LSA Video Archive

Wed Oct 24 10:48:15 UTC 2001

        Forwarded from the LINGUIST List...

--
                                -Angus B. Grieve-Smith
                                Linguistics Department
                                University of New Mexico
                                grvsmth at unm.edu

Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 16:27:52 -0400
From: Fodor, Janet Dean <JFodor at gc.cuny.edu>
Subject: LSA Video Archive

The LSA Video Archive  --  Call for contributions

The Linguistic Society of America is establishing a video archive to
provide information about language to the general public. The plan is for
LSA members to create short videos on topics of interest concerning
language, which will then be posted at a website open for browsing by all
web users.

The aim of this website project is to fuel interest in language among
non-linguists. The videos should be entertaining as well as informative.
It is hoped that they will meet the interests of language enthusiasts,
will spark the interest of others, provide topics and projects for
classroom use, and show the very many ways in which the work of linguists
can contribute to industry, education and other human concerns.

This is in keeping with the focus on outreach to non-linguists which has
been a major goal of the LSA in recent years. It could also help to
encourage imaginative teaching of linguistics to undergraduates. It became
clear during last year's workshop "What Every Educated Person should Know
about Language", that many linguists have given thought to how best to get
language concepts across to naive audiences and are proud of the ways they
have found to do so. The website would offer a way to celebrate these
pedagogic achievements, at the same time as providing an informational
resource for the public. Contributions from student TA's as well as
faculty are welcomed.

A workshop to launch this new project is planned for the LSA annual
meeting in January 2002 (final approval of the workshop is pending). At
the workshop, four speakers will present clips from videos they have
prepared, and will discuss how they set about creating them. Also, there
will be a continuous show of submitted videos at display stations in the
halls.  Advice on technical matters will be provided, and ideas for
further extensions of the project will be discussed.

LSA members are invited to submit videos now, for inclusion in the hallway
display at the workshop. These will then be situated at the website when
it is opened to the public (probably in late January).

Any topic on language is appropriate. A good choice would be whatever has
proven most successful with audiences in introductory class presentations.
A video might present a portion of a classroom lecture, or track students
working on a group project, or include footage of fieldwork, or present
linguistic concepts in the form of a puzzle. Whatever the topic,
contributors are encouraged to take advantage of the medium to prepare
graphics and illustrations that go beyond usual classroom style if
possible. To appeal to this non-captive general audience, presentations
should ideally be simple in concept and attractive to the eye.

Text files may be included to supplement the video presentation, or to
provide a summary which viewers can print out to read later or distribute
to a wider audience.

The attached page has information on how to submit a video to the archive.
Contributions can be submitted at any time from now on.

TO SUBMIT YOUR CONTRIBUTION:

FORMAT: You may send in a tape (VHS, Digital 8, Hi-8, or mini-DV). Or if
you can digitize your video, you may submit it as a Quicktime movie (.mov)
on a CD-ROM or a ZIP disk. (PC or Mac are both OK.)

MAIL IT TO: Dr. Sean Hendricks, LSA Video Archive Director, Department of
Language Education, 125 Aderhold Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
30602-7123.

SEND WITH your video, a signed consent form (see form below). This is
obligatory.

IF YOUR VIDEO INCLUDES OTHER PEOPLE, such as students in a class, or
language informants, you are advised to create a consent form for those
people to sign, giving you their permission to distribute the video. You
should keep these forms. Please check with your university or institution
to find out whether they require any additional procedures for participant
protection.

If you have a practical problem, contact Sean Hendricks
<mailto:shendric at coe.uga.edu>.

If you need advice on presentation of your language topic, contact Barbara
Ludlow (bludlow at mail.wvu.edu)

If you have questions or comments about the Website Project in general,
contact a member of the Steering Committee: Janet Fodor
<mailto:jfodor at gc.cuny.edu>, Merrill Garrett (garrett at u.arizona.edu),
Sharon Klein (sharon.klein at csun.edu), Cecile McKee
<mailto:mckee at u.arizona.edu> , Rebecca Wheeler <mailto:rwheeler at cnu.edu)>,
or the LSA Secretariat at lsa at lsadc.org.

LSA Video Archive

Official Consent Form for Contributors

Name: _______________________________________

Title of Video: ________________________________

Affiliation: ___________________________________

Address: _____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

To whom it may concern:

I have submitted the above-titled video for use by the Linguistic Society
of America Video Archive. The LSA Video Archive committee has my
permission to digitize and edit this video. The LSA Video Archive
committee also has my permission to publish this video on a public-domain
web site. Nothing in this letter should be construed as giving up
copyright of the video to the LSA Video Archive committee or any of its
members.

Signed: _____________________________________

Date: ___________________