LlBST 701 X CORE SEMINAR II: LANGUAGE, MIND, AND
SOCIETY
4121B T-TH
Prof. Mark Patkowski
Office hours: M 5-5:50 all term, TH
tel: 951. 5920
e-mail: mpatkowski@cs.com
Introduction to the fundamental properties
of language and to the relationship of language, mind and
society. Topics include the formal nature of language; the genetic
basis of language and language
acquisition; the relationship of language, society and power (issues of
language diversity); the relationships
among language, thought, human nature and social organization.
Texts
-
-Pinker, S. (1994). The Language Instinct:
how the mind creates language.
-Packet of readings (available at
1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS LANGUAGE AND HOW
IS IT ACQUIRED?
Th 1/31 Pinker:
chapters 1 and 4
Tu 2/5 Pinker:
chapters 2, 9 and 10
2. LANGUAGE DIVERSITY: ISSUES OF GENDER,
ETHNICITY AND RACE (AND
CYBERSPACE)
Th 2/7 "Language
Variation" from the Language Files.
Smitherman: "From
Dillard: "Black
English and Education"
Mellix: "From Outside In"
Agard:
"Listen mr oxford don"
Th 2/14 Tannen: "Different Words, Different Worlds"
Lakoff:
"Language and Woman's Place"
Span: "Women and Computers: Is There Equity in
Cyberspace?"
Baron: "Why the Jury's Still Out on E-mail"
3. LANGUAGE AND MIND, HUMAN NATURE AND
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
Tu 2/19 Pinker:
chapters 3 and 13
Th 2/21 Searle:
"Consciousness as a Biological Problem"
Blakeslee:"The conscious mind is still baffling to experts of all
stripes"
Bickerton: "Language and Consciousness"
Tu 2/26 Chomsky: "Language and
Freedom"
McGilvray: "Human Nature and Ideal Social Organization"
Th 2/28
IN-CLASS VIDEOS
Tu 1129 The Human Language Series Part I: Discovering the Human
Language
Tu 2/5 The Human Language Series Part ll:
Acquiring the Human Language
Tu 2/19 The Animal Mind Part Ill: Consciousness
Tu 2/26 NOVA:
Secrets of the Mind