College Bulletin 2022-2023 
    
    May 08, 2024  
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College Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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Latin
  

  • LATN 019. Roman Imperial Literature

    This is an intermediate Latin course that will focus on reading a few key texts in order to give us insight into everyday life and social history in imperial Rome. The primary aim of the class is to improve students’ skills of reading Latin. A secondary goal is to examine the lives of various social groups in imperial Rome, including slaves, recently freed men and women, and freeborn citizens. We will consider their attitudes on a number of issues still relevant today, including gender, grief, slavery, education, administration, love, justice and morality. The principal Latin texts will be Petronius’ Satyrica, the letters of Pliny the Younger, and seleted documents such as inscriptions and papyri. Students with no previous Latin courses at the college level should consult the instructor before enrolling.

     

    LATN 019 may be taken with an attachment LATN 019A as an honors preparation with permission of the instructor. 
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2024. Lefkowitz.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 021. Republican Literature

    In this course, we will be reading Book 1 of the Ab Urbe Condita by Livy as an example of Roman historiography in the Late Republic and Early Empire. The course will view the text both as a problematic document for Rome’s earliest history but also as evidence for Livy’s own age in the early Augustan regime.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 023. The Roman Novel

    This course focuses on Petronius’ Satyricon and/or Apuleius’ Golden Ass. Besides reading extensively from the works themselves, we will consider what the genre “novel” means in Latin, what these works have to tell us about Roman society and language, and various other topics arising from the novels and from contemporary scholarship about them.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 024. Latin Poetry and the Roman Revolution

    The transformation of the Roman Republic into the monarchy of Augustus and the emperors was accompanied by a similar transformation in Roman poetry. In place of the staunch independence of Lucretius and the outrageous irreverence of Catullus, the new poets Propertius, Horace, and Vergil wrote poetry that responded directly or indirectly to the new political world. This course will explore one or more of these poets in depth, both within their political context and within the broader literary tradition. Students will read modern scholarly criticism, and develop their own critical approaches to writing about Latin poetry. They will also review basic Latin morphology and syntax, and build a stronger Latin vocabulary. The course is suitable for those with 3-4 years of High School Latin, or 1-2 years of Latin in college.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 025. Latin Poetry and the English Renaissance

    Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare had “small Latin and less Greek,” but all products of the Elizabethan grammar schools were steeped in Latin literature. This course will explore some of their seminal Latin texts, including Ovid’s Amores; Horace’s Odes, and Vergil’s Eclogues. We will also read some of the English poems most directly influenced by these Latin works, by poets such as Donne, Spenser, Marvell, Lovelace, Herrick, Rochester, and Milton.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 026. Myth and Morality in Catullus

    Catullus 64 is his famous mini epic (“epyllion”). It is framed as the story of Peleus and Thetis, but it also contains the story of Ariadne and Theseus, and also offers critique of the moral degradation of Rome. For many critics this is one of the greatest poems in Latin, and it was one of the most important influences on Vergil. The concentrated nature of the J-term will allow us to read the poem in depth, combining oral performance, careful translation, and secondary criticism with extended online discussion in large or small groups.  We will spend about one week on some of the shorter poems of Catullus, to review or introduce some of the most important ones. The course is appropriate for advanced Latin students, but also at the intermediate level, i.e., those with at least one semester of college or four years of Latin in high school; it will include grammar review and vocabulary acquisition.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics

     


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 027. Gender and Sexuality in Rome

    This course will focus on Latin texts that reflect the sexual attitudes and behaviors of the ancient Romans and the gender roles that both shaped and were shaped by those attitudes. Among other topics, we will explore the roman institutions of marriage and the family. Conceptions of femininity and masculinity, and attitudes toward homosexuality. We will also engage with recent scholarship on gender and sexuality in antiquity from a wide range of critical perspectives. Our Latin texts will be drawn from several different genres, including graffiti, comedy, satire, love poetry, epic, letters, history and inscriptions.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 028. Apuleius

    Ready to be shocked, perplexed, and surprised at every turn? Try Apuleius’ Metamorphoses (or Asinus Aureus), one of the earliest novels in Western literature.  We will read the whole of this unconventional and mysterious work in English and books I and III in Latin, paying close attention to grammar, style, narratology, issues of genre and cultural context.  Assignments will include articles dealing with literary criticism and background of the work.
    Catalog chapter: Classics
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 029. Caligula and Claudius

    This is an advanced Latin course, intended for students with one or more intermediate Latin courses at the college level, or c. 4 years of Latin in high school.  The emperor Gaius Caligula, famous for considering his favorite racehorse for the office of consul, raises urgent questions about what we consider normal in our leaders. The emperor Claudius, made generally famous by the classic TV series “I Claudius,” presents similar questions. He was a transformative figure in Roman imperial history, responsible for the creation of a civil service, expansion of the Roman citizenship, and the conquest of Britain. But he also had medical problems, and made some spectacularly inappropriate marriages. The principal Latin texts will be Suetonius’ Life of Gaius Caligula, Tacitus’ bitter account of Claudius in his Annals, and selected documents (inscriptions and Latin papyri). We will also read Seneca’s exposition of Stoic ideals in his de Providentia, and Seneca’s (?) Apocolocyntosis, a spoof account of Claudius’ posthumous journey to heaven.
    Can serve as an honors preparation when combined with a one credit attachment.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  

  • LATN 030. Advanced Survey of Latin Poetry

    The poems in this course will be chosen in consultation with participants. Depending on interest, texts to be read in Latin may include Catullus, “The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis” and “The Lock of Berenice”; Lucretius; Vergil, Eclogues or Georgics; Ovid, esp. Ars Amatoria; the Pervigilum Veneris; selections from the Anthologia Latina; selections from the Carmina Burana or other medieval texts. Students will read modern critical scholarship and write a number of critical essays. Students interested in this course should contact the instructor, preferably before the start of classes. This course is intended for students who have completed Intensive First Year Latin (Latin 001-002) or the equivalent in summer programs or high school. 

