Summer/Fall 1999
Undergraduate Course Listings and Descriptions
To reduce file size, listings for undergraduate and graduate courses may be viewed
separately. This document contains undergraduate courses only. Graduate
courses are in a separate document.
Click on the course name for the course description. Click on home icon 
to see the
home page for that course, if there is one. For more information on these courses
(including instructor, course time and course location), see the Summer
Linguistics course schedule (undergrad) or Fall
Linguistics course schedule (undergrad).
Summer 1999
Fall 1999
LIN 306: Introduction to the Study of Language
This course is an introduction to the scientific study of language - the academic
discipline known as linguistics. What does it mean to say that you "know"
a language? How is language organized in the brain? What does it mean to a linguist
to "analyze" a language? How do languages resemble each other, how are
they different? Why and how do languages change? Do dolphins have language? Does
language control our view of reality? What role does language play in society and
in politics? What is the best way to learn a foreign language? What kind of language
should be taught in schools? Is English the World Language? What are the different
language families in the world?
In the first half of the course we survey formal linguistic theory: phonetics
(speech sounds), phonology (sound patterns), morphology (word formation),
syntax (sentence formation), and semantics (meaning). The rest of the
course is given over to sociolinguistics (language in society) and historical
linguistics (language change and language relationships).
See306 Home Page for prerequisites, requirements,
and texts.
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LIN 312: Language & Gender (Johnson)
Men are from Dallas, women are from Fort Worth. How different are we really? Are
we as different as blacks and whites, high school dropouts and college graduates,
old folks and teenagers? Is it biology, economics, the patriarchy, or Madison Avenue
that determines the differences?
This course surveys the current state of research on how men and women communicate,
including linguistic research, quantitative studies (experiments with college students),
and philosophical debates. Weíll see what the facts are and compare them with the
stereotypes current in popular literature. We will consider the two major camps in
the language and gender arena: the difference theorists, who believe that men and
women have fundamentally different social and communicative goals, and the dominance
theorists, who believe that all the apparent differences are the result of the political
imbalance between men and women.
The class will be centered around discussion of the readings, so class participation
is mandatory. There will be a paper in which students can analyze their own data,
gathered from eaves-dropping on their friends, taping public speaking events, or
lurking on the net, and draw their own conclusions.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Class discussion: 20%
Homework: 15%
Midterm exam: 15%
Presentation: 20%
Final paper (6-8 pp): 30%
Texts
There will be a packet of required readings available on reserve at
the PCL.
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LIN 312: Language & the Law (McCartney)
This course examines the reciprocal relationship between language its legal contexts
(such as in the courtroom and in documents, for example). While the law does have
its own jargon, the powerful role of everyday language is generally overlooked in
this environment. Consider, for example, the reputation lawyers have for "twisting
words around". This course provides the tools necessary for characterizing and
ultimately dealing with these types of situations.
While this course may be of particular interest to pre-law students, it is of general
appeal to anyone interested in why what we say means what it does.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Homework, quizzes, presentation, paper.
Texts
Course packet.
Readings on reserve.
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LIN 315: Speech Science (summer:Sussman, fall:Matyear)
[same as CSD 315S]
Speech Science is the field of study exploring the neuromuscular, aerodynamic,
and acoustic bases for speech production and speech perception. Topics discussed
include: respiration, phonation, coarticulation, vowel & consonant production
and acoustic cues underlying this perception. [This course fulfills the Area C (Science)
requirement.]
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
TBA
Texts
TBA
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LIN 321L: American English (Underwood)
(same as E 321L)
This course is concerned with American English as a unique "branch"
of the English language that is, in turn, composed of several distinctive "sub-branches"
or varieties. It begins with an analysis of the historical development of American
English and the way in which such recognizable varieties as "standard American
English," "Black English," etc., have evolved. This analysis has two
components--internal history and external history. The internal history attends to
matters of structure (i.e., differences in pronunciation, morphology, syntax, and
semantics), whereas the external history studies the interrelations between language
and society.
Of particular interest are the issues of linguistic imposition, status, power,
and domination. American English developed from several transplanted varieties of
British English, which competed with one another for acceptance and approval. These
varieties also competed with and were influenced by many other languages. The American
English that consequently developed became unique but not uniform, and each of the
new varieties of American English developed its own status or lack of status. Just
as "standard American English" became dominant over other varieties of
American English, American English itself became dominant over other languages spoken
within the boundaries of the U.S.
