PSYCH 4270 - Evolution of Language

(crosslisted) COGST 4270
(ETM-AS, KCM-AS)

Fall. 3 credits. Student option grading.

Prerequisite: any one course in psychology or human development. Enrollment limited to: juniors and seniors. Co-meets with PSYCH 6270. Offered alternate years.

M. Christiansen.

Seminar surveying a cross-section of modern theories, methods, and research pertaining to the origin and evolution of language. Considers evidence from psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, comparative psychology, and computational modeling of evolutionary processes. Topics for discussion may include: What does the fossil record tell us about language evolution? What can we learn from comparative perspectives on neurobiology and behavior? Can apes really learn language? Did language come about through natural selection? What were the potential preadaptations for language? What is the relationship between phylogeny and ontogeny?