This introduction to the anthropological study of language surveys core topics in linguistics (e.g., phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) and the relationship of language to social, cultural, and psychological factors. Nonverbal communication, evolution of language abilities, and historical linguistics are included, with linkages to the other subfields of anthropology.
This course explores trajectories of human experience through the lens of cultural anthropology, a cross-cultural view of the individual within society. It promotes global awareness as a learning outcome, learning to perceive how cultural differences influence the dynamics of human interactions upon the individual through psychological and social changes throughout a human lifespan. Focus is upon the integration of anthropological knowledge across the holistic four subdisciplines, and integration of student personal experience with interdisciplinary knowledge, academic trajectories, and topical interests. Students will develop an appreciation of the duties and rights of a global citizen, and skills necessary to live in and comprehend our pluralistic world.