Graduate Program

Spring Term Schedule

Spring 2026

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
LING 404-01 History of Linguistic Thought Ash Asudeh TR 4:50PM - 6:05PM
This course looks at key ideas in linguistics, starting in Babylon and Ancient China and working towards the study of meaning in modern linguistic theory and philosophy of language. Among the topics we will look at are: writing and its influence on grammatical traditions; the advent of historical linguistics, linguistic phylogeny, and the comparative method; European structuralism; American structuralism; variation within and across languages; the rise of generative grammar; Chomsky's philosophy of linguistics, including competence and I-language; literal meaning and beyond. Students will be expected to read a selection of primary literature and participate actively in class discussion. The course will be assessed by essays (essay questions and reading lists for each essay to be provided). Location (TR 4:50PM - 6:05PM)
LING 416-01 Speech on the Brain Laurel Carney MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM
The focus of this course is on neural representations of speech sounds; introduction to basics of speech phonetics and responses from the auditory nerve through the brainstem, midbrain, and cortex; techniques for analyzing speech and neural responses. Students from BME, LING, BCSC, NSCI and other programs will work in interdisciplinary teams on a final project. Location (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)
LING 420-01 Intro to Grammatical Systems Mary Moroney TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM
This course examines the grammatical structure of sentences from the standpoint of transformational grammar. The course develops the basic techniques of syntactic analysis in order to develop a working theory of a (fragment of) English. The theory is then tested against data from other languages and revised accordingly. Location (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)
LING 424-01 Intro to Computational Lin Aaron White MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
This course covers foundational concepts in computational linguistics and is designed for students with a strong background in formal linguistic methods but only rudimentary programming experience. Major focus is placed on the use of formal languages as a tool for understanding natural language as well as on developing students' ability to implement foundational algorithms pertaining to those formal languages. Topics include basic formal language theory, finite state phonological and morphological parsing, and syntactic parsing for context free grammars and mildly context sensitive formalisms. Students who have taken the CSC17X series should consult with the instructor prior to enrollment, since there is overlap with a subset of the technical material covered in those courses. Conversely, while it is possible to enter this course with no programming experience and do well, students new to programming may wish to take CSC161 or to attend a CIRC programming bootcamp prior to taking this course. Location (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)
LING 427-01 Phonetics Jeremy Coburn MW 2:00PM - 3:25PM
This course is intended to provide participants with an overview of research in an area of phonetics and phonology. Issues vary from term to term but may cover areas in segmental, metrical and intonational phonology and the phonology/phonetics interface. Location (MW 2:00PM - 3:25PM)
LING 428-01 Lexical Semantics Scott Grimm MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
In this course we investigate the study of word-meaning in current linguistics and cognitive science. We examine the meanings of lexical items such as verbs, nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, and also other categories of words, including various function words and discourse particles. We examine theories of word-meaning, and examine how words and vocabulary may vary between languages. Location (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)
LING 430-01 Sign Language Structure Norma Tourangeau MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
An examination of signed languages and the cognitive constraints that shape them, through a detailed consideration of the structure of American Sign Language and other natural signed languages of the world. Includes training in sign language notation and analysis. Location (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)
LING 447-01 Natural Language Processing Hangfeng He MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
This introductory course in Natural Language Processing (NLP) explores the AI techniques enabling computers to understand and communicate with humans. Divided into four main sections—Statistical NLP, Neural NLP, Foundation Models, and Advanced Topics—the curriculum covers essential language tasks, from syntax and semantics to complex applications like question answering. We'll also touch on current trends in Large Language Models, such as emergent abilities and human-alignment techniques. Ideal for those interested in the intersection of AI and language, the course tackles challenges at the word, sentence, and document levels. Location (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)
LING 450-01 Data Science for Linguistics C.M. Downey MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM
This course addresses linguistic research questions through data science techniques. The course will focus on developing skills to (i) acquire and process a variety of language data, from using established corpora to capturing data in the wild, and (ii) to investigate language use, particularly syntactic and semantic phenomena, through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. A significant part of the course will be devoted to hands-on projects and will include developing familiarity with using the programming languages Python and R to acquire and explore linguistic data. Familiarity with statistics and/or computational linguistics is advantageous, but not necessary. Location (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)
LING 465-02 Formal Semantics Ash Asudeh TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
This course is an in-depth introduction to the formal analysis of natural language meaning, employing techniques that have been developed in language and formal philosophy over the last century. Issues include intensionality, quantification, tense, presupposition, plurality, the analysis of discourse, and other current issues. Familiarity with syntax, logic, and/or computation are helpful. Location (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
LING 466-01 Intro to Pragmatics Mary Moroney MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM
Within theoretical linguistics, pragmatics is (broadly speaking) the study of how language users convey meaning. This course covers three general areas: (1) How meaning carried by linguistic elements (such as sentences) interacts with meaning that arises from inferences about speakers intentions; (2) Ways of characterizing meaning, especially with respect to linguistic elements not easily handled in traditional semantic (i.e., truth-conditional) terms; (3) The role of context in determining meaning. Topics to be discussed include the relation between semantics and pragmatics, representations of context, truth-conditional and other types of meaning, presupposition; implicature and Grices Cooperative Principle. Location (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)
LING 467-01 Topics in Semantics Scott Grimm MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM
This course explores topics relating to the semantics of nouns, including the count/mass distinction, theories of plurality, relational nouns, and nominalizations. We will focus both on current literature exploring these topics and the methodologies used to investigate them. Students will participate in hands-on research to better explore these topics. Pre-requisites: LING 225/LING 425 Location (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)
LING 491-01 Master's Reading Ash Asudeh 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-02 Master's Reading Nadine Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-03 Master's Reading Scott Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-04 Master's Reading Joyce McDonough 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-05 Master's Reading Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-06 Master's Reading Joanna Pietraszko 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 491-07 Master's Reading Aaron White 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for master's students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-01 Master's Research Joyce McDonough 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-02 Master's Research Scott Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-03 Master's Research Nadine Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-05 Master's Research Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-06 Master's Research Joanna Pietraszko 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 495-07 Master's Research Aaron White 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master’s students with the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 501-01 Research Methods in Linguistics Maya Abtahian TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM
This course is intended to help graduate students in linguistics design and plan for independent research. Topics will include developing a research question, conducting a literature review, and designing a research plan. As necessary, we will also work on “research management,” or everything that researchers need to do alongside producing intellectual content, including presentation skills (different types of presentation), data collection techniques, writing an IRB proposal, managing research timelines, securing research funds, developing necessary software skills, maintaining a presence in the field, conducting a job search, and others. A secondary goal of the course is to provide an opportunity for graduate advising. Students may bring questions or concerns for discussion. Location (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)
LING 590-01 Supervised Teaching Ash Asudeh 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-02 Supervised Teaching James Wamsley 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-03 Supervised Teaching Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-04 Supervised Teaching Joanna Pietraszko 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-05 Supervised Teaching Aaron White 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-06 Supervised Teaching Joyce McDonough 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-07 Supervised Teaching Scott Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 590-08 Supervised Teaching Mary Moroney 7:00PM - 7:00PM
No description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 591-01 PhD Readings Scott Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for PhD students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 591-02 PhD Readings – 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is for PhD students that have made arrangements with a faculty member to complete readings and discussion in a particular subject in their field of study. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-01 PhD Research Nadine Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-02 PhD Research Aaron White 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-03 PhD Research Ash Asudeh 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-04 PhD Research Scott Grimm 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-05 PhD Research Joyce McDonough 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 595-06 PhD Research Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students with fewer than 90 credits the opportunity to conduct, develop, and refine their doctoral research projects. Students will engage in research relevant to their field of study and make progress toward completing their dissertations. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 895-01 Continuation of Master’s Enrollment Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course is designed for master's degree students who have completed all required coursework but still need to finalize specific degree requirements under less than half-time enrollment. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 897-01 Master's Dissertation Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides master's students who are currently completing their final required coursework, or with special circumstances like an approved reduced courseload, with the opportunity to work full-time on their degrees. Students will make significant progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
LING 999-01 Doctoral Dissertation Maya Abtahian 7:00PM - 7:00PM
This course provides PhD students who have completed or are currently completing 90 credits of coursework and have fulfilled all degree requirements (except for the dissertation) with the opportunity to work full-time on their dissertation. Students will make significant progress toward completing their degrees. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Monday
Monday and Wednesday
LING 416-01 Speech on the Brain Laurel Carney
The focus of this course is on neural representations of speech sounds; introduction to basics of speech phonetics and responses from the auditory nerve through the brainstem, midbrain, and cortex; techniques for analyzing speech and neural responses. Students from BME, LING, BCSC, NSCI and other programs will work in interdisciplinary teams on a final project.
LING 450-01 Data Science for Linguistics C.M. Downey
This course addresses linguistic research questions through data science techniques. The course will focus on developing skills to (i) acquire and process a variety of language data, from using established corpora to capturing data in the wild, and (ii) to investigate language use, particularly syntactic and semantic phenomena, through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. A significant part of the course will be devoted to hands-on projects and will include developing familiarity with using the programming languages Python and R to acquire and explore linguistic data. Familiarity with statistics and/or computational linguistics is advantageous, but not necessary.
LING 467-01 Topics in Semantics Scott Grimm
This course explores topics relating to the semantics of nouns, including the count/mass distinction, theories of plurality, relational nouns, and nominalizations. We will focus both on current literature exploring these topics and the methodologies used to investigate them. Students will participate in hands-on research to better explore these topics. Pre-requisites: LING 225/LING 425
LING 428-01 Lexical Semantics Scott Grimm
In this course we investigate the study of word-meaning in current linguistics and cognitive science. We examine the meanings of lexical items such as verbs, nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, and also other categories of words, including various function words and discourse particles. We examine theories of word-meaning, and examine how words and vocabulary may vary between languages.
LING 447-01 Natural Language Processing Hangfeng He
This introductory course in Natural Language Processing (NLP) explores the AI techniques enabling computers to understand and communicate with humans. Divided into four main sections—Statistical NLP, Neural NLP, Foundation Models, and Advanced Topics—the curriculum covers essential language tasks, from syntax and semantics to complex applications like question answering. We'll also touch on current trends in Large Language Models, such as emergent abilities and human-alignment techniques. Ideal for those interested in the intersection of AI and language, the course tackles challenges at the word, sentence, and document levels.
LING 424-01 Intro to Computational Lin Aaron White
This course covers foundational concepts in computational linguistics and is designed for students with a strong background in formal linguistic methods but only rudimentary programming experience. Major focus is placed on the use of formal languages as a tool for understanding natural language as well as on developing students' ability to implement foundational algorithms pertaining to those formal languages. Topics include basic formal language theory, finite state phonological and morphological parsing, and syntactic parsing for context free grammars and mildly context sensitive formalisms. Students who have taken the CSC17X series should consult with the instructor prior to enrollment, since there is overlap with a subset of the technical material covered in those courses. Conversely, while it is possible to enter this course with no programming experience and do well, students new to programming may wish to take CSC161 or to attend a CIRC programming bootcamp prior to taking this course.
LING 430-01 Sign Language Structure Norma Tourangeau
An examination of signed languages and the cognitive constraints that shape them, through a detailed consideration of the structure of American Sign Language and other natural signed languages of the world. Includes training in sign language notation and analysis.
LING 427-01 Phonetics Jeremy Coburn
This course is intended to provide participants with an overview of research in an area of phonetics and phonology. Issues vary from term to term but may cover areas in segmental, metrical and intonational phonology and the phonology/phonetics interface.
LING 466-01 Intro to Pragmatics Mary Moroney
Within theoretical linguistics, pragmatics is (broadly speaking) the study of how language users convey meaning. This course covers three general areas: (1) How meaning carried by linguistic elements (such as sentences) interacts with meaning that arises from inferences about speakers intentions; (2) Ways of characterizing meaning, especially with respect to linguistic elements not easily handled in traditional semantic (i.e., truth-conditional) terms; (3) The role of context in determining meaning. Topics to be discussed include the relation between semantics and pragmatics, representations of context, truth-conditional and other types of meaning, presupposition; implicature and Grices Cooperative Principle.
Tuesday and Thursday
LING 465-02 Formal Semantics Ash Asudeh
This course is an in-depth introduction to the formal analysis of natural language meaning, employing techniques that have been developed in language and formal philosophy over the last century. Issues include intensionality, quantification, tense, presupposition, plurality, the analysis of discourse, and other current issues. Familiarity with syntax, logic, and/or computation are helpful.
LING 501-01 Research Methods in Linguistics Maya Abtahian
This course is intended to help graduate students in linguistics design and plan for independent research. Topics will include developing a research question, conducting a literature review, and designing a research plan. As necessary, we will also work on “research management,” or everything that researchers need to do alongside producing intellectual content, including presentation skills (different types of presentation), data collection techniques, writing an IRB proposal, managing research timelines, securing research funds, developing necessary software skills, maintaining a presence in the field, conducting a job search, and others. A secondary goal of the course is to provide an opportunity for graduate advising. Students may bring questions or concerns for discussion.
LING 420-01 Intro to Grammatical Systems Mary Moroney
This course examines the grammatical structure of sentences from the standpoint of transformational grammar. The course develops the basic techniques of syntactic analysis in order to develop a working theory of a (fragment of) English. The theory is then tested against data from other languages and revised accordingly.
LING 404-01 History of Linguistic Thought Ash Asudeh
This course looks at key ideas in linguistics, starting in Babylon and Ancient China and working towards the study of meaning in modern linguistic theory and philosophy of language. Among the topics we will look at are: writing and its influence on grammatical traditions; the advent of historical linguistics, linguistic phylogeny, and the comparative method; European structuralism; American structuralism; variation within and across languages; the rise of generative grammar; Chomsky's philosophy of linguistics, including competence and I-language; literal meaning and beyond. Students will be expected to read a selection of primary literature and participate actively in class discussion. The course will be assessed by essays (essay questions and reading lists for each essay to be provided).
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday