Courses

ANTH 2440 | Language and Cinema

TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm

Daniel Lefkowitz

Looks historically at speech and language in Hollywood movies, including the technological challenges and artistic theories and controversies attending the transition from silent to sound films. Focuses on the ways that gender, racial, ethnic, and national identities are constructed through the representation of speech, dialect, and accent. Introduces semiotics but requires no knowledge of linguistics, or film studies.

ANTH 2444 | Language, AI, & Society

TuTh 8:00am - 9:00am

Nathan Wendte

As AI technology expands, so do the questions surrounding its use and implications. In this course we will focus on AI and its relationship with language and language users (i.e., us!). We will cover the basics of how things like LLMs operate including the biases that are baked into the data upon which they are trained. We will discuss the unseen labor the enables the "magic" of tools like Chat GPT. And we will debate the ecological pros and cons of the proliferation of such tools.

ANTH 2450 | Language & Environment

MoWed 10:00am - 10:50am + obligatory discussion session

Nathan Wendte

In this course, students rethink assumptions about what "language" and "environment" are. Both depend on living systems to be rendered meaningful, and together we will wrestle with how these two ideas can be brought into relation and the implications associated with different frames of understanding. There are many perspectives on the issues raised in this course, and you will receive a broad introduction to that diversity.

ANTH 3490 / 7541 | Language and Thought

MoWed 5:00pm - 6:15pm

Eve Danziger

There is almost always more than one way to think about any problem. But could speaking a particular language make some strategies and solutions seem more natural than others to individuals? Can we learn about alternative ways of approaching the external world by studying other languages? The classic proposal of linguistic relativity as enunciated by Benjamin Lee Whorf is examined in the light of recent cross-cultural psycholinguistic research. 

Fulfills the Theory requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

ANTH 3599-007 | Language Isolates

TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm

Nathan Wendte

Linguists have accounted for a large portion of human linguistic diversity by proposing language families—groups of languages hypothesized to descend from a common ancestor. However, some languages stubbornly refuse such categorization. We call these 'language isolates,' and this course introduces students to their study and structure.

Fulfills the Structure requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

ANTH 5475 | Multimodal Interaction

TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm

Mark Sicoli

Students build knowledge and practice of analysis of peoples' joint-engagement in embodied interactions. How does action weave together multiple sensory modalities into semiotic webs linking interactions with more durative institutions of social life? Course includes workshops on video recording, and the transcription and coding of verbal and non-verbal actions. Prior coursework in Linguistics, Anthropology or instructor permission recommended.

Fulfills the Theory requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

ANTH 5541 | Lakota Language Structures

Tu 5:00pm-7:30pm

Armik Mirzayan

This course introduces students to a descriptive study and exploration of the structures and discourse patterns in the Lakota language and its related dialects and languages within the Indigenous cultural landscape of North America. Specifically, we focus on describing Lakota phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures/relations through examination of patterns in discourse, in both historical and modern narratives. 

Fulfills the Structure requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

ASL 3460 | Deaf Studies in the Global South

MoWed 3:30pm-4:45pm

Aron Marie

The majority of deaf people live in the so-called "Global South"; regions like South America, Asia, Africa and India, which have experienced colonialism or and/or have limited access to resources and power. However, historically deaf studies focused on the experiences of deaf people in the "Global North." The course will consider how deaf people's experiences in the Global South have been shaped by local and international contexts, and re-imagine deaf studies from these perspectives.

CLAS 3300 | Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics

MoWedFr 2:00pm-2:50pm

Coulter George

Languages as superficially different as English, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit in fact all developed from a single "proto-language," called Proto-Indo-European. This course will explore the following questions: What was this proto-language like? How do we know what it was like? By what processes did it develop into the various daughter languages? How can we trace words as diverse as wit, idea, video, and Veda back to a common source?

Fulfills the Historical requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

FREN 3030 | Phonetics

MoWedFr 10:00am-10:50am

Cecile Rey

FREN 3030 is an introductory course in French phonetics. It provides basic concepts in articulatory phonetics and phonological theory and offers students techniques for improving their own pronunciation. The course will cover the physical characteristics of individual French sounds, the relationship between French sounds and their written representation (orthography), the rules governing the pronunciation of "standard French", the most salient phonological features of selected French varieties, phonetic differences between French and English sounds, and prosodic phenomena (le rythme, l’accent, l’intonation, la syllabation). Practical exercises in 'ear-training' (the perception of sounds) and 'phonetic transcription' (using the International Phonetic Alphabet) are also essential components of this dynamic course. Prerequisite: FREN 2020

LING 2430 | Languages of the World

MoWed 11:00am-11:50am + obligatory discussion session

Armik Mirzayan

An introduction to the study of language relationships and linguistic structures. Topics covered the basic elements of grammatical description; genetic, areal, and typological relationships among languages; a survey of the world's major language groupings and the notable structures and grammatical categories they exhibit; and the issue of language endangerment. Prerequisite: One year study of a world language or permission of instructor.

LING 3090 / 5090 | TESOL Theory and Method

MoWedFr 10:00am-10:50am

Janay Crabtree

 How do people learn new languages, and what makes language teaching effective?  Why do errors arise, and what counts as an error? In this course we explore language learning--one of the most complex and fascinating human endeavors. We will investigate the linguistic, cognitive, and social dimensions of learning and teaching languages as a second or additional language. Together, we examine old and new theories of second language acquisition and evidence-based approaches, methods, and techniques used in language teaching, while investigating why learners face particular challenges and how instruction, identity, and community can support success. Through direct work with language learners, students connect linguistic theory to practice, gaining hands-on experience in applying theory, language and needs analysis, materials development, teaching, and learner support in multilingual contexts.

LING 3101 / 5101 | ESL Teaching Practicum: Language

Fr 3:00pm-3:50pm

Janay Crabtree

Through this course, students focus on teaching oral English as another language, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours.

LING 3102 / 5102 | ESL Teaching Practicum: Culture

Fr 4:00pm-4:50pm

Janay Crabtree

Through this course, students focus on culture in ESL, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours.

LING 3103 / 5103 | ESL Teaching Practicum: Writing

Fr 5:00pm-5:50pm

Janay Crabtree

Through this course, students focus on the topic of writing in an L2, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This experience is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor.

LING 4660 / 6600 | Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics

MoWed 3:30pm-4:45pm

Armik Mirzayan

In this course, we explore the cognitive faculties that enable us to interpret language in context. This requires us to critically examine a variety of linguistic theories which fall into two basic categories: those that ask what kinds of categories words/constructions denote (semantics) and those that ask how linguistic form is related to discourse context (pragmatics). Studying patterns cross-linguistically allows us to critically analyze the theories and arrive at generalizations on meaning.

Fulfills the Theory requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

LNGS 3260 / 7020 | Introduction to Comparative-Historical Linguistics

MoWed 2:00pm-3:15pm

Mark Elson

An introduction to the nature and causation of variation in linguistic systems over time, with attention to the comparative and internal reconstruction of systems no longer attested but assumed to have existed. LNGS 3250 or Instructor Permission.

Fulfills the Historical requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

SPAN 3000 | Phonetics: The Sounds of Spanish

TuTh 3:30pm-4:45pm

Joel Rini

An introduction to the sound system of both Peninsular & Latin Am Spanish. Class discussions focus on how the sounds of Spanish are produced from an articulatory point of view, and how these sounds are organized & represented in the linguistic competence of their speakers. When appropriate, comparisons will be made between Spanish & English or Spanish & other (Romance & non-Romance) languages. Course seeks to improve the student's pronunciation. Pre-requisites SPAN 2020 or equivalent (it can be taken simultaneously with SPAN 3010). Class taught in Spanish.

SPAN 3200 | Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics

TuTh 3:30pm-4:45pm

Lorena Albert Ferrando

This course provides an introduction to core areas of linguistic analysis using Spanish. Areas covered include sounds of Spanish (phonetics & phonology), word formation (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), meaning of words, phrases, sentences, & larger chunks of discourse, also in social context (semantics & pragmatics), history of the Spanish language, regional & social variation (dialectology & sociolinguistics), & language acquisition. Pre-requisites SPAN 2020 or equivalent (it can be taken simultaneously with SPAN 3010). Class taught in Spanish.

SPAN 4200 | The Origin of Spanish and its Transformation

TuTh 2:00pm-3:15pm

Joel Rini

The main objectives of the course are: (1) to offer the student an introduction to the development of Spanish, focusing on the major changes from Latin to Spanish through the study of historical grammar; (2) to explain the irregularities of Modern Spanish grammar; (3) to facilitate the reading Old Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 3200 and 3010, or 3000 and 3010, or departmental placement. Class taught in Spanish.

Fulfills the Historical requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

SPAN 4204 | Spanish vis-a-vis Other Romance Languages

MoWed 2:00pm-3:15pm

Omar Velazquez Mendoza

Drawing on a comparative approach to language change, this course traces the primitive origins and historical development of the major linguistic changes that took place in the passage from Latin to Spanish and other Romance (i.e., Latin-derived) languages, mainly Portuguese, Italian, and French. Class taught in Spanish.

Fulfills the Historical requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.

SPAN 4530-001 | Instituting Spanish

TuTh 5:00pm-6:15pm

Lorena Albert Ferrando

Taught in Spanish.

SPAN 7220 | History of the Language

MoWed 2:00pm-3:15pm

Omar Velazquez Mendoza

Drawing on a comparative approach to language change, this course traces the primitive origins and historical development of the major linguistic changes that took place in the passage from Latin to Spanish and other Romance (i.e., Latin-derived) languages, mainly Portuguese, Italian, and French. Class taught in Spanish.

Fulfills the Historical requirement for Linguistics majors/minors and graduate students.