Linguistics
| Humanities Course | |
|---|---|
| Course Code | LNCS |
| Year Opened | 2013 |
| Sites Offered | JHU, LAN |
Course Description
From the CTY Course Catalog: From Twitter’s 280 characters to War and Peace’s 1,400 pages, language is an essential part of our psychological, cultural, and social experiences. As an ever-growing field of academic research, linguistics uses rigorous methodology to study four primary aspects of language: phonology (sound patterns), morphology (word formation), syntax (sentence structure), and semantics (meaning). Using this framework, students analyze language as both a biological human instinct and as an important cultural artifact in human history and society. For example, by examining Yoda’s speech in The Empire Strikes Back, students might analyze the syntax employed to determine the patterns by which he alters his word order from standard English, thus exploring questions of meaning and communication.
Investigating language through the lenses of psychology, vocal anatomy, cultural studies, and history, students discuss both the universal qualities of human language and the unique qualities of individual languages and dialects. In so doing, they come to understand language as a force that dynamically shapes and is shaped by history, biology, class, status, ethnicity, gender, and institutions like the media and the law. Students develop a diverse set of skills, ranging from a mastery of tools for the systematic study of language (e.g., the International Phonetic Alphabet) to a practical ability to evaluate the rhetorical tricks used by advertisers and politicians. Through lectures, discussions, projects (group and independent), and readings, students examine the roots, complexity, and power of language.
Class History
In LAN 15.2, the class was taught by David (aka SASS MASTER 3000 but don't tell him we said that) with James as the TA. It was composed mainly of an amazing hall led by RA Georgi (GAME B was in the hall too). The class spawned various inside jokes such as table (it's a one syllable word), SOCIOLINGUISTICS, do the muffin man, oculus tigris, two linguists walked into A', etc. The class itself was pretty cool too.
In JHU 16.1, the class adopted the fish of the nearby koi pond as its children. Swim on, little Timmy.
