In other words, our focus will be on the processes of analysis and the methods of critical thinking as they apply to the study of language. Daily exercises will afford opportunities to collect data, define problems and propose tentative solutions. There will be a midterm and a final exam. Introduction to Language. In this course, we will explore the human capacity for language, beginning with the ways language differs from animal communication, how children acquire language and the role of the brain in speech.
Course work includes eight weekly homework assignments and one midterm exam.
The final is optional. Political and Advertising Discourse. Magazine advertisements, political communications, and sermons are one-sided and persuasive. Furthermore, messages directed to large audiences are most effective when they contain an element of ambiguity, allowing individuals to interpret them and respond to them in different ways. Several short written assignments will involve close analysis of actual ads, and of transcriptions and tapes of speeches, sermons, and debates.