     
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for CPLT.
    Fall 2023. Turpin.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  

  • LATN 031. Latin Rhetoric & History

    This is an advanced intermediate course suitable for students with two or more courses of Latin at the intermediate level (or equivalent). Texts to be read in Latin may include Tacitus, Agricola and Annals (selections), Suetonius, Sallust, or Cicero. In addition, we will read certain rhetorical texts in translation, e.g. Cicero, Quintilian, or the Auctor and Herennium. This course is NOT a writing course.
    Prerequisite: Two or more courses of Latin at the intermediate level (or equivalent)
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 032. Latin Satire

    This course will focus on the Latin satirical poetry of Horace and Juvenal. We will also read Greek and Latin texts in English (e.g. Aristophanes, Plautus, Terence, Lucian), to explore ancient ideas about humor in general and literary characters in particular. 
    For students at the advanced intermediate level in Latin, e.g. a 5 on the Latin AP or one or two intermediate Latin courses at the college level. For questions about placement contact the instructor.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 033. Horace, Lyric and Literary Criticism

    In this course we will read selected Odes and Epodes of Horace.  We will translate each poem and learn how to read it aloud, in the appropriate meter.  For most poems we will also read Greek and Latin predecessors (in English), and for many poems we will also read English poems (and in one case a short story) influenced by Horace.  For each poem of Horace we will also read at least three scholarly treatments, to stimulate our own critical responses.  In reading Odes and Epodes the central issue will be what makes Horatian lyric so successful, along with questions of allegory and historical context.  The course is intended for students at the advanced intermediate level in Latin, e.g. students who have received a 5 on the Latin AP or the equivalent, or who have taken at least intermediate Latin course at the college level.  For questions about placement contact the instructor.  W status has been applied for.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 034. Apuleius and Augustine

    This course will explore the two most important Latin authors from the Roman province of Africa (roughly modern Tunisia).  We will read selections in Latin from the Metamorphoses of Apuleius (also known as The Golden Ass) and from the Confessions of St. Augustine; we will read the complete books in English, as well as Peter Brown’s famous biography, Augustine of Hippo.  General topics will include: the peculiar qualities of “African Latin”; the place of Apuleius within the tradition of Greek and Roman novels; Platonism, the cult of Isis, and allegory in Apuleius; Augustine’s purposes as a writer of “autobiography”; the place of Latin literature, Platonism, Manichaeism, and orthodox Christianity in Augustine’s life and thought.
    This is not an approved writing course, but students will work over the course of the semester on producing a formal research paper of about ten pages.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2025. Turpin.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  
  

  • LATN 036. Livy and Early Rome

    In this course, we will read Livy’s account of the origins of the city of Rome, from the Italic myth of the quarrel that pitted Romulus against Remus to the foundation of the Roman Republic and the early years of its development. Along the way, students will familiarize themselves with key works of Livian scholarship, as well as the fundamentals of the archaeology of early Latium. A primary focus of the course will be to assess the historicity of Livy’s version of early Roman history by comparing the written record with epigraphical, archaeological, and alternative literary sources.  This course may be taken with LATN 036A for a 2-credit preparation by permission of the instructor.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  

  • LATN 037. Horace and the Elegiac Poets

    This course will begin with selected poems of Horace, especially those in the broader tradition of Greek, Roman, and English love poetry. We will continue with selections from Propertius, Horace’s elegiac contemporary, from their younger contemporary Ovid, and from Sulpicia, whose small corpus of elegiac poems is the most extensive body of Latin poetry by a woman writer. The main focus will be on the literary techniques employed and generic conventions within which these poets were working. The course is suitable for those with at least one semester of college Latin or advanced work in high school (e.g. a 5 on the AP or equivalent). Writing course status to be applied for.  
    Prerequisite: One semester of college level Latin or advanced work in high school (e.g. a 5 on the AP or equivalent).
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Turpin.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 050. The Age of Nero

    Students can sign up for 50 alone for one credit, or for 50 and 50A for two credits. The principal Latin text will be the Satyricon of Petronius, the earliest novel to have survived (in fragments) from the ancient world. Students in 50 will read about half of the surviving fragments in Latin, especially the famous “Dinner with Trimalchio”. Those taking 50A will read the whole text. The text will be treated both as a literary creation and as a document of social history. All students will work over the semester on various drafts of a single research paper. The course is appropriate for advanced Latin students, but also at the intermediate level, i.e., those with at least one semester of college or four years of Latin in high school;  it will include grammar review and vocabulary acquisition.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2023. Turpin.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  
  
  

  • LATN 094. Ancient Drama in Performance

    What does it mean to study the performance of plays that were composed and staged more than two thousand years ago? How is this approach different from simply reading the texts? Focusing on Greek and Roman tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays (all of which we will read in English translation), we will examine approaches to ancient drama that emphasize its performance, including historical and cultural conditions; the physical realities of ancient theaters; staging conventions; acting and actors; and the various ways in which Greek and Roman plays are continually rediscovered and reinvented through modern performances on stage and screen.
    May be taken with CLST 094A  for a total of 2 credits.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics 
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 096. Aesop’s Fables

    This course will be organized as a research workshop for intermediate and upper-level students in Greek and/or Latin.  For more information contact Professor Jeremy Lefkowitz (jlefkow1@swarthmore.edu).
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Classics
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 098. Senior Course Study

