LIN 522: Psycholinguistics of Sign Languages

Deaf and hearing people around the world acquire, produce and perceive sign languages. This course takes an in-depth look at how they acquire, produce and perceive sign languages. Psycholinguistics generally covers three domains: acquisition, use (perception and production) and brain studies. This course focuses on perception and production, as well as brain studies (aka neurolinguistics). With respect to production, we will examine studies that focus on “slips of the hands”, both spontaneous and induced. With respect to perception, we will look at both online and offline cases. For brain studies, we will discuss both behavioral and imaging studies. Student Learning Objectives: Student learning objectives for this course are listed in the table below, showing their alignment with the learning objectives of the Linguistics Department. The table also lists the methods that will be used to assess of student learning. Short papers and final paper will be assessed using the rubric for written assignments; Presentation and co-teaching exercise will be assessed using the rubric for presentations; participation in class discussions will be assessed using the rubric for participation. All rubrics are attached to the end of this syllabus. Linguistics Department Learning Outcomes: I. Students will demonstrate critical thinking and analysis of the constructs, claims, and conclusions of the fields that comprise the study of linguistics. II. Students will demonstrate logical argumentation in their coursework, formulating and supporting their claims in a manner tha