If you wanna be a computational linguist or you are great at syntax, you really should take this mod. Otherwise... You have been forewarned.
I'll not go into details regarding the core mods- if you are already in LMS, there is already no escape; if you need the major to get into certain jobs, you'll bite the bullet. However, if you are seriously deciding I'll share a little.
- Syntax or what we usually call grammar. Get ready to explain why "*I was here tomorrow" is wrong besides the fact that it defies common sense.
- You do not escape from a bit of science. Learn about human anatomy to explain where and how sounds are produced, how ears receive sounds, which brain segments induce speech etc.
- MATH still haunts you. Kinda? There's this stat mod that I did not care much about for but trust me nothing is worse than A level H2 maths.
I was advised by a kind senior of what I needed to clear- 3 2000s series mod, 3 3000s and 4 4000s (6 if you wanna avoid FYP). This guidelines may or may not have changed but it is what I abide by (year 2015 entry).
2000 non-core mods:
HG2024 X-RATED LINGUISTICS: LANGUAGE, SEXUALITY AND DESIRE
As the title suggests, the topics here are X-rated. To the people out there who plan to take this as a UE and expect to take a course about pornography, you will be sorely disappointed. Plus the LMS major girls are likely to shoot you a dirty look or two. This module talks about language and its relation with gender identities, sexuality and even cover the subject of love. The work load is relatively heavy for a 2000 mod: 2 online essays, 1 presentation, 2 in-class quizzes and a mini project. Great prof who's sassy, direct and knowledgeable.
HG2012 COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS
This module has a significantly lower workload (kinda). If you are good at MCQs and reading long, tedious and difficult research papers while remembering and understanding the details you should do well. Besides weekly quizzes based on those papers (only 10 qns), there were only 2 assignments. Prof is very knowledgeable, however there are times that he might forget that we aren't exactly experts of the field.
3000 non-core mods:
HG3040 LANGUAGE EVOLUTION
For a 3000 mod, the workload was relatively acceptable: 1 group presentation, 1 group research project, 1 final exam (that is during the final lesson of the semester) consisting of 40(?) MCQ questions and 1 in-class essay.
HG3023 ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS
This mod seems to have not too large of a workload- 1 group presentation + group discussion facilitation, 1 glossing and transcribing of a folktale spoken in a language that is neither English or your mother tongue and 1 write-up based on the before assignment. However, the prof is known to be very knowledgeable and demanding. The work is slightly appalling to most of us who has not transcribed since year 1. Otherwise, an enriching course that covers a large range of social, cultural and linguistic field.
4000 non-core mods:
HG4041 THEORIES OF GRAMMAR
If the name hasn't already scared you off, and you are good at syntax, this is the mod for you. Perhaps it is because of the poor textbook choice, but I can say that I am SCARED and SCARRED. Prof is amazing, making what I took hours to read but did not understand something I could understand. However the mid terms and final bring home assignments really made most of us puke blood. Especially those of us who did not like or were bad at syntax. Also, there is weekly participation, 1 group presentation and 1 research paper. If you wanna be a computational linguist or you are great at syntax, you really should take this mod. Otherwise... You have been forewarned.
Comments
Post a Comment