    Independent study taken normally in the spring of senior year by course majors. Students will prepare for a graded oral exam held in the spring with department faculty. The exam will be based on any two-credit unit of study within the major (Honors seminar or course plus attachment), with students submitting their final exam and a paper, which can be revised.
    0.5 credit.
    Spring 2023. Turpin.
    Spring 2024. Turpin.
    Spring 2025. Turpin.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 109. Aesop and the Ancient Fable Tradition

    This seminar is devoted to study of the ancient fable tradition, from the earliest traces of animal fables in archaic Greek poetry to the Latin fable books of the medieval period. The primary goal of the seminar will be to develop an appreciation of the style, form, content, and history of the fable genre through close readings of original texts. In addition, we will also consider the question of the fable’s status as “popular” or “low” literature in antiquity; problems of authorship and the fable’s links to the mysterious, legendary figure of Aesop; the role played by animals and anthropomorphism in ancient storytelling; and the global spread of Aesop’s fables in the post-Classical world. There will be opportunities to contribute to original research, including participation in a collaborative workshop with students at the Universita di Trento, Italy, and working with manuscripts of fable collections at the Walters Museum in Baltimore, MD, and the Morgan Library in New York, NY. Students can enroll for either LATN or GREK credit, depending on their particular interests and language competencies. 
    Humanities.
    2 credits.
    Fall 2022. Lefkowitz.
    Catalog chapter: Classics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LATN 129. Caligula and Claudius

    This is an advanced Latin course, intended for students with one or more intermediate Latin courses at the college level, or c. 4 years of Latin in high school.  The emperor Gaius Caligula, famous for considering his favorite racehorse for the office of consul, raises urgent questions about what we consider normal in our leaders. The emperor Claudius, made generally famous by the classic TV series “I Claudius,” presents similar questions. He was a transformative figure in Roman imperial history, responsible for the creation of a civil service, expansion of the Roman citizenship, and the conquest of Britain. But he also had medical problems, and made some spectacularly inappropriate marriages. The principal Latin texts will be Suetonius’ Life of Gaius Caligula, Tacitus’ bitter account of Claudius in his Annals, and selected documents (inscriptions and Latin papyri). We will also read Seneca’s exposition of Stoic ideals in his de Providentia, and Seneca’s (?) Apocolocyntosis, a spoof account of Claudius’ posthumous journey to heaven.
    Humanities.
    Writing course.
    2 credits.
    Catalog chapter: Classics
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.

Linguistics
  

  • LING 001. Introduction to Language and Linguistics

    Introduction to the study and analysis of human language, including sound systems, lexical systems, the formation of phrases and sentences, and meaning, both in modern and ancient languages and with respect to how languages change over time. Other topics that may be covered include first-language acquisition, sign languages, poetic metrics, the relation between language and the brain, and sociological effects on language.
    Social sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Donovan. O’Leary.
    Spring 2023. Donovan. Fuller Medina.
    Fall 2023. Donovan. Staff.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Spring 2025. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics   
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 002. First-Year Seminar: Taboo

    Taboo terms vary in topic across language communities: religion, sex, disease and death, and bodily effluents are common, but other topics can appear, often depending on nonlinguistic factors (community size, demographics, and cultural beliefs). Taboo terms also vary in how they are used: exclamations, name-calling, and maledictions are common, but other uses can appear, such as modifiers and predicates. Over time less common uses tend to semantically bleach, so that historical taboo terms can be used without hint of vulgarity or rudeness. These less common uses can fall together with slang in exhibiting linguistic behavior unique within that language, at the word level and the phrase and sentence level, behavior that is telling with respect to linguistic theory. Each student will choose a language other than English to investigate.
    Social sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for INTP, GLBL.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 002A. First-Year Seminar: Gender and Language

    In this course we will examine the way that language makes gender, and gender makes language. This includes examinations of gender marking in the grammar of languages (such as grammatical gender, gendered nouns and pronouns, etc.); the way that linguistic performance can be influenced by gendered embodiment and create gendered performance; and how gender influences linguistic interactions and their interpretations.
    Writing
    1 credit.
    Eligible for GSST.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 002B. First-Year Seminar: Creoles in the Caribbean

    Creole languages are new language varieties arising out of contact between European languages and non-European languages (from the regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean) during colonization. The primary focus will be on Anglophone Creoles of the Caribbean and the Caribbean coast of Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama and Honduras. In addition to examining structural features, we will examine the sociohistorical and linguistic circumstances leading to the formation of new language varieties as well as the colonial ideologies which shape the study of Creoles and their status in Creolophone societies. Other aspects to be explored include: Creoles and education, the commodification and spread of Creole languages (e.g. through Reggae), linguistic agency and resistance, the possible relationship between Creoles and African American English (AAE), whether Creoles are autonomous languages and if they constitute one language family.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for LALS.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 003. First-Year Seminar: Multilingualism and Language Contact

    ·    Are bilingual people more creative? 
    ·    If you use more than one language at the same time, does it mean you are not fluent in those languages?
    ·    What’s the difference between bilingualism and multilingualism? 

    Come explore these questions and other myths about multilingualism, from a linguistic point of view, to gain an understanding of what it means to be multilingual at the individual, community and societal level. You will also get a chance to edit Wikipedia pages as part of the  Wikipedia Student Program and learn about multilingualism in various regions: Latin America, Canada, the United States etc.
     
    Social Science
    1 credit.
    Eligible for GSST, LALS.
    Fall 2022. Fuller Medina.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 004. First-Year-Seminar: Indigenous Languages of the Americas

    At least 300 languages were spoken in North America before the first contact occurred with Europeans. Most of the surviving languages are on the verge of extinction. Students will learn about language patterns and characteristics of language families, including grammatical classification systems, animacy effects on sentence structure, verbs that incorporate other words, and evidentials. Topics include how languages in contact affect each other, issues of sociolinguistic identity, language endangerment and revitalization efforts, and matters of secrecy and cultural theft.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 005. First-Year Seminar: How Children Learn Language

    This course explores how humans acquire a language from infancy to young childhood. We will examine how children come to acquire grammatical features, sound patterns, language structures, social language skills, and more. This course will also examine the role of cognitive development in language acquisition as well as theories of language acquisition. This course will investigate many sub-branches of linguistics, such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and more. 
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2023. Donovan.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  
  

  • LING 011. American Sign Language I

    Introduction to learning and understanding American Sign Language (ASL), and the cultural values and rules of behavior of the American Deaf community. Includes receptive and expressive readiness activities; sign vocabulary; grammatical structure; facial expressions (emotional & grammatical), body/spatial movement, gestures; receptive and expressive fingerspelling; and deaf culture do’s and don’ts. Specific concepts/topics include the number/letter/color/shape basics, identifying people, activities, transportation, cities, places, and family.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Drolsbaugh.
    Spring 2023. Drolsbaugh.
    Fall 2023. Drolsbaugh.
    Spring 2024. Drolsbaugh.
    Fall 2024. Drolsbaugh.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 012. American Sign Language II

    In ASL II, students expand their conversational range from talking about themselves to talking about other people, and about activities inside and outside the home along with time/calendar/sequencing concepts. Students also gain skill in reading and giving directions along with making requests as well as agreeing to requests with conditions. Other concepts include opinions, qualities, and pricing. Students develop polite conversation strategies to navigate Deaf space and to handle interruptions. Grammar topics include retelling and using role shifting in narratives, agreement verbs, and negations.
    Prerequisite: LING 011  
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Drolsbaugh.
    Spring 2023. Drolsbaugh.
    Spring 2024. Drolsbaugh.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  
  

  • LING 016A. Forensic Linguistics

    (Cross-listed as RUSS 016A)
    This half-credit course provides an overview of linguistic approaches to the study of law and language. It combines a theoretical discussion of selected issues with practical analysis of texts. Written texts will be analyzed for their stylistic features, spoken texts will point out the interaction between discourse participants. The course will report on the findings of the newly developing discipline of forensic linguistics. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the role of the emerging discipline of forensic linguistics as well as understand the specificities of various genres of legal English.
    Humanities.
    .5 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 018. Linguistic Evolution of English: From Prehistory to Present

    This course will trace the evolution of English from its earliest Indo-European origins to its present-day dispersal around the globe. Students will investigate the languages, cultures and histories of the linguistic ancestors of English, and will examine how peculiarities of modern English find their origins in the unique and distinctive development of the language. Students will additionally gain familiarity with basic linguistic concepts in articulatory phonetics and phonology, as well as historical and comparative linguistics. This course has no formal prerequisites.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics    
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 019. Lenape Language Study

    Students will gain a working knowledge of the structure of the Lenape Language. The course covers conversation, grammar, and usage, as well as discussion of the conceptual elements inherent in this Algonquian language. Topics will include elements of Lenape culture, songs in the language, and discussion of the current status of Lenape as an endangered language.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 020. Natural Language Processing

    (Cross-listed as CPSC 065 )
    This course is an introduction to the fundamental concepts in natural language processing, the study of human language from a computational perspective. The focus will be on creating statistical algorithms used in the analysis and production of language. Topics to be covered include parsing, morphological analysis, text classification, speech recognition, and machine translation. No prior linguistics experience is necessary.
    Group 3 course.
    Prerequisite: CPSC 035  or the equivalent.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 022. Introduction to Japanese Linguistics

    (Cross-listed as JPNS 022 )
    This course introduces various aspects of Japanese linguistics, such as Japanese phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics. Through obtaining theoretical insights on the structural organization of the Japanese language and examining linguistic data, the course aims to broaden students’ knowledge of the structural aspects of the language and to cultivate their ability to analyze linguistic facets of Japanese communicative culture.

    In class, we will go over the main concepts and data analyses from weekly readings and discuss relevant data, questions, and counter-examples, while going over study questions and exercises. Students are encouraged to share their own experiences and compare the Japanese linguistic structures and communicative practices with those of English and other languages.

    Students who take this class will develop their understanding of the differing layers of the Japanese language by solving concrete linguistic problems, enhance their ability to learn new grammatical structures in the Japanese language by analyzing them linguistically, and receive guidance in producing an objective linguistic analysis of a facet of the Japanese language. 

    Readings and discussion will be in English.
    Prerequisite: Completion of JPNS 001 or permission of the instructor.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ASIA.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  
  

  • LING 024. Sanskrit Class on Paninian Grammar

    (Cross-listed as CLST 024 ) 
    This course counts for distribution in humanities under the classics rubric and in social sciences under the linguistics rubric.
    Social sciences
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://swarthmore.edu/linguistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
  

  • LING 025. Sociolinguistics: Language, Culture, and Society

    (Cross-listed as SOAN 040B )
    This course is an introduction to the connection between language and social and identity as it is studied from a variety of methodologies and perspectives, including ethnography, variationist sociolinguistics, and experimental sociolinguistics in the lab. Topics to be examined include the following: How do we create our intersecting identities when we use language? How do social factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class influence the way people use language? How do individual speakers use language differently in different situations? How do social and regional dialects differ from each other, and why? How does language change spread within and between communities? Students will collect and analyze data from real-life speech to explore the social correlates of linguistic behavior, using both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze their data.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ESCH
    Fall 2022. Fuller Medina.
    Spring 2023. Conrod.
    Fall 2023. Fuller Medina.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 029. Sign Language Literature

