TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS (LI2910)

Topics vary by semester

PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE (LI3022)

Introduction to philosophical thinking about the nature and functioning as well as the ethics and socio-politics of that fuzzy phenomenon we call “language.”Provides a comprehensive overview of main theories from the 19th to the 21st century,in both the analytic and the continental tradition. Relates the material to issues important to the students of the course in their everyday lives.
Combining and contrasting approaches from both the analytic and the continental tradition, this course provides an overview of the field from the 19th to the 21st century. Sharing forces and drawing on our own experiences, we will get a grip quite a number of complex ideas proposed by experts in the field. You will realize that even the driest and most outlandish theory can blow your mind once you connect it to things that matter to you in your own life.

EMPIRES OF LANGUAGE: PREMODERN COSMOPOLITANISM (LI3028)

In this course we examine how global languages constituted transnational communities in the premodern world. We will look at texts that illustrate premodern forms of cosmopolitanism wherein the use of a literary language like Sanskrit, Latin, and Arabic signals a local writer’s affiliation to global networks of cultural and political power. This course is cross-listed with linguistics. There are no prerequisites.

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS (LI3035)

Studies the psychological processes involved in the acquisition, understanding and use of language. Provides an overview of the following research areas: speech perception, word recognition, sentence and discourse processing, speech production, first-, second-, and third-language acquisition, bilingual and multilingual acquisition, and language processing in the brain. PY 1000 is recommended as a prerequisite.

TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS (LI3091)

Courses on different topics in the discipline, enriching the present course offerings. These classes are taught by permanent or visiting faculty.

TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS (LI3910)

Topics vary by semester

ELEMENTARY LATIN I (LT1001)

This is a Latin course for beginners. By reading simple Latin texts and trying to write (or, if you like, speak) some Latin yourself, you learn the first grammar essentials and acquire a basic passive vocabulary of c. 1000 words. Choice of a particular textbook and specialization on particular aspects, e.g. Medieval Latin, is possible.

ELEMENTARY LATIN II (LT1002)

This course continues Elementary Latin I. At the end of the course you will have an overview of Latin grammar and a basic passive vocabulary of c. 2000 words. You will learn how to write simple Latin texts yourself and start to read excerpts of original literature. Specialization on certain classes of texts, e.g., Latin inscriptions, is possible.