The second half of the course focuses on the issue of linguistic domination by
focusing on efforts to make English not just the "national" language but
the "official" language of the U.S. It examines the history of compulsion
and coercion--both overt and covert, official and unofficial--to turn speakers of
other languages into speakers of English. It examines the arguments for and against
the establishment of English as the official language of the U.S., considers the
consequences of such an establishment, and studies alternatives to an official language.
The analysis extends to symbolic implications of language conflict, the rights of
linguistic minorities, linguistic diversity and education, and language politics.
Prerequisites
Credit for E 306, E 316K, and 30 semester hours of credit
Requirements
A fifty minute test on the Bryson book: 25%
A fifty minute test on the Crawford book: 25%
Written report on one of the supplemental texts, or an oral discussion of the book:
25%
Group project related to one of the proposed Amendments to the U.S. Constitution:
25%
Texts
Crawford, James. Hold Your Tongue: Bilingualism and the Politics of
"English Only."
Bryson, Bill. Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the
United States.
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LIN 322: Gypsy Language & Culture (Hancock)
[meets with ANS 372.13]
This course presents the linguistic history of the Romani ("Gypsy")
people, from 5th Century BC India to the present day. Theories relating to this exodus
out of the Subcontinent and the subsequent migrations into Europe are discussed on
the basis of the social and linguistic evidence available to us. In addition to studying
aspects of the lexicon and syntax of the modern American and European dialects of
the Romani language, an introduction to Gypsy history and culture will also form
part of the course. We will examine the sociology of this Diaspora people, the Indian
roots of their music, cuisine and social traditions, external linguistic and cultural
influences, and interactions with non-Gypsy peoples. The reasons for the persistence
of the stereotypical image of the Gypsy among non-Gypsies will be discussed, and
also examined will be the five hundred years of slavery, transportation to the American
plantations, the fate of the Romani people in the Holocaust, and the current struggle
for civil and political rights since Gypsies gained admittance to the United Nations
Organization in 1979.
Prerequisites
None.
Requirements
2 term papers
4 written tests
1 book report
Texts
Required: Hancock, Pariah Syndrome. Hancock, Handbook of Vlax Grammar
Recommended: Crowe & Kolsti, Gypsies of Eastern Europe. Fraser, The Gypsies
Course supplement available from Speedway Copying in Dobie Mall.
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LIN 325: Introduction to the Study of African American English
-W (Green)
[same as AFR 320]
This course will investigate four areas of African American English (AAE): Speech
events, components of the grammar, history and educational issues. The section of
speech events will focus on the communicative styles of some African Americans and
the role these styles play in the development of verbal and interactional skills.
The discussion of the components of the grammar will provide an analysis of present
day patterns (syntactic, semantic, phonological, lexical) of AAE and explain how
they provide evidence to support the claim that the language system is rule-governed.
As the origin of AAE is a topic of ongoing debate, one focus of this course will
be on evaluating the evidence for and against different hypotheses about the origin
of the language system. The final section of the course will address educational
issues as they relate to speakers of AAE. Issues such as teacher attitudes, instructional
strategies and the formal component of the plan submitted by the Ann Arbor School
District Board will be researched in this course. The course will also consider difference
vs. deficit models that are used to account for patterns of AAE that differ from
those of SAE. These models will be considered from the context of communication disorders
and speech pathology.
Finally, we will discuss the use and representation of AAE in literature and the
media. We will analyze passages from works such as William Wells Brown's Clotel,
or the President's Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States,
Zora Neale Hurston's Jonah's Gourd Vine and John Wideman's Brothers and
Keepers.
Prerequisites
LIN 306 or consent of instructor.
Requirements
- Two 2-page papers: Linguistic analysis of a problem in the phonology and syntax
of AAE
- Two 4-page papers: Linguistic analysis of the speech of ex-slaves (from transcriptions)
- One 8-page paper: Research project focusing on one of the four areas in relation
to AAE: speech events, components of grammar, history, educational issues
- Short homework assignments
Texts
Wolfram, W. and N. Schilling-Estes. 1998. American English. Blackwell.
