LING 212 A: Infant Brain and Language Development

LING 212

Infant Brain and Language Development

(Winter 2023, 5 cr)

Instructor: Naja Ferjan Ramírez

E-mail: naja@uw.edu

Class Website: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1613485

Class Time:  T, Th 10:30-12:20 ART317

Office Hours: Tu 9:30-10:20 GUG 415 B or by appointment

Final exam date, time: Monday 3/13 at 10:30 am

Course Description

This course examines the interplay of biology and early experiences in shaping language and brain development in early childhood. The course will begin by introducing students to the basics of typical language and brain development through readings and discussions of state-of-the-art research methods and practices. Students will learn about the striking variability within typical language development, and will study its causes and consequences to understand how and why early language and brain growth affect education and societies worldwide. Discussions and readings will introduce concepts through the study of current experimental research, and will take an interdisciplinary approach relating language development to neuroscience, cognitive science, education, and psychology. Among other topics, students will learn about the effects of social deprivation and institutionalized care (orphanages) on language and brain development; bilingualism and multilingualism in early childhood; mirror neurons; the effects of socioeconomic status on language learning and brain growth; early language learning from screen media; the environmental “ingredients” that the infant brain needs to be prepared for a lifetime of learning.  Students will be tested with variety of assignments, including weekly online quizzes, weekly homework assignments, case-study assignments, and exams.

By the end of this class, students should be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of neural architecture for language learning and processing, as well as the fundamentals of brain development in response to maturational processes and active learning.
• Understand changes in language development related to environmental factors (such as socioeconomic status), biological factors (such as brain growth), and experience (such as exposure to multiple languages).
• Understand the role of early language learning and brain growth in relation to school readiness and long-term cognitive and academic achievement.

Course structure

The course will be conducted in person, with the exception of four asynchronous classes and one pre-recorded lecture, during which you will complete assignments independently or in groups, at home. On days that are marked as asynchronous or pre-recorded in the course calendar (table at the bottom of syllabus), you do not need to come to class.

I will try my best to record the lectures and post the recordings after each class, along with the lecture slides, within the weekly modules. You should be able to access these recordings and slides within 24 hours of each class. If you do not see the lecture recording and/or slides posted within 24 hrs of class, you can (politely) email me to remind me to post them. These recordings and slides are meant to be used as a supplement to the live lectures, and not to replace the live lectures. They can also be used in emergency cases, for example when you miss class due to sickness. 

It is recommended that you complete all readings and pre-lecture materials before class, and before taking the quiz or doing the homework. Please note that all assignments must be submitted through Canvas in due time.

Required readings

There is no textbook for this course. Assigned readings are drawn from a variety of articles/chapters from current linguistic and developmental neuroscience research and will be posted on Canvas. In addition to the articles and chapters, for most weeks, I have also assigned videos, TED talks, or online modules available on the web. The purpose of these materials is to equip students with additional background knowledge, and/or to identify relevant connections to real world problems and issues.

We will use Canvas as the course webpage. Within Canvas, you will find a module for each week. In each module, you will find a mini syllabus, which summarizes everything that you need to cover and know in any given week. The mini syllabus also lists all the assignments (a table with all assignments can also be found towards the end of this syllabus). The readings and links to online materials are included in each week’s module. In short, the weekly modules and the mini syllabi are what you want to check and work through each week to stay on track.

Requirements & Assessment

You will be assessed based on the following (a detailed description of each is below):

• A series of quizzes on Canvas: 15%
• Weekly Homework Assignments on Canvas: 20%
• Case Studies: 20%
• Midterm: 20%
• Final: 20%
• Participation: 5%

Please note that all assignments must be submitted through Canvas in due time, as specified on the course schedule and within the weekly mini syllabi.

• Weekly Quizzes (15% total)

A series of timed multiple choice-type quizzes will occur throughout the quarter on Canvas. You will have 10 minutes to complete each quiz. These quizzes are intended to be closed book, and you should not be using any notes or other materials while taking them. They will open at 10:30 am on Thursdays and close 11:59pm the Monday night after. There will not be any opportunities to turn in quizzes late, but the lowest score will not count towards your final grade.

• Weekly homework assignments (20% total)

Throughout the quarter, there will be weekly homework assignments that you can use to show that you have achieved the learning goals for each week. There will not be opportunities to make up missed homework assignments. Late assignments will be accepted for 24 hours after they are due. If you submit your homework within this 24-hour window, you can receive up to 80% credit for it (example: if the total number of available points is 10 and you answer all questions correctly, your final grade can be no higher than 8/10). After the 24-hour window has passed, no late assignments will be accepted. Your lowest homework score will not count towards your final grade.

Homeworks are open book/note and you are welcome to work on them together with your classmates. Whether you work on your homework alone or in a group, please make sure that you write your own answers. Identical submission will not be graded. Also, make sure you fill out the top section of the homework document which asks you to declare whether you worked alone or in a group, and name any collaborators. 

• Case Studies (20% total; 5% each)

Four untimed “Case Study” assignments will test your ability to apply the knowledge and skills gained within the course to real world situations or problems. Each case study assignment will be presented by an expert in the field: somebody who has studied the topic in depth, and has built their career around it. The expert will first talk about their career path in a short video, and you will then be asked to answer some questions related to the topic. In addition to asking you to apply your knowledge to real world situations, the purpose of these case study assignments is to showcase different career paths related to the course topics. The format of the case study assignments will include short-answer and longer, multi-part, analysis questions involving data sets or language problems. The assignments will be posted on Canvas in each week’s module, in Word format, which you must download and use as a template for your answers. You must then upload the Word document (a PDF will be accepted as well) with your answers onto Canvas, by the date and time specified in the syllabus and on Canvas. You will be given class time to work on the case studies (this is what the asynchronous days are for), and you are welcome to work on the case studies in groups, as long as you write your answers independently and state who you worked with at the top of your submitted assignment. There will not be any opportunities to make up missed case study assignments. Late case study assignments will be accepted for 24 hours after they are due. If you submit your case study within this 24-hour window, you can receive up to 80% credit for it (example: if the total number of available points is 10 and you answer all questions correctly, your final grade can be no higher than 8/10). After the 24-hour window has passed, no late case studies will be accepted.  

• Midterm Exam (20%) and Final Exam (20%)

There will be two exams, and both will take place in class. The first is a midterm exam and will cover the topics of the first half of the class (through age of acquisition). The second is a cumulative final exam, but with a focus on the material covered since the midterm. The exams will cover information from the lectures, readings, and the web materials. Prior to each of the exams, we will have a review session in class, to go over any questions that you may have. The format of the exam is multiple choice.

• Participation (5%):

This portion of the grade is a way for me to give you credit for informal/unstructured collaborative work that you do. Participation and collaboration are strong predictors of success and learning retention, so please make an effort to find a way that works well for you to participate and engage with your colleagues. There are many ways you can do so.  

Ways to participate:

• Ask questions during the lectures 
• Volunteer answers to peer questions during lectures
• Engage your peers in fruitful and engaging discussions during lecture time allotted to homework or case studies
• Come to Naja’s office hours to discuss course content (as opposed to just a specific question on an exam, quiz etc)
• Form a study group with your peers
• Find interesting readings, videos, TED Talks, podcasts or other materials related to the course, and email them to me, with an explanation around why you think this should be of interest to me and your classmates. If appropriate and interesting, I will post these resources on Canvas for others to look at.
• Others: your own way of participating. I encourage you to be creative and find your own ways of engagement with the class material, but please check with your instructor if your way of participating can “count” for towards your grade.

At the end of the quarter, you will be asked to fill out a survey to self-rate your participation. The instructor will then look at your self-rating and adjust it as needed.

