Specialisation seminar: Understanding ‘language’ through the prism of language evolution 2510-f2ENG2W-SS-ULTP

The course offers students an overview of ways of defining and thinking about "language" within Science of Language Evolution. It introduces key concepts that allow to tackle "language" as an adaptive system, manifested in different modalities and grounded in our species' social behaviour and neurological system. With this, the course expands on understanding "language" as a strictly linguistic phenomenon.

Content distribution:

- Introduction: course aims and content, learning outcomes, assessment criteria, code of conduct;

- Conceptual diversity of "language": the problem of defining "language", an overview of the available definitions of "language" used in Science of Language Evolution

- "Language" as a multimodal phenomenon: modality and multi-modality, non-verbal behaviour, bodily mimesis

- "Language" as an adaptive system: evolution by natural selection, the notion of "adaptation", biological evolution

- "Language" as a social phenomenon: social cognition, shared intentionality, platform of trust, sociolinguistics, cultural evolution

- "Language" in the brain: the neurological underpinnings of the linguistic ability, neurolinguistics, the notion of a "language-ready brain"

Total student workload

Contact hours with teacher: - participation in classes – 30 hrs Self-study hours: - preparation of group project – 45 hrs - preparation for classes (reading, at-home assingments) – 50 hrs

Learning outcomes - knowledge

W1. The graduate is familiar with the major trends in the field (K_W06). W2. The graduate has systematic, theoretically grounded, detailed knowledge of a specific research problem in language studies (K_W08). W3. The graduate has advanced knowledge of a specialist variant of English language, specifically academic discourse (K_W11).

Learning outcomes - skills

U1. The graduate is able to search, analyse, interpret, and use information from various sources in accordance with selected methods, using advanced infromation technologies for research and results presentation (K_U01). U2. The graduate is able to undertake auotonomous research tasks, using objectives and tips formulated by the teacher (K_U08). U3. The graduate is able to analyse and interpret different types of texts, using specialist terminology, and justify methods selection (K_U13).

Learning outcomes - social competencies

K1. The graduate is able to crticially assess their own knowledge and content from various sources (K_K01).

Teaching methods

Expository teaching methods: - description, discussion Exploratory teaching methods: - practical, project, seminar

Expository teaching methods

- description
- discussion

Exploratory teaching methods

- project work
- practical
- seminar

Course coordinators

Marta Sibierska

Assessment criteria

Graded group projects presented in a conference poster format (W1, W2, U1, U2, U3): 70%

Graded in-class activity (U1, U2, U3): 30%

Scores:
fail: 0–59%
satisfactory: 60–69%
satisfactory plus: 70–75%
good: 76–85%
good plus: 86–90%
very good: 91–100%

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2510-f2ENG2W-SS-ULTP in USOSweb