Course packet
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LIN 340: Automata Theory (summer: Rich, fall: Bhatt)
This course is an introduction, on the undergraduate level, to automata theory,
formal languages, and theory of computation. We will primarily follow the materials
in the first six chapters of the textbook listed below. Specific topics to be covered
are: Finite Automata and Regular Languages, Push-Down Automata and Context-Free Languages,
Turing Machines, Church's Thesis, and Uncomputability.
Prerequisites
CS 336 or consent of the instructor.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Lewis & Papadimitriou, Elements of the Theory of Computation.
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LIN 344K: Phonetics (Myers)
An introduction to the study of speech sounds in human languages: how they are
produced, and how they are perceived. Students will learn how to identify and produce
a wide variety of speech sounds, and how to use computers for acoustic analysis of
speech. We will consider, among other things, why some sounds are more common than
others, how people's voices vary, how children learn to speak their language, and
how computers can deal with human speech.
Prerequisites
LIN 306
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Ladefoged, A Course in Phonetics
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LIN 350: Language & Thought - W (Smith)
In this course we will explore some questions about the relation between language
and thought, taking a Cognitive Science approach. Languages vary in many ways, yet
the minds of speakers are similar. We will look at questions about the words people
use and how they think; whether language structure affects thought; and some cognitive
aspects of language. The course will begin with a short, general introduction to
the study of language.
The words people use affect and reflect the way they think. We'll consider studies
of word use in areas such as war, politics, minority groups,by and about women. At
the level of structure, we will study the 'Whorfian' hypothesis, which says in its
strongest form that the structure of a language determines the way speakers think.
There are interesting studies which compare speakers of English and languages with
radically different structures. We will look at supporting and dissenting studies
in areas such as color, time, and space.
In studying the relation between language and cognition, we will look at clinical
studies of normal children and adults, and pathological cases (spina bifida, Williams
syndrome). We will ask whether language and cognitive development always proceed
together, as they do in normal people, or whether the two can be dissociated.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
Discussion notes on the reading; 2 short papers.
Texts
A packet of selected articles and book chapters.
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LIN 350: Native Languages of North America -W (Woodbury)
This course is an introduction to the Native languages of North America. We will
pay particular attention to questions that show the ways in which these languages
are special, including:
DIVERSITY. How many languages were and are there, who speaks them, where are they
spoken, and what are they like? Are they descended from a single parent language,
or from many unrelated parent languages? Are they related to any of the languages
of Eurasia? What does the history of Native American languages say about the history
of human habitation of the Americas?
LANGUAGE USE. What are some of the distinctive patterns of language use in Native
American communities, including storytelling, ceremonial language, and informal interaction?
LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT, DEATH, AND PROSPECTS OF MAINTENANCE. What are the prospects
for Native American language survival? What political, economic, and social factors
are involved?
Each week, we will devote Tuesday class meetings to lectures and discussion, and
(most of) Thursdays to the in-depth study of two particular Native American languages
and their use: Aleut, an Eskimo-Aleut language of Alaska, and Onondaga,
an Iroquoian language of upstate New York.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
3 factual quizzes (25%), 1 research paper (25%), 6 homeworks (30%),
questions on readings (15%), class participation (5%).
Texts
Hinton, Leanne. 1994. Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian
Languages.
Silver & Miller. 1997. American Indian Languages in Cultural and Social Context
Excerpts from Bergsland & Dirk. 1981. Atkan Aleut School Grammar.
Woodbury, Hanni J. 1995. Language Patterns in Onondaga.
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LIN 350: Human Instinct for Language -W (Wechsler)
This course is a non-technical introduction to a fascinating hypothesis about
the nature of human language, the so-called "Innateness Hypothesis". The
Innateness Hypothesis holds that, to a large extent, the organization of human language
(i.e. the "grammar") is innate, that is, inborn. This means that the languages
we speak are not primarily cultural artifacts (like the ability to play music or
do calculus), but rather are part of our biological endowment as human beings (like
the ability to walk or to swallow food). We will explore various types of evidence
for the Innateness Hypothesis which have been put forth, including evidence from
studies of: universal properties of language; special languages called pidgins and
creoles; sign language and its development; how children learn to speak; varieties
of language impairment; and various other domains. Among the issues we will address
is the important question of what aspects of language are innate and what aspects
are learned. Although the Innateness Hypothesis is probably the consensus view of
most linguists today, it was considered quite revolutionary when it was introduced
a few decades ago, and it continues to be controversial.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct.
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LIN 360K: Introduction to English Grammar (Underwood)
[meets with E 360K]
The title of this course is misleading. Two-thirds of the course is devoted to
"grammar" (the study of the systems of inflection and syntax of the language),
the remaining one-third to "usage" (the study of how words and phrases
are actually used and attitudes toward those uses). The course does not include any
attention to "mechanics" (spelling, punctuation, and capitalization). The
purpose of the course is to teach students to analyze the structure of sentences
and to become more sophisticated in their understanding of language variation. It
does not presume to teach them skills in the use of English.
The course begins with the establishment of theoretical framework for studying
the English language. Following a brief, but critical, review of the traditional,
Latinate description of English grammar to establish its numerous inadequacies, the
course progresses with the development of a phrase structure analysis of English
syntax. Students learn tests for constituents and for relationships between constituents
that are objectively verifiable, and they learn principles of categorization for
lexical and phrasal constituents. They use these tests and principles to analyze
sentences and justify their analyses.
The usage portion of the course focuses on language, ideology, and discrimination
in the United States. Students study issues such as the following:
- How language variation relates to regional and social identity
- How the educational system institutionalizes linguistic prejudice
- How mass media and the entertainment industry promote linguistic stereotyping
and prejudice
- How employers discriminate on the basis of language differences
- How the judicial system protects the status quo and reinforces linguistic subordination
This course assumes a familiarity with traditional Latinate grammar of English,
which is commonly taught in primary and secondary schools in this country. Students
who have forgotten what they were taught about grammar will need to review on their
own.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.Note: E 360K and LIN 360K cannot both
be counted
Requirements
Approximately 10 brief reading quizzes: 10%
A written analysis of one chapter in the Lippi-Green book: 20%
Approximately 10 syntax exercises: 20%
2 syntax tests: 50%
Texts
2 course packets available from Speedway Printing in Dobie Mall.
Lippi-Green, Rosina. 1997. English with an Accent.
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LIN 360K: Intro to English Grammar - W (Kimball)
[meets with E 360K]
An informal introduction to the rules of English sentence construction. After
developing rules for simple sentences, we will examine several basic types of sentential
complements and then go on to discuss various types of modifying structures. We will
also look at a number of special constructions in English, including existential
sentences, cleft sentences, and direct questions. Finally, we will discuss several
topics (for instance, tense and aspect) which have to do with the way English sentences
are interpreted. From time to time, we will examine parallel constructions in other
languages.
The format is informal lecture-style with class participation encouraged. Note
packet available and essential.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
TBA
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LIN 364M: History of the English Language (Blockley)
[same as E 364M]
In this course we will survey the history of what could be argued to be now the
most popular language in the world, and certainly the most widely known. Beginning
with its prehistory on the Continent over two thousand years ago, we will trace the
fortunes of English from Anglo-Saxon times to its present manifestations across national
boundaries. We will learn the distinctions of sounds, inflectional endings, and sentence
patterns that mark each major state of the language. Though the course will focus
on the different forms of the language as they survive in various texts, we will
pay some attention to the interaction between the internal history of English and
the social and political contexts that define its external history. The goal is a
better understanding of change in English and the signs of this change that can be
seen everywhere from spelling to legal procedure. No previous study of linguistics
is required; a willingness to learn phonetic transcription early in the semester,
however, is crucial. There will be weekly homework exercises to give practice in
working with different aspects of analysis that have been developed for English,
and I will collect and mark some of these to keep us on course.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing and E 316K or the equivalent.
Requirements
Graded exercises and attendance: 20%
2 in-class exams (50 minutes each): 50%
Comprehensive final exam: 30%
Texts
Millward, Celia. 1996. A Biography of the English Language. 2nd edition.
Millward, Celia. 1990. Workbook to Accompany A Biography of the English Language.
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LIN 372L: Syntax & Semantics: The Structure and Meaning
of Utterances (Wechsler)
Words can be put together to form meaningful sentences, and different arrangements
of words can yield different meanings. For example, the words, as they are arranged
in the string The likes student teacher do not form a meaningful sentence,
but if the words are arranged as The student likes the teacher or The teacher
likes the student, they form meaningful sentences and convey different meanings.
This course introduces basic principles in syntactic theory and considers the ways
in which they are used to account for grammatical sentences. In addition, it reviews
claims about the relation between rules and principles and universal grammar. In
this course, we pay particular attention to description of language data and basic
linguistic analysis.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
The grade for the course will be based on homework assignments, a
midterm exam, and a final exam.
Texts
Sag & Wasow. Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction.
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LIN 373: Language, Culture & Society in Latin America (Sherzer)
[meets with ANT 320L, LAS 324L, & SPN 367K]
Prerequisites
ANT 302
Requirements
TBA
Texts
TBA
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LIN 373.1: Child Language (Meier)
[same as PSY 333P]
This course is an introduction to the linguistic and psychological issues involved
in the study of how children acquire a first language. Among the questions to be
considered are:
- What is the biological basis for language acquisition?
- Is the capacity to acquire and use language a species-specific ability?
- How dependent is the child on the linguistic environment?
- Does parental reinforcement guide the child's acquisition of language?
- What is the developmental time course for language? What is the relationship
between prelinguistic developments, such as babbling, and the emergence of the child's
first words? When do children first produce simple sentences? What kinds of errors
do children characteristically make?
- Are visual-gestural languages, such as American Sign Language, acquired in a
different fashion than spoken languages?
Prerequisites
PSY 304 or 333P
Requirements
Method of evaluation: 5 short "discussion notes" (each approximately
one-and-a-half pages), 2 in-class exams, and a final exam. The 5 discussion notes
will together count 25% of your grade, the in-class exams will each count 20%, and
the comprehensive final will be 35%.
Texts
Steven Pinker. The Language Instinct.
A packet of key papers reporting research on language acquisition.
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LIN 373.3: Language in Culture & Society (Keating)
[same as ANT 325M, SOC 352M.4]
The goals of this course are to introduce students to the study of language use
from a sociocultural perspective and to develop skills (through fieldwork and data
analysis) in analyzing the role that language plays in the structure and interpretation
of human interaction. Students will collect language data from a "speech community"
in a setting of their choice either by audiotaping or videotaping and will use this
data: 1) collectively as a basis for examining and questioning concepts discussed
in lectures and readings, such as ethnicity, identity, power, and gender as they
are constructed through language; and 2) individually as a basis from which to generate
an analytical paper, which shows an understanding of the major ideas covered in the
course but which is specific to student interests.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
TBA
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LIN 373.4: Concepts in Judaic Culture (Bar-Adon)
[same as E 379N.3, MEL 341.6, MES 321K.1]
This course is designed to fill the need for an authoritative culture-enriched
course which will introduce the student to the basic concepts, ideas, trends, epochs,
personalities, and outstanding works representing the various areas of Jewish life
and letters - in both ancient and modern Israel and the cultural centers they created
in the Diaspora in the last two millenia, and the languages they used. This will
include such areas as religion & theology, philosophy & mysticism, literature
and linguistics, history, customs and folklore, ancient and modern life, Jewish languages
(incl. Yiddish).
The primary aim is to introduce students to the rich Judaic culture, from Biblical
times to the present, including aspects of special relevance to Western Judeo-Christian
civilization (incl. influence of translations of the Hebrew Bible on English literature).
Indeed, by better understanding the Biblical genius and post-Biblical Judaic culture,
one will find a key to various literary and artistic traditions of the Western world.
The format of this course will combine lecture, slide/ film presentations, class
discussion and students' reports on topics/readings of their choice. Needless to
say, students will be encouraged to present questions about concepts and topics they
would like to clarify, in class or in individual session - all they ever wanted to
know about Judaism.
The size and structure of this inter-disciplinary (and multi-cultural) course
is designed to offer individual attention to students who wish to work on specific
topics of interest to them within the broad area of Judaic culture. Thus, majors
in English, may concentrate on Jewish writers in the U.S. ( including Nobel Prize
Laureates Saul Bellow and Isaac Bashevis-Singer), or on the Hebraic and Judaic impact
on English literature (e.g., on John Milton), or on Bible as literature; Middle East
Studies students may concentrate on aspects of Hebraic and Judaic culture in Israel,
relations with Arabic & Islamic culture during the Golden Age in Spain and in
the Middle East - past & present; Linguistics students may concentrate on topics
relating to various Jewish languages (e.g., Hebrew through the ages - Biblical to
Modern, the recent revival of Hebrew; Yiddish and its history; Judeo-Spanish/Ladino),
etc. Students will have the option of either taking the final set of essay questions
or writing a paper within their special area of interest.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
Regular assignments and class participation; oral report on reading
of student's choice. Possible quiz.
