Topic of the Course
This course looks at human language from two perspectives. One perspective is biological: language is a uniquely human instinct, a part of the human genome. Because language is an instinct, all human languages are, at some deep level, the same. Another, complementary perspective is social: language is an important — perhaps the most important — cultural artifact in any society. We will look at how and why languages and dialects differ, studying language as a force that dynamically shapes and is shaped by history, class, social status, ethnicity, gender, and institutions like media and the law. Throughout, we will also consider the interplay of biological and social factors in human language.
General Education Requirement
This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB) designation of the UMass General Education program because it introduces students to the study of language in the individual and in society, because it looks at the dynamic relations among language, the individual, and society, and because it offers a systematic approach to human language in its individual and social aspects.
Instructor
John J. McCarthy, Distinguished
Professor of Linguistics, recipient of
Email: jmccarthy@linguist.umass.edu
Website: http://people.umass.edu/jjmccart
Method of Instruction
A goal of this course is to make
the experience for online students as similar as possible to the experience of
classroom students. Prof. McCarthy records his lectures as he presents them in class
— including questions from students, flashes of excitement, occasional
hesitations, and touches of humor and laughter. Online students learn by watching
these recordings, which include Prof. McCarthy’s voice, his PowerPoint slides,
and frequent use of videos.
Textbook and
There is no textbook. All reading assignments are available online. Each reading is related to a particular homework assignment.
Basis of Grading
Six tests and six homework assignments, each of them equally weighted in determining the final grade. The tests, which are non-cumulative, check for knowledge of the main points of the lectures. They are multiple-choice and administered by the computer. The homework assignments are 500-word essays that help develop skills in careful reading, critical thinking, and writing.