    (Cross-listed as CPLT 029  )
    We look at sign language literature, comparing to spoken language literature with respect to: storytelling methods, definitions of rhyme, notions of closure, role of paralinguistic features, relationship of storyteller to audience, and role of stories in their communities.  We examine linguistic creativity in storytelling, humor, poetry, and taboo language across modalities.
    Social Sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2024. Napoli.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 035. Indigenous Languages of the Americas

    At least 300 languages were spoken in North America before the first contact occurred with Europeans. Most of the surviving languages are on the verge of extinction. Students will learn about language patterns and characteristics of language families, including grammatical classification systems, animacy effects on sentence structure, verbs that incorporate other words, and evidentials. Topics include how languages in contact affect each other, issues of sociolinguistic identity, language endangerment and revitalization efforts, and matters of secrecy and cultural theft.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ESCH.
    Fall 2023. Fernald.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 039. Language Learning

    How are languages learned? What cognitive and social factors contribute to development in first, second, and additional languages? How can immersion and study abroad be used most effectively by students? This course is an introduction to theories and methods in investigating the process and achievement of using new language. We will explore common myths about second language acquisiton and how improvisational skills are gained in new systems of culture, vocabulary, and grammar. We will also examine how age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other social factors mediate language development. Students will learn how to examine their own experiences through methods in participant observation and autoethnography, and gain an understanding of how researchers contribute to textbook development and instructional approaches such as communicative language teaching. 
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 040. Semantics

    (Cross-listed as PHIL 040 )
    In this course, we look at a variety of ways to represent meaning in language, including via logic “languages” such as propositional logic, set theory, predicate logic, and lambda calculus. We address truth-functional semantics, lexical semantics, speech act theory, and pragmatics, among many other topics. We additionally discuss applications of these theories, such as the implications of pragmatics in legal situations and in communications with AI.

     
    This course counts for distribution in humanities under the philosophy rubric and in social sciences under the linguistics rubric.
    Social sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS
    Fall 2022. O’Leary.
    Spring 2023. O’Leary.
    Fall 2023. O’Leary.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 041. Dialects of American English

    This course provides an introduction to dialect diversity in American English. Why are some dialect differences stigmatized, while others are barely noticed? In addition to learning about the origin and current status of regional, social, and ethnic dialects of American English, students will explore how dialects are expressed and represented in literature, poetry, and the popular media. This course will appeal to students with interests in language ideology, the history of the English language, and the surprising role that dialect diversity plays in American politics and culture.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 044. Linguistic Discrimination

    This course examines the intersections of language and social identity, and the ways these intersections serve as potential sites for both expression and social conflict. Why are some linguistic differences stigmatized, while others are barely noticed? Focusing on-but not limited to-varieties of English spoken in the US, we will explore issues concerning regional, socially- and ethnically-linked dialects; ideologies about language and language variation; attitudes toward linguistic diversity; hate speech and political correctness; and language-based discrimination in public and private contexts. Along the way we will examine what is known about language as a linguistic and social phenomenon, including the ways language is used to construct and reflect social identities and social group boundaries.  
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: Linguistics


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  • LING 045. Phonetics and Phonology

    Phonetics and phonology is an introduction to the study of speech sounds and the equivalent in signed languages. Phonetics investigates physical properties of language, including sounds and gestures, their acoustic and perceptual properties, how to categorize them, and how they pattern in human language. Phonology investigates cognitive properties of language, the mental system that organizes and represents sounds and signs, and how sounds and signs interact with one another. We will explore data from languages around the world, learn how to annotate and interpret the data, and practice developing analyses to account for patterns in linguistic data.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS
    Fall 2022. Gasser.
    Spring 2023. Dockum.
    Fall 2023. Dockum.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 047. Evolution of Language and Culture

    The study of language and culture from an evolutionary perspective. We will think about how linguistic and cultural traits evolve, and how changes can be “undone” with to reconstruct the past. This course applies computational methods originally developed for evolutionary biology to language and culture.

    No programming experience required. No formal prequisite, but at least one of the following is recommended: LING 001  , ANTH 001  , LING 052  , BIOL 034  , or an interest in quantitative and computational methods.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: Linguistics


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  • LING 050. Syntax

    The main objective of this course is to familiarize students with the scientific study of syntactic structure in human language as part of the broader enterprise of the study of the human language faculty. Students learn the rudiments of syntactic analysis and argumentation within the Principles & Parameters/Minimalist framework in generative syntactic theory. The course gives attention to the relevance of syntax to other fields of study, including psychology (language acquisition, language processing), computer science, language reclamation and revitalization, stigmatized dialects, and more.
    Social sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS
    Fall 2022. Donovan.
    Spring 2023. Conrod.
    Fall 2023. Donovan.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 052. Historical and Comparative Linguistics

    This course is an introduction to the study of linguistic change.  Various models of language change are explored to seek to understand how and why languages change.  This will be done by drawing from a wide range of languages to explore changes at all levels of the grammar (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, etc.) and the various factors that can contribute to linguistic change.  We will learn how it is possible to reconstruct linguistic systems that we have no direct record of, and will consider what it means for languages to diverge and converge.  Major themes of the course will be the comparative method and the relationship between socio-linguistics and historical linguistics.  The topics of language shift, language endangerment and death, language birth, and language planning will also be addressed, and assigned work and projects will develop the skills to conduct historical linguistics research through exploitation of electronic and library resources.
    Prerequisite: LING 045  or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Washington.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 054. How Children Talk to Each Other: Oral and Written Language