Texts
To be announced on a separate list.
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LIN 373.6: Structure of German Language (Louden)
[same as GER 369.1]
This course will provide upper-division students possessing a basic knowledge
of and interest in German with a thorough overview of the structure of the language
from a theoretical linguistic point of view. The focus will not be limited to the
standard language, but will include data from non-standard varieties as well. The
implicit approach will be contrastive, viewing the German data against the background
of English. Previous coursework in linguistics is desirable, though not required.
The course will be taught in English and divided into the following general parts:
I. Phonology and Phonetics
--phonemics
--phonological processes and alternations
--suprasegmentals
--loan phonology
--phonological/phonetic variation
II. Morphology
--the word
--morphological units/alternations
--inflectional morphology
--lexical morphology
--compounding
III. Syntax
--basic word order, V2 phenomena
--phrasal categories
--grammatical relations and case
--movement
--syntactic variation and pragmatics
IV. Lexical Semantics
--reference
--sense/sense-relations
--semantic fields
V. Sociolinguistics
--variation (geographic, social, stylistic)
--discourse/speech acts
Prerequisites
Six semester hours of upper-division German or fourteen semesters
hours of lower-division German and six semester hours of linguistics.
Requirements
5 quizzes @ 10%--50%; 2 quizzes @ 20%--40%; class participation--10%
Attendance is mandatory; three or more unexcused absences may result in dropping
the final grade by one-half a letter; six or more by a full letter.
Texts
König, Werner. dtv-Atlas zur deutschen Sprache. Deutscher Taschenbuch
Verlag.
Russ, C.V.J. The German Language Today: A Linguistic Intro. Routledge, 1994.
Copy packet of selected readings.
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LIN 373.7: Introduction to Cognitive Science - W (Krifka)
[same as CGS 360, PHL 365.2]
This course is an introduction to the inter-disciplinary field of Cognitive Science,
the study of the human mind. The field draws on research in psychology, computer
science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience.
One leading idea in Cognitive Science has been that computation of information
underlies many mental activities. Another is that there are specialized modules of
mind for certain mental processes, whereas others are general. Also, all mental processes
are ultimatelty realized in the brain, and research at a concrete level has begun
to give fairly clear ideas about how the brain actually works. But there is still
a wide gamut between abstract and computer models of sub-systems of cognition and
their implementation in the brain.
The course consists of five parts. The first part will provide some general background
information about central assumptions of cognitive science. We will talk about the
computational model of the mind, types of computation, the "hardware" of
the mind, and the philosophical and psychological roots of Cognitive Science. Then
we will concentrate on three important areas within cognitive science in greater
detail: Visual cognition, language, and reasoning. The last part will center around
three big (and still largely mysterious) issues: consciousness, emotions, and the
origin of the human mind. This course is suitable for anyone interested in learning
about Cognitive Science.
It is introductory; and not a technical course. Discussion will be emphasized.
It is a significant Writing Component course; students will write two essays with
different types of audiences in mind, each in a preliminary and a final version.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
Attendance and class participation (10%), 7 discussion notes on the
readings (30%), Essay 1 (30%), Essay 2 (30%).
Texts
There will be a reader made available for this class.
A good general introduction is Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works, London
& New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997, $29.95. This is a well-written popular
introduction into many aspects of cognitive science except language, under an evolutionary
perspective.
We will make extensive use of the The MIT Encyclopedia on Cognitive Science
(MITECS), MIT Press 1999, which will be available online.
A good introduction into the more specific areas that we will cover are the articles
in Daniel Osherson (ed.), An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Cambridge/Mass.,
MIT Press, 1995. Vol. 1: Language, edited by Lila R. Gleitman and Mark Liberman.
$27.50. Vol. 2: Visional Cognition, edited by Stephen M. Kosslyn and Daniel
N. Osherson, $25.00. Vol. 3: Thinking, edited by Edward E. Smith and Daniel
N. Osherson, $27.50.
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LIN 379: Conference Course
Individual instruction. Prerequisites: Six hours of upper-division Linguistics.
Consent of instructor must be obtained. Requirements: You must have the prior written
consent of the instructor before you register for or add this course. Undergraduate
conference course agreement forms are available in Calhoun 503.
21-Jun-99
Comments to: linclass@www.utexas.edu