Class Schedules

The aim of this course is to make you aware of the complex organization and systematic nature of language. You will be studying yourself and those around you, since you are all language users. Most of your knowledge of language, however, is unconscious, and earlier education may have given you confusing or misleading notions about language. This course is intended to clarify your ideas about language and bring you to a better understanding of its nature. You will learn more about how languages work by observing and analyzing  language(s) (from people you know, from yourself, videos, in-class data sets, social media, texting etc.)  By the end of the course you should be familiar with some of the terminology and techniques of linguistic analysis and be able to apply this knowledge to the description of different languages.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this course you will be trained to produce and recognize (almost) all the  speech sounds which human languages make use of, and to develop a systematic way of analyzing and recording them.  We will learn how to transcribe data in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Class time will focus on practicing perceiving and producing the speech sounds found in spoken languages (vowels, tones, trills, clicks, etc). Each student will have the opportunity to conduct research on the phonetics of a language of their choice, working closely with a native-speaking consultant. This course is recommended for students of languages, linguistics, theater, music and anyone who wants to become more aware of their (and other people's) pronunciation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Phonology is the study of how sounds and/or signs pattern in language, i.e. how they are organized into perceptual categories.  In this class we will look at data from a wide variety of languages and analyze them using several formal theories to find patterns and generalizations about phonological contrasts and alternations.  In the process, students will evaluate the explanatory strengths of each theory.  The class will emphasize the analytical skills used in solving problem sets and on how to present and justify an analysis of the dataset. Prerequisite(s): LING 104

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course aims to investigate the complex relationship between language and identity in Japanese, Asian American, and other diasporic communities. Language plays a significant role in conveying one's identity, as do other semiotic means such as clothing. By exploring scholarship that considers language as it relates to identity, students will discover how speakers/writers use their agency in expressing their identity and how identity emerges as a social and cultural phenomenon. They will learn about multiple interrelated factors that affect how speakers/writers view and use language such as race, ethnicity, nationality, and multilingualism. No knowledge of Asian languages is required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course will introduce practical skills for carrying out linguistic research with computational methods. Students will learn to work with corpus software, regular expressions, computational tools, and large language models for processing and analyzing language data. The course will also introduce how to do the data annotation and dataset construction. By the end, students will be familiar with the workflow of conducting projects with computational methods and will develop their own research proposal. While prior knowledge of linguistics or computational methods is helpful, it is not required.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Lexical semantics is about the study of word meaning. We will explore questions such as: How can we analyze word meanings? What kinds of meanings can words express? How are words related to each other? How do their meanings change in different contexts? How do we combine words to create new meanings? The course will provide theoretical background on key debates in word meaning, focus on different word classes like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and examine methods used to investigate word meaning. Assignments will help students engage with the literature while exploring the meaning of words of their choice. Prerequisite(s): LING 100 or LING 104 or LING 200 or LING 205 or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

When it comes to gender and English, people often think about third-person pronouns (they, she, he, ze, etc.), what others call you. In contrast, Japanese language speakers choose from a variety of first-person pronouns, what you call yourself. Some follow societal norms while others subvert them. This course examines how individuals and media creators make such linguistic choices (not just pronouns, but other expressions as well), and how these choices are fluid and based on such diverse factors as age, region, trend, rhetoric, and ideology. A very basic knowledge of Japanese is required, but all readings will be in English. Prerequisite: JAPA102 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The first prerequisite to understanding a linguistic message is the ability to decipher its code. This course is training in the decoding of grammar. Through practice in problem-solving, you will develop expertise in the grammatical systems of a wide sample of the world's language types. Prerequisite(s): LING 100 - Introduction to Linguistics, LING 104 - Sounds of the World's Languages, plus one of: LING 200 - Syntax or LING 205 - Phonology.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A linguistic survey of the Spanish language aimed at improving pronunciation and increasing comprehension of the structure of the language, deepening students' understanding of the sound system, word formation, grammar and meaning. Study will emphasize phonetics and provide an introduction to transcription, phonology, morphology and syntax, as well as provide an overview of linguistic change and geographic variation. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Hispanic and Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305 or SPAN 306 or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