    (Cross-listed as EDUC 054 )
    We examine children’s dialogue and its rendering in children’s literature, focusing on the voices of minority children within an American setting. Each student will pick an age group to study. There will be regular fiction-writing assignments as well as primary research assignments with children. This course is for linguists, writers of children’s fiction, and anyone else interested in child development or reading skills. It is a course in which we learn through doing. This is a 1 credit, ungraded course.
    Social sciences.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2024. Napoli.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 061. Structure of Navajo

    Navajo is an Athabaskan language spoken more commonly than any other Native American language in the United States. This course is an examination of the major phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic structures of Navajo. The morphology of this language is legendary. This course also considers the history of the language and its cultural context.
    Prerequisite: LING 050  and LING 045  or LING 052  or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS, ESCH
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 063. Supporting Literacy Among Deaf Children

    (Cross-listed at THEA 033 )
    In this course, we will consider ways to promote literacy among young deaf children, including introducing them to sign language literature and the visual vernacular and encouraging shared reading activities with their care-takers. This course is jointly offered at Gallaudet University. The GALLY students will re-envision beloved picture books in a way that reflects deaf culture and video-record themselves telling those stories. The SWAT students will give (remote) feedback on those videos and then produce the revised versions in the form of YouTube videos and ebooks for the RISE Ebook project website. These bimodal-bilingual stories will be designed so that adults can share them with deaf children regardless of their knowledge of a sign language (or lack thereof).
    Prerequisite: A background in linguistics, theater, film, early childhood development, or education would be helpful.
    Corequisite: Students taking the course remotely must have access to an Apple computer or iPad with iBooksAuthor and must have access to film-editing programs. Students also need to have a rudimentary knowledge of a sign language (such as ASL) or concurrently take an attachment in ASL language.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for INTP, GLBL - Core
    Spring 2023. Napoli.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 064. Structure of Tuvan

    Tuvan belongs to the Turkic branch of the Altaic language family and is spoken in Siberia and Mongolia by nomadic herders. It has classically agglutinating morphology and curious phenomena such as vowel harmony, converbs, and switch reference. It has rich sound symbolism, a tradition of oral (unwritten) epic tales, riddles, and world-famous song genres (“throat singing”). We will investigate the sounds, structures, oral traditions, and ethnography of Tuvan, using both printed and digital media.
    Prerequisite: LING 050  and LING 045  or LING 052  or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ASIA, COGS
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 066. Structure of Thai

    Thai is the national language of Thailand, and a language in the Kra-Dai language family. In this course we will embark on a deep dive into the linguistic study of Thai, including components of its phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistics. Topics of special focus may include (but are not limited to) its intricate system of pronominal reference, how Thai came to be a tonal language, and how the Thai writing system acts as a kind of ‘fossil record’ for studying its history. We will compare aspects of Thai to related languages in its family, such as Lao, Shan, Tai Khamti, and more. We will also zoom out to mainland Southeast Asia as a linguistic convergence area, the geographic and cultural crossroads within which Thai has both influenced and been influenced by many neighboring languages and cultures. 

    The aim of the course is to expand the skills you have gained in other linguistics courses by applying them to all parts of the Thai language. You will have some freedom to explore the areas of the language that most interest you. You will also have the chance to interact with Thai speakers as you build your skills of linguistic analysis and reasoning, and as we get up to our elbows in both primary data and the existing linguistics literature about Thai.
    Prerequisite: Any two of LING 001, LING 025, LING 040, LING 043, LING 045, LING 050, or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ASIA.
    Fall 2022. Dockum.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 067. Structure of Wamesa

    Wamesa is a member of the under-studied South Halmahera-West New Guinea subgroup of the Austronesian language family, with roughly 5000 speakers in West Papua, Indonesia. It has a number of typologically rare morphological and syntactic features, such as infixation and Noun-Adj-Det-Num word order. This course will investigate the major phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures of the language using both primary data and published sources. We will also look at the history of the language and its cultural/political context.
    Prerequisite: LING 045   plus either LING 001   or LING 050 .
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ESCH.
    Fall 2023. Gasser.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 068. Structure of Kyrgyz

    Kyrgyz is a Turkic language which is spoken throughout the Tien-Shan mountains and surrounding areas of Central Asia and has been influenced by Mongolian, Persian, Arabic, and Russian.

    Students will examine all main areas of Kyrgyz grammar, with a focus on the major phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures of the language. Some of the topics we’ll look at in depth include vowel harmony, sonority effects across syllable boundaries, morphological and syntactic strategies for using one part of speech as another, and intricate systems for marking tense, aspect, mood, voice, and evidentiality. We’ll also talk about historical and contemporary social and cultural topics of relevance to Kyrgyz, including the postcolonial context in Central Asia.

    Assignments and class activities will involve hands-on exploration of primary and secondary printed and digital materials and interaction with Kyrgyz speakers, with the aim of building students’ skills in linguistic analysis and reasoning, as well as their understanding of the range of perspectives involved in linguistic study of a language and the community it’s used in. There will also be opportunities to explore other modern and historical Turkic languages.
    Prerequisite: Any two of LING 001, LING 045, LING 050, LING 052, or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ESCH, ASIA.
    Spring 2023. Washington.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 073. Computational Linguistics

    (Cross-listed as CPSC 013  )
    This course explores the possibilities for creating computational resources for languages for which vast collections of text don’t exist. Students will choose a language lacking in computational resources and develop tools for it. The focus will be on creating nuanced symbolic representations of the language that can be employed by computers, to the benefit of both language researchers who wish to test grammatical models, and language communities which lack the social capital to benefit from corporately developed resources. Topics covered include input methods and spell-checking, morphological analysis and disambiguation, syntactic parsing, building corpora, and rule-based machine translation, with an emphasis on anti-colonial methodologies and free/open-source technologies.
    Prerequisite: LING 001  (or equivalent) or CPSC 021  (or equivalent), or permission of the instructor.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ASIA, COGS, GLBL-core
    Spring 2023. Washington.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 073Q. Computational Linguistics: Quantitative Approaches

