chaseharmon/MIT_Course_Catalog · Datasets at Hugging Face

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24.131	Ethics of Technology	Introduces the tools of philosophical ethics through application to contemporary issues concerning technology. Takes up current debates on topics such as privacy and surveillance, algorithmic bias, the promise and peril of artificial intelligence, automation and the future of work, and threats to democracy in the digital age from the perspective of users, practitioners, and regulatory/governing bodies.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.132	Workshop in Ethical Engineering	Students study and apply a protocol for identifying and addressing ethical issues in a computer science, software development, or other engineering project. Builds a vocabulary to advocate for and justify ethical decisions in engineering contexts. For the final project, students either apply the protocol to a project they are working on, or develop their own protocol.	true	IAP	Undergraduate	2-0-1	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.133	Experiential Ethics	Examines the ethical context around students' summer internships, research, and other experiential learning activities. During the summer and through the first four weeks of the fall term, students engage in small group discussions of applied ethical practices and case studies. Throughout the subject, they explore their own moral values through a reflective final project that examines their engagement with ethics during their summer experience. Includes local field trips, practitioner interviews, and/or similar opportunities for interaction with professional ethics. Concludes with a showcase of final presentations. Meets with 24.134, a 6-unit version which includes additional class time, assignments, theoretical content, and in-depth engagement. Students planning to take this subject must apply in the spring; consult program website for details.	true	Fall, Spring	Undergraduate	1-0-2	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.134	Experiential Ethics	Examines the ethical context around students' summer internships, research, and other experiential learning activities. During the summer and beginning of fall term, students engage in small group discussions of applied ethical problems. Includes an independent project and opportunities for interaction with professional ethics. Meets with 24.133 but includes additional class time, assignments, theoretical content, and in-depth engagement. Students planning to take this subject must apply in the spring; consult program website for details.	true	Fall, Spring	Undergraduate	2-0-4	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.137[J]	Feminist Thought	Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.	true	Fall, Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	17.007[J], WGS.301[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.141	Logic I	Introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic. The logic of truth functions and quantifiers. The concepts of validity and truth and their relation to formal deduction. Applications of logic and the place of logic in philosophy.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.150[J]	Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech	Examines theories and principles that underlie the concept of free speech in the United States, the historical context in which the values of free speech and toleration emerged, and the philosophical arguments that were and are made for and against them. Students analyze a variety of contexts and communicative practices, including new media technologies, to debate how "speech" can be described and when it should be appropriately regulated. Considers current disputes over free speech on college campuses.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	17.043[J], CMS.125[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.C40[J]	Ethics of Computing (New)	Explores ethical questions raised by the potentially transformative power of computing technologies. Topics include: lessons from the history of transformative technologies; the status of property and privacy rights in the digital realm; effective accelerationism, AI alignment, and existential risk; algorithmic bias and algorithmic fairness; and free speech, disinformation, and polarization on online platforms.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	6.C40[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.200	Ancient Philosophy	Investigates the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece. Aims both to understand the philosophical questions the Greeks were asking on their own terms, and to assess their answers to them. Examines how a human being can lead a good life, the relationship between morality and happiness, our knowledge of the world around us, and the entities we need to appeal to in order to explain that world. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One Philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.201	Topics in the History of Philosophy	Close examination of a text, an author, or a theme in the history of philosophy. Can be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor and advisor. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.211	Theory of Knowledge	Study of problems concerning our concept of knowledge, our knowledge of the past, our knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of ourselves and others, and our knowledge of the existence and properties of physical objects in our immediate environment. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.212	Philosophy of Perception	In-depth examination of philosophical issues concerning perception, such as whether we see mind-independent physical objects or, alternatively, mind-dependent representations; whether perception is a source of theory-neutral observations or is affected by the perceiver's beliefs in a way that compromises the objectivity of science. Readings primarily drawn from contemporary literature in both philosophy and psychology. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.213	Philosophy of Film	Explores the philosophical analysis of cinematic art. Topics may include the nature of film, authorship, interpretation, ethical, narration, metaphor, meta-criticism, political and emotional engagement with the cinematic experience. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.215	Topics in the Philosophy of Science	Close examination of a small number of issues central to recent philosophy of science, such as the demarcation problem, causal relations, laws of nature, underdetermination of theory by data, paradoxes of confirmation, scientific realism, the role of mathematics in science, elimination of bias, and the objectivity of scientific discourse. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.220	Moral Psychology	An examination of philosophical theories of action and motivation in the light of empirical findings from social psychology, sociology and neuroscience. Topics include belief, desire, and moral motivation; sympathy and empathy; intentions and other committing states; strength of will and weakness of will; free will; addiction and compulsion; guilt, shame and regret; evil; self-knowledge and self-deception; virtues and character traits. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.222	Decisions, Games and Rational Choice	Foundations and philosophical applications of Bayesian decision theory, game theory and theory of collective choice. Why should degrees of belief be probabilities? Is it always rational to maximize expected utility? If so, why and what is its utility? What is a solution to a game? What does a game-theoretic solution concept such as Nash equilibrium say about how rational players will, or should, act in a game? How are the values and the actions of groups, institutions and societies related to the values and actions of the individuals that constitute them? Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.223	Rationality	Provides the tools for thinking through the tension of empirical work that suggests humans are surprisingly irrational and other work that suggests humans are exquisitely rational. Doing so requires combining both normative and descriptive methods: the need to know how ideally rational agents <em>would</em> reason, as well as how real people <em>do</em> reason. The first half of the term is spent learning the details of how to work with the canonical (Bayesian) theory of rationality; it is blackboard- and problem-set based. The second half of the term is spent applying this theory to work out the proper interpretation of a variety of empirical results that have been taken to demonstrate human irrationality, such as hindsight bias, motivated reasoning, the gambler's fallacy, the sunk-cost fallacy, conformity, and polarization. Subject is paper- and discussion-based. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.230	Meta-ethics	Considers a range of philosophical questions about the foundations of morality, such as whether and in what sense morality is objective, the nature of moral discourse, and how we can come to know right from wrong. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.233	The Ethics of Climate Change	Deals with ethical questions raised by the way in which our climate is changing as a result of fossil fuel consumption. Explores the moral problems raised by these effects, the obligations of individuals and governments, the difficulties involved in dealing with uncertainty, catastrophe, and the ethics of future generations. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.234	Global Justice, Gender, and Development	Addresses challenges in working towards global justice including poverty, food and water insecurity, healthcare disparities, human rights violations, violence and dislocation, and environmental risk. Focuses on gender and identity, locating the root causes of inequality within cultural, political and economic contexts. Designed to give a framework to understand gender dynamics. Teaches how to integrate gender sensitive strategies into development work. Classes, readings, and final projects illustrate how design and implementation of international development strategies can provide capacity building and income generation opportunities. Meets with EC.718 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 20 total for versions meeting together.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.235[J]	Philosophy of Law	Examines fundamental issues in philosophy of law, such as the nature and limits of law and a legal system, and the relation of law to morality, with particular emphasis on the philosophical issues and problems associated with privacy, liberty, justice, punishment, and responsibility. Historical and contemporary readings, including court cases. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	17.021[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.236	Topics in Social Theory and Practice	An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philsophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.240[J]	Literature and Philosophy	Highlights interactions between literