Introduction to the scientific study of language: The sounds of language; word and sentence structure; semantics and pragmatics; discourse and conversational speech; the social and cultural functions of language; language change and the reconstruction of languages at earlier stages.
5
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeProf. Kennedy explained concepts really well in lecture, but the readings for this class were pretty dense and there were weekly quizzes on them. However, we were allowed to attempt the homework as many times as we needed which was really nice. Tests weren't worth that much of our grade so it was easier to do well in the class.
He's pretty funny and engaging during lectures, but the material itself felt pretty dry -- a lot of memorization without as much explanation as to why these things were interesting and important. Overall, though, he's a pretty solid prof and not a very tough grader.
Professor Kennedy was not a terrible professor but he wasn't amazing either. The lectures are extremely dense with confusing slides and I often found it challenging to keep up with the content The midterm and final were mildly difficult. I'd take him again if I had to, but wouldn't actively choose to.
Dense lectures, however clear expectations and tests do not impact grade too heavily
Very nice professor and funny too. It's not a hard class and you can pass even if you fail both the midterm and final. However, the book is very boring and has many terms to memorize. You also have to take reading quizzes every week but are allowed to retake them until you get 100%. It was a cool topic but got confusing quickly.
Weekly quizzes you could retake until you get 100%. Midterm and Final aren't a big portion of your grade so even if you fail both you'll pass by doing all the small assignments. Professor is nice and funny but the class is just confusing if you don't really care about linguistics. Definitely read the assigned textbook (which you can find online).