SLAVC M20
Visible Language: Study of Writing
Description: (Same as Asian M20, Indo-European Studies M20, Near Eastern Languages M20, and Southeast Asian M20.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Consideration of concrete means of language representation in writing systems. Earliest representations of language known are those of Near East dating to end of 4th millennium BC. While literate civilizations of Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and Mesoamerica left little evidence of corresponding earliest developments, their antiquity and, in case of China and Mesoamerica, their evident isolation mark these centers as loci of independent developments in writing. Basic characteristics of early scripts, assessment of modern alphabetic writing systems, and presentation of conceptual basis of semiotic language representation. Origins and development of early non-Western writing systems. How Greco-Roman alphabet arose in 1st millennium BC and how it compares to other modern writing systems. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2017 - For some reason, people like Professor Smoak. I found the content boring and stuff and I guess Professor Smoak was nice-ish. BUT you should know about this annoying thing he did: he didn't post slides for some lectures. Our TA said it was because some people skipped. I never skipped but obviously it still affected me. I mean. It would be nice to tell us before you start lecture that you don't plan to post the slides, and maybe keep them up for long enough for us to copy everything. A review under Asian M20 complained about the workload, but I kind of disagree. The work is a lot, but it isn't difficult so it ends up taking just a little of your time. I literally finished the final paper in a day (with several breaks). The group project has the potential to be fun, unless you strongly dislike your group members (like I did). But you should try your best because you WANT to win that competition. Also, if any TA or the professor tells you that you don't need to memorize dates, don't fall for that. Learn all your dates.
Spring 2017 - For some reason, people like Professor Smoak. I found the content boring and stuff and I guess Professor Smoak was nice-ish. BUT you should know about this annoying thing he did: he didn't post slides for some lectures. Our TA said it was because some people skipped. I never skipped but obviously it still affected me. I mean. It would be nice to tell us before you start lecture that you don't plan to post the slides, and maybe keep them up for long enough for us to copy everything. A review under Asian M20 complained about the workload, but I kind of disagree. The work is a lot, but it isn't difficult so it ends up taking just a little of your time. I literally finished the final paper in a day (with several breaks). The group project has the potential to be fun, unless you strongly dislike your group members (like I did). But you should try your best because you WANT to win that competition. Also, if any TA or the professor tells you that you don't need to memorize dates, don't fall for that. Learn all your dates.
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