26.1099, Summer Schools: The Miracles of Human Language (MOOC) / Leiden, Netherlands

Thu Feb 26 14:51:22 UTC 2015

LINGUIST List: Vol-26-1099. Thu Feb 26 2015. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 26.1099, Summer Schools: The Miracles of Human Language (MOOC) / Leiden, Netherlands

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Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2015 09:48:35
From: Marc van Oostendorp [m.van.oostendorp at hum.leidenuniv.nl]
Subject: The Miracles of Human Language (MOOC) / Leiden, Netherlands

 The Miracles of Human Language (MOOC) / Leiden, Netherlands

Host Institution: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics
Coordinating Institution: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics
Website: https://www.coursera.org/course/humanlanguage

Dates: 30-Mar-2015 - 11-May-2015
Location: Leiden, Netherlands

Focus: The Miracles of Human Language is an introduction to linguistics in the form of a MOOC – a massive online open-access course. This means it is free of charge and open to everybody, and does not require any specific linguistic background. Anyone who wishes to understand how languages work and how they can give us insight into the human mind is very welcome to join.

We focus on diversity among the world's languages, and there also is a lot of diversity within the course itself. Every module (i.e., every week), you will get many different materials: videos with explanations, videos with discussions, interviews with linguists working in very different sub-fields and supporting different theoretical convictions, ranging from computational linguistics to the study of African sign languages. Noam Chomsky and Adele Goldberg are also among the linguists interviewed.

We have just filmed most of the material, and we think it will be fun!

Minimum Education Level: No Minimum

Description:
The Miracles of Human Language introduces you to the many-faceted study of languages, which has amazed humans since the beginning of history. Together, with speakers of many other languages around the world, as well as with famous linguists such as Noam Chomsky and William Labov, you will learn to understand and analyse how your native tongue is both similar and different to many other languages. You will learn the basic concepts of linguistics, get to know some of the key features of big and small languages, and get insight into what linguists do.

This course gives an introduction to the field of linguistics: the study of languages. With the support of the basic linguistic terminology that is offered in the course, you will soon be able to comment both on variety between languages, as well as on a single language’s internal structure. 

The course is useful if you want to get a fairly quick introduction to linguistics, for instance, because you are considering studying it further, or because you are interested in a neighbouring discipline such as psychology,
computer science or anthropology. Furthermore, the course will help you develop analytical skills.

If you are curious to understand how language works and how it gives insight into the human mind, this course is definitely for you!

The course syllabus is as follows: 

- Week 1: Introduction to Linguistics
- Week 2: The Study of Sound: Phonology and Phonetics
- Week 3: The Study of Words and Sentences: Morphology and Syntax
- Week 4: The Study of Meaning: Pragmatics and Semantics
- Week 5: Language in Society

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Tuition Explanation: This is a free course, however, it is possible to acquire a certificate for the price of 43 EUR.

Registration: 25-Feb-2015 to 30-Mar-2015

Contact Person: Marc van Oostendorp
                Phone: +31204628528
                Email: m.van.oostendorp at hum.leidenuniv.nl

Apply on the web: https://www.coursera.org/course/humanlanguage

Registration Instructions:
All instructions can be found on the Coursera page.

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