Neuroscience of Language   Draft Syllabus

 

Classes: Tues. & Thursday Ruter  203, 9:30 to 10:45

Lab: Tuesday 1:30 or 3:00

 

Text:  Lieberman, P. (2002). Human language and our reptilian brain. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard.

 

Faculty                         email                            Offices                         Office Hours

Jeff Cross                     jcross                           Carnegie 19

Alec Dale                     adale                            Carnegie 9                    MWF 10-12

Nancy Smith                 nsmith                           Ruter

 

Class #                         Topic                                                   Readings

 

1. Thurs. Jan 20 all       Orientation to the course                       syllabus

                                    Pre-test- in class

 

 

2.  Tues. Jan 25 cross                       Neurons, brain and language:                    Handout #1 on neuronal 

                                                         what's necessary?                                physiology and gross brain    

                                                                                                 anatomy; hallucination articles  15a, 48

 

3. Tues. Jan 25 dale/all Lab #1                                                 single cell electrophysiology

                                                                                                & "neuron dances"

 

 

 

4. Th. Jan 27cross/all    In-Class Models Lab - Brain,               Handout #2 - keys to critical

                                    Ear, and  Throat models                        components of models 29

                                    Evoked potential demo.

 

5.  Tues. Feb. 1smith    Talking about Language                        Sapir & Fishman article&Marcus, et al, 2003

                                                                                                15, 36

                                   

 

6. Tues. Feb 1 dale/all  Lab#2                                                  Audiometry - use of stimulus software

 

 

 

7. Thurs. Feb 3 all        Language development:                         videoclip: infant perception

                                    description and theory                           4 (in part), 45

 

 

8. Tues. Feb 8 all          Language elaboration:

                                    Neural and cognitive components

                                    Video clip-Gazzaniga-Split brain           "chicken manure" example

                                                                                                23

 

9. Tues. Feb. 8 dale/all Lab #3                                                 DAF   

                                                                                                19

                                                                                               

 

 

10. Thurs. Feb 10 cross/all                                                       Learning and Memory   18

 

 

 

11. Tues. Feb 15 cross/all                                                         Memory systems          41

 

 

 

12. Tues. Feb 15 dale/all                                                          Lab #4 Memory- distraction STM task

 

 

 

13. Thurs. Feb 17 cross                                                Language and brain injury:                     8a, 33

                                    aphasias & anomias

 

14. Tues. Feb 22 smith Bilingual brains:                                     Five cornerstones article

                                    factors affecting acquisition                    dichotic listening articles

                                    guests: Mandarin speakers                    Fabbro (2001)

                                                                                                24, 44

 

15. Tues Feb 22 dale/all                                               Lab#5              Dichotic Listening Lab

                                                                                                            40

                                   

 

 

16. Thurs Feb 24 all     Bilingual brains:                                     bilingual aphasia articles

                                    spoken and gestural/manual                   6, 14

                                    language

 

 

 

17. Tues Mar 1 all        Bilingual brains:                                     13

                                    injury and recovery; scanning

                                    techniques                                           

 

 

 

18. Tues Mar 1 dale/all Lab#6                                                  EEG: alpha blocking

                                                                                                Molfese, et al.,(2001)

                                                                                                29 in part

 

 

 

19. Thurs Mar 3 dale/all                                                Language & Cognition              Fishman (1989)

                                                                                                15

 

 

20. Tues Mar 8 dale/all Language & Cognition                          Vygotsky-Piaget debate

                                                                                                Majid-TICS 2004

 

 

21.  T Mar 8dale/all      Lab#7                                                  Cognates & Non- Cognates

                                                                                                (Kristen Blake comp)

 

 

22. Thurs Mar 10 Smith/all                                                       Elaboration on language elements         Does Broca play by the rules?; Marcus (2003)

                                                                                                5, 8

 

 

23. Tues  Mar 15 Smith/all                                                        Elaboration on language elements;

                                    Learning styles revisited

 

 

24. Tues Mar 15 dale/all                                                           Lab #8 Laterality lab

                                                                                                (aggressive vs non-aggressive words)

 

 

25. Thurs Mar 17 smith/all                                                        Lost in translation

 

Spring Break:  Sat March 19 through Sunday March 27

 

26.Tues Mar 29 dale    higher order cognition; attention

                                    cocktail party effect

 

                                                                                               

27. Tues Mar 29 dale/all                                                           Lab #9 Subliminal stimuli lab GSR

                                                                                                amygdala articles

 

 

28.  Thurs Mar 32 smith/all                                                       Emotions in language –prosody 1         

 

 

 

29. Tues Apr 5 dale /all                                                            Emotions-autonomic nervous system     10, 16

 

 

 

30. Tues Apr 5 dale/all Lab # 10                                              Emotions and Language

 

31. Thurs Apr 7 cross/all                                                          Limbic System & Emotion        Damasio's Somatic                                 Marker hypothesis

 

32. Tues Apr  12 cross/all                                                         Amygdala and faces      38

 

 

33. Tues Apr 12 dale/all                                                           Lab #11           Facial Expression         

                                                                                                EMG facial muscles;

                                                                                                (good & bad jokes)

 

 

 

34.  Thurs Apr. 14 cross/all                                                      cognitive disorders: autism,        34, 47

                                    William's Syndrome, and other

                                    genetic/developmental disorders

 

 

 

35. Tues Apr. 19 cross/all                                                         cognitive disorders: autism,        37

                                    William's Syndrome, and other

                                    genetic/developmental disorders

 

 

 

36. Tues Apr 19 cross/all                                                          Lab #12           Autism rat model demonstration

                                                                                                8A

 

37. Thurs Apr 21 cross/smith                                                    Speech production

 

 

 

38. Tues Apr 26 coates/crozier?                                               Respiration & Speech

 

 

 

39. Tues Apr 26 dale/all                                                           Lab #13           Respiration Lab

 

 

 

 

40. Thurs Apr 28 Kelley Levis –evening class                           6, 34a

 

41. Tues May 3 Speech Pathology – TBA-Senior Project Day

 

42.  Tues May 3 Lab Practicum

 

Final paper/exam due  ????