    This course surveys computational and quantitative approaches to the study of human language. We will cover methods for modeling and understanding data in a variety of subfields of linguistics. Students will acquire skills to process linguistic data and implement simple algorithms for key tasks in language analysis. Topics to be covered include aspects of Natural Language Processing, regular expressions, finite state automata, quantitative historical linguistics, quantitative phonetics, data visualization, etc. No prior programming experience is required.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 075. Field Methods

    In this course, students work directly with a speaker of an unfamiliar language to gather data and analyze the structures of that language. Students develop inference techniques for eliciting, understanding, analyzing, and presenting complex linguistic data. We discuss and enact best practices for working collaboratively with speech communities, including ethical training in Human Subjects research. Students also gain practical experience using state-of-the-art digital recording, annotation, and archiving for scientific purposes. A different (typically non-European) language will be investigated each time the course is taught.
    Prerequisite: Familiarity with IPA transcription and any two of: LING 001  , LING 025  , LING 040  , LING 043  , LING 045  , LING 050  , or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ASIA, COGS, ESCH.
    Fall 2022. Dockum.
    Fall 2023. Dockum.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 080. Syntax II

    This course builds on introductory syntax courses by delving more deeply into familiar topics through primary readings and by exploring new areas that are not typically covered in introductory syntax. Possible topics include raising and control, applicatives, voice alternations, ergativity, and non-configurational languages; advanced topics in A-bar syntax will be covered, such as islands, the left periphery, wh- in situ, and relative clauses. Broader additional topics may include: experimental syntax, microsyntactic variation, working with data from grammars of less-studied languages, topics in the syntax-semantics interface, and contributions from work outside the Minimalist/GB/P&P framework.   
    Prerequisite: LING 050  
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Conrod.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 082. Sociolinguistics II

    (Cross-listed as SOAN 041 ).
    This course builds upon foundational concepts in sociolinguistic theory to examine discourses of news and entertainment media, across science fiction and politics. Drawing upon contributions in applied linguistics, media studies, cultural studies, and animal studies, we ask which realities are mirrored in our everyday language and in the fictional and sensationalized worlds we engage in through the media we consume. What role does science fiction play in our explorations of social difference, deviance, control, disability, sexuality, and normativity? Can science fiction assist the goals of social justice and democracy? How does language surface in the biopolitics of human and non-humans? Together, we will explore key film and television, and select novels by authors Max Brooks, Octavia Butler, Philip K. Dick, and George Orwell. Students will learn advanced methods and theories in multimodal critical discourse analysis, ethnography of communication, and digital humanities.
    Prerequisite: One course addressing foundational concepts of language in society, including LING 025 , SOAN 040B  .
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ESCH
    Spring 2023. Fuller Medina.
    Spring 2024. Fuller Medina.
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 085. Phonology II

    This course is a sequel to LING 045–Phonetics and Phonology. It is designed to provide further training in formal phonology, in terms of both data analysis and the fundamentals of phonological theory. Students will look deeply at both classic and later derivational versions of Optimality Theory, as well as some alternatives to OT, such as Articulatory Phonology. Once a common theoretical foundation has been established we will explore these topics through critical reading of major articles form the linguistic literature, as a way of exploring the details of the theories discussed, their strengths and weaknesses, and the rich cross-linguistic data that underlie them.
    Prerequisite: LING 045  
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 090. Advanced Research Methods in Linguistics

    This course covers the history, methodology, and notable debates in linguistics. Course readings include important primary works on topics throughout the history of linguistics, from early philology, to generative linguistics, to experimental and cognitive approaches. This course is intended for juniors and other advanced linguistics majors in preparation for conducting significant linguistics research, such as a senior thesis.
    Prerequisite: Any two of LING 001 , LING 025 , LING 040 , LING 045 , and LING 050 , or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2023. Dockum.
    Spring 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 091. Defying Categorization: Contemporary dance and sign language performance

    (Cross-listed as DANC 023A)
    This course interrogates issues surrounding late twentieth and twenty-first-century movement-based performance focusing on dance, storytelling, and sign poetry including cultural hybridity and the relationship between movement and text. Jumping off from the history of aesthetics and methodologies developed by performance studies and dance studies, as well as sociological distinctions of in-group/out-group, we will ask what gets performed, where, and why.
    Humanities.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for INTP.
    Spring 2024. Napoli.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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Linguistics - Seminars
  

  • LING 004A. First-Year Seminar: Discovering Language: A Scientific Approach

    Everyone speaks a language, often more than one. But how do languages actually work? As a class, we’ll work directly with a speaker of an unfamiliar language to figure out how it’s organized, while using it to shed light on Language more generally. We’ll practice collaborative linguistic fieldwork and language documentation, cover basic concepts in linguistic theory to help make sense of what we find, and counter some common linguistic myths. We’ll address a range of questions like: How different can languages be from one to another? How typical - or unusual - is English? How does a language become endangered, and what can be done about it? And what are our responsibilities as researchers towards the people we work with?
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: Linguistics


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  • LING 004B. First-Year Seminar: Internet Linguistics

    Despite claims to the contrary, it seems that the internet has not destroyed English. But how has the internet changed language use, and the study of linguistics? This course will be an exploration of the various forms that language takes online and other digital formats, such as texting. We will explore questions such as: Why do my parents insist on texting in full paragraphs? Is the internet good or bad for the future of indigenous and minority languages?