Grading:

The following UW grading scale will be used (www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html)

  Percent = Grade

    ≥ 95%   =    4.0           88  =    3.3          81  =    2.6           74  =    1.9              67  =    1.2

94     =    3.9           87  =    3.2          80  =    2.5           73  =    1.8              66  =    1.1

93     =    3.8           86  =    3.1          79  =    2.4           72  =    1.7              65  =    1.0

92     =    3.7           85  =    3.0          78  =    2.3           71  =    1.6              64  =    0.9 

91     =    3.6           84  =    2.9           77  =    2.2           70  =    1.5              63  =    0.8          

90     =    3.5           83  =    2.8           76  =    2.1           69  =    1.4          60-62   =    0.7

89     =    3.4           82  =    2.7          75  =    2.0           68  =    1.3             < 60   =    0.0

Policies: 

Powerpoint slides & lecture recordings: I will post all Powerpoint slides and all lecture recordings for the lectures that I will hold. The slides and the recordings will be posted within the weekly modules as soon as they become available (hopefully within 24 hrs after each class). Any asynchronous sessions (recordings) that may happen due to emergencies and the accompanying slides will be posted within the weekly modules as soon as possible. I will send a Canvas message each time to let you know that the recording has been posted.

Grading challenges, questions, complaints: If you have a question or complaint about a wrong answer on an exam or wish to make a grading challenge or appeal, you must wait 24 hours after receiving the grade and then arrange to talk to me about it during my office hours.

Questions and email etiquette: If you email me, please: 1) use polite language; 2) use a relevant and informative subject line that includes ‘LING 212’; 3) use your UW email or sign off using your full name so I can identify you; and 4) allow up to 48 hours to receive a response.

Classroom behavior/Academic integrity and conduct:

Students are expected to conduct themselves with the highest standards of academic ethics, honesty and integrity. Academic misconduct includes (but is not limited to) plagiarism, harassment, cheating, falsification, or disruptive behavior and will not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to read and understand the University’s expectations in this regard (http://www.washington.edu/cssc/for-students/student-code-of-conduct/). Any student found to be in violation of proper academic conduct will be reported to the Advisory Committee on Student Conduct for a hearing. 

Hand in your own work: I highly encourage you to study and work together with your classmates. It is ok to discuss your homework assignments and case studies, and work on them together. However, you must use your own words in all documents that you submit. Identical submissions will not be graded. If you have worked on an assignment in a pair or in a group, include a note about this in your write up. (Example: I worked with John Smith and Maria Muñoz on this Homework. We all read the paper independently, but discussed the method as a group. Each of us completed their own case study). Quizzes and exams must be taken individually, without consulting anyone and/or any materials.

Special accommodations: To request academic accommodations due to a disability (e.g., a note taker, extra time on exams etc.), please contact Disabled Resources for Students (DRS), 011 Mary Gates, 543-8924(V), 543-8925 (TTY), uwdrs@uw.edu. If you have a letter or email from DRS indicating that you have a disability which requires special academic accommodations, please come to see me at your earliest convenience so the proper accommodations can be discussed and met.

Religious accommodations: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).”

Hybrid teaching expectations: This class is conducted in-person.  Students are expected to participate in class to fully benefit from course activities and meet the course’s learning objectives.  Students should only register for this class if they are able to attend in-person.  To protect their fellow students, faculty, and staff, students who feel ill or exhibit possible COVID-19 symptoms should not come to class. When absent, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor in advance (or as close to the class period as possible in the case of an unexpected absence), and to request appropriate make-up work as per policies established in the syllabus.  What make-up work is possible, or how assignments or course grading might be modified to accommodate missed work, is the prerogative of the instructor.  For chronic absences, the instructor may negotiate an incomplete grade after the 8th week, or recommend the student contact their academic adviser to consider a hardship withdrawal (known as a Registrar Drop). 

Schedule Overview

Note: It is possible that dates, topics and assessments may change. You will be notified of any changes ahead of time. Always check the mini syllabi on Canvas to get the most up to date information.