Language and Thought

Catalog description

The goal of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to creatively explore some difficult questions about the relationship between language and thought, questions such as: How does the human capacity to use language relate to the human capacity to think? Does the language that a person speaks affect the way she thinks? If meaning is in the head, how can we succeed in communicating with each other? How is our ability to reason related to our ability to successfully communicate? None of these questions have definite answers; throughout the course, we will draw on work in philosophy, psychology and linguistics to try to understand some of the possible answers that might be entertained. Students in the course should be prepared for extensive reading, writing and peer discussion assignments.