Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 8 sessions / 2 weeks, 1.5 hours / session

Course Description

This course is designed as a primer for students new to the field of linguistics and psychology. The development of human language as a child grows and the interplay with the mind during language production is contemplated. The course also considers how language changes during the aging process, and the reacquisition of language after a major trauma or operation. Additionally, we will explore cross-cultural language production and how it can be studied with modern scanning techniques in the human brain.

The course will address some fundamental questions regarding human language:

1. How language is represented in our minds
2. How language is acquired by children
3. How language is processed by adults
4. The relationship between language and thought
5. Exploring how language is represented and processed using brain imaging methods
6. Computational modeling of human language acquisition and processing
    

Course Prerequisites and Requirements

This course is intended for undergraduates. No background in psychology or linguistics is required.

Requirements

1. Attendance
2. Final exam
    

Study Materials

The study materials will help focus students on the pertinent topics in the field of language and mind. It is suggested that students answer each study question to help themselves prepare for the final exam.