    Is there a difference in meaning between :), :-), ^_^,?  What are the differences and similarities between face-to-face and online communication? We will look at a range of sources and methods for investigating language use online, and use some of these methods in our own investigations of internet language.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: Linguistics


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  • LING 006. First Year Seminar: Clarity in Communication

    In this course, we will look at the ways in which written and verbal communication can be made clearer through the lens of linguistics - the scientific study of language patterns. Primarily, we will pull from the fields of syntax (the study of word order and grammar) and semantics (the study of language meaning) to investigate topics such as ambiguity, implied meaning, tone, logical arguments, organization, and even punctuation. Students will evaluate and improve their own writing and general communication, which makes this course an especially good fit for students who would like to feel more confident about their essay writing. Writers of all levels welcome. No prior knowledge of linguistics required.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2023. O’Leary.
    Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 108A. Time in Language.

    A basic building block of linguistic meaning is communication about time. In this course, we will look at variations in tense and aspect in the world’s languages. Building on the formal systems taught in Semantics (LING 040/PHIL 040), we will investigate, describe, and model (i) the effects of tense on verbs, nouns, and other predicates; (ii) grammatical aspect; and (iii) cross-linguistic variation in the interpretation of embedded tenses. We will also discuss seemingly “tenseless” languages, as well as the use of tense and aspect in time-travel-based science fiction. Students will conduct independent research projects on the tense systems of non-English languages.
    Prerequisite: LING 040/PHIL 040.
    Social Sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS.
    Spring 2023. O’Leary.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics
    Department website: Linguistics


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  • LING 115. Linguistic Typology and Constructed Languages

    Humans have long been driven to duplicate and manipulate the properties of natural language to create new languages for the purposes of enhancing works of fiction, for aiding human communication, or even for pure intellectual curiosity. In this course, students will explore this drive through development of their own constructed languages, guided by rigorous study of the typology of patterns observed in real human languages. Topics to be covered include phoneme inventories, phonological rules, morphological classification, syntactic structure, language change over time, dialectal variation, and writing systems. Students will also apply their knowledge of linguistic typology to critically assess the design of existing constructed languages such as Esperanto and Klingon.
    Prerequisite: LING 001  or LING 045  or permission of instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • LING 120. Anthropological Linguistics: Endangered Languages

    (Cross-listed as )
    In this seminar, we address some traditional issues of concern to both linguistics and anthropology, framed in the context of the ongoing, precipitous decline in human linguistic diversity. With the disappearance of languages, cultural knowledge (including entire technologies such as ethnopharmacology) is often lost, leading to a decrease in humans’ ability to manage the natural environment. Language endangerment thus proves relevant to questions of the language/ecology interface, ethnoecology, and cultural survival. The seminar also addresses the ethics of fieldwork and dissemination of traditional knowledge in the Internet age.
    Prerequisite: One course in linguistics or anthropology or permission of the instructor.
    Social sciences.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for ENVS
    Catalog chapter: Linguistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/linguistics


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  • MATH 063. Introduction to Real Analysis

    This course concentrates on the careful study of the principles underlying the calculus of real valued functions of real variables. Topics include continuity, compactness, connectedness, uniform convergence, differentiation, and integration. There is a strong emphasis on good mathematical writing, especially on mathematical proofs.  Each section of this course includes a required additional weekly problem session with the same professor.
    Prerequisite: Credit for, or placement out of, MATH 027  or MATH 028  and also a grade of C or better in one of MATH 033 , MATH 034 , or MATH 035 .
    Natural sciences and engineering.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Eligible for COGS
    Fall 2022. Mavinga. Viator.
    Fall 2023. Devlin, Talvacchia, Barranca
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Mathematics and Statistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/mathematics-statistics


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Mathematics and Statistics
  

  • MATH 003. Introduction to Mathematical Thinking

    Students will explore ideas and fundamental results from mathematics while we emphasize the thinking and problem-solving skills these ideas stimulate. Class meetings will involve presentation of new material; group work on problems and puzzles; and lively, maybe even passionate discussions about mathematics. This course is intended for students with little background in mathematics or those who may have struggled with math in the past. It is not open to students who already have received credit on their Swarthmore transcripts for mathematics (including Advanced Placement credit),  who concurrently are taking another mathematics course, or who have placed out of any Swarthmore mathematics course.  (See “Placement Procedure ” earlier.) Students planning to go on to calculus should consult with the instructor. This course does not count toward a major in mathematics.
    Prerequisite: Placement into this course through Swarthmore’s Math/Stat Readiness Examination. 
    Natural sciences and engineering.
    Writing course.
    1 credit.
    Spring 2023. Chen.
    Catalog chapter: Mathematics and Statistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/mathematics-statistics


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  • MATH 015. Single-Variable Calculus 1

    A first-semester calculus course with emphasis on an intuitive understanding of the concepts, methods, and applications. Graphical and symbolic methods will be used. The course will mostly cover differential calculus, with an introduction to integral calculus at the end, including the fundamental theorem of calculus.
    Prerequisite: Four years of traditional high school mathematics (precalculus) and placement into this course through Swarthmore’s Math/Stat Readiness Examination. Students with prior calculus experience must also take Swarthmore’s Calculus Placement Examination (see “Placement Procedure ” section earlier).
    Natural sciences and engineering.
    1 credit.
    Fall 2022. Chen. Crawford.
    Fall 2023. Grood, Gomez, Whitehead
    Fall 2024. Staff.
    Catalog chapter: Mathematics and Statistics  
    Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/mathematics-statistics


    Access the class schedule to search for sections.
 

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