COM 350: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
Description
An introductory survey course covering the relationship between language and various social and communication phenomena. Topics include: child and adult language learning; language and cognition; language variation and change; language and social identity (e.g., ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation); language and intergroup relations; linguistic stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination; politeness and accommodation; linguistic biases. Emphasis is on a social-scientific, communication approach.Learning Outcomes
• Identify and describe the different properties and qualities of language;• Understand how language is acquired and learned, and how it changes;
• Explain how language influences cognition, how we use language to perform social actions, and how we adjust our language for others;
• Recognize and explain the social meaning and consequences of different types of language use;
• Analyze, summarize, and synthesize empirical research on language and communication;
• Formulate predictions about the role and use of language in society.