What is language and what is it for? What makes a series of sounds into a meaningful sentence? What makes a sentence true? Why is language always changing? This course will introduce students to ways in which twentieth century philosophers have attempted to provide answers to such questions. Since the philosophy of language has been so crucial to contemporary philosophy, this course also serves as an introduction to philosophical thought from the beginning of twentieth century to the present. Topics will range from more technical problems (theories of meaning, reference and truth; synonymy and analyticity; universals and natural kinds; private languages) to broader issues examining the relationship between language and culture (language games; radical interpretation; social change). Readings typically include writings by Ludwig Wittgenstein, W.V. Quine, John Searle, Donald Davidson, Richard Rorty, Michel Foucault, and bell hooks. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 201, or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

In this course, students will examine the different varieties of Spanish in the US and the effects of the linguistic contact between Spanish and English. Sociolinguistic aspects relevant to language contact will be addressed, as will related issues such as immigration patterns, bilingualism, Spanglish, and bilingual education. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305 and another 300-level Spanish course or consent of the instructor. SPAN 309 recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The aim of this course is to make you aware of the complex organization and systematic nature of language. You will be studying yourself and those around you, since you are all language users. Most of your knowledge of language, however, is unconscious, and earlier education may have given you confusing or misleading notions about language. This course is intended to clarify your ideas about language and bring you to a better understanding of its nature. You will learn more about how languages work by observing and analyzing  language(s) (from people you know, from yourself, videos, in-class data sets, social media, texting etc.)  By the end of the course you should be familiar with some of the terminology and techniques of linguistic analysis and be able to apply this knowledge to the description of different languages.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this course you will be trained to produce and recognize (almost) all the  speech sounds which human languages make use of, and to develop a systematic way of analyzing and recording them.  We will learn how to transcribe data in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Class time will focus on practicing perceiving and producing the speech sounds found in spoken languages (vowels, tones, trills, clicks, etc). Each student will have the opportunity to conduct research on the phonetics of a language of their choice, working closely with a native-speaking consultant. This course is recommended for students of languages, linguistics, theater, music and anyone who wants to become more aware of their (and other people's) pronunciation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Sociolinguistics is the study of the social language variation inevitable in all societies, be they closed and uniform or diverse and multicultural. Language and culture are so closely tied that it is nearly impossible to discuss language variation without also understanding its relation to culture. As humans, we judge each other constantly on the basis of the way we use language, we make sweeping generalizations about people's values and moral worth solely on the basis of the language they use.  Diversity in language often stands as a symbol of ethnic and social diversity. If someone criticizes our language we feel they are criticizing our inmost self. This course introduces students to the overwhelming amount of linguistic diversity in the United States and elsewhere, while at the same time making them aware of the cultural prejudices inherent in our attitude towards people who communicate differently from us. The class involves analysis and discussion of the readings, setting the stage for exploration assignments, allowing students to do their own research on linguistic diversity.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

All languages have structure, and syntax is the study of how language users combine words into meaningful phrases, sentences, and conversations. The world's languages vary enormously in how they express events and describe situations, and in this class, you will learn about the many different ways in which syntax makes this communication possible. We will explore this syntactic diversity by going hands-on with real data from a variety of languages - including specific languages of your choice. Prerequisite(s): LING 100

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Language and music are two uniquely human enterprises with a number of parallels: both rely on sound and/or signs, display hierarchical organization and culturally-specific practices, and can convey both communicative and social meaning. This course examines the intersection of language and music from a linguistic perspective. We will engage with questions such as: How can syntax, phonology, and morphology change when language is sung instead of signed or spoken?  How do speakers of tone languages understand lyrics in sung melodies? Is hip hop different in different languages? What does it mean to study melody and rhythm in language? Can music help people learn languages? How do drum- and whistle-languages work? How does music contribute to language revitalization? No musical ability is required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Human beings have an unprecedented ability to shape the environment around them, yet the environment powerfully shapes both individuals and species. Two main questions run throughout this course: 1. How does language influence the way we think about and perceive nature, which in turn influences the way we interact with and shape nature? 2. How has our environment shaped the Language faculty and individual languages? To answer these questions, we'll start by asking, what is language and what is nature? Then we'll turn to the way that our environment has impacted the evolution of Language. Next we'll look at indigenous knowledge as it is encoded by language and the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which says that language influences the way we perceive the world. With this as background, we'll look at the language of environmental discourse. Next, using the metaphor of ecology, we'll examine languages as if they were organisms and analyze the ecosystems that sustain them. Knowing what makes a healthy language, we'll look at endangered languages and the connections between linguistic diversity and biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

When communication takes place across language barriers, it raises fundamental questions about meaning, style, power relationships, and traditions. This course treats literary translation as a particularly complex form of cross-cultural interaction. Students will work on their own translations of prose or poetry while considering broader questions of translation, through critiques of existing translations, close comparisons of variant translations, and readings on cultural and theoretical aspects of literary translation. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiencey in a second language required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

What is sound and how do linguists study it?  This course is an introduction to basic acoustics and experimental procedures in linguistics.  We learn how to quantify the speech signal (using Praat software) to answer questions about human speech sounds. Students will have a chance to learn about their own speech through in-class activities, such as plotting their vowel space, measuring their pitch range, and determining how they produce consonants by conducting static palatography (a procedure where the tongue is "painted" to learn more about articulation). Students will conduct their own linguistic research based on a language/dialect of their choice. Prerequisite(s): LING 104

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

A linguistic survey of the Spanish language aimed at improving pronunciation and increasing comprehension of the structure of the language, deepening students' understanding of the sound system, word formation, grammar and meaning. Study will emphasize phonetics and provide an introduction to transcription, phonology, morphology and syntax, as well as provide an overview of linguistic change and geographic variation. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Hispanic and Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 305 or SPAN 306 or consent of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

A survey of modern dialectal variations of Spanish and Peninsular Spanish varieties. Sociolinguistic issues and historical aspects of language will be addressed, along with other extralinguistic factors. Through this course, students will gain a linguistic understanding of the principal varieties of Modern Spanish. This course satisfies the Area 3 requirement for the Spanish major. Prerequisite(s): SPAN 309  or consent of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

An examination of the psychological factors related to written and spoken language. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach, integrating readings from linguistics, philosophy, cognitive psychology, social psychology, and anthropology. Topics include the nature and origin of language, mental processes underlying language comprehension and production, the relationship between language and thought, and socio-cultural contexts surrounding language use. Students will also learn about classic and contemporary research methods to propose an original study for their final project.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In a world driven by digital communication, how do scholars in linguistics and computer science analyze language data from social media? This course provides you with the opportunity to learn how to apply recent Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to understand the dynamics of online discourse. We will cover the following topics in this course: topic modeling and text classification to uncover trends and patterns in large-scale social data, automated detection of harmful content and evaluation of such systems, techniques for identifying and tracking misinformation across platforms, assessment of large language models for bias and fairness, and approaches to building equitable and trustworthy AI systems. We will engage with recent academic papers, critically discussing their methods and findings. Hands-on sessions will provide experience replicating these studies and extending them using different NLP tools. By the end of the course, students will be expected to develop their own research project focused on studying social media language. Proficiency in Python programming is required for this course. Prerequisite(s): COMP 123 or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this course, which is required for all linguistics majors, students meet with one or more bilingual speakers of a language unknown to them, and attempt by means of elicitation and analysis of texts to understand its structure.  This course is part two of the linguistics capstone. Prerequisite(s): LING 300.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In this course, which is required for all linguistics majors, students meet with one or more bilingual speakers of a language unknown to them, and attempt by means of elicitation and analysis of texts to understand its structure.  This course is part two of the linguistics capstone. Prerequisite(s): LING 300.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This workshop for advanced students of Japanese explores the craft and cultural implications of Japanese-to-English literary translation. While developing facility and sophistication in translating literary Japanese, the course also gives you a closer familiarity with the Japanese language itself. In the first part of the class, weekly translation assignments will give you practice in a dynamic translation methodology while allowing you to explore expressive qualities of the Japanese language and trace major developments of prose style in the modern period. The second part of the course is devoted to helping you set up and complete a final translation project focused on a writer and text of your choosing. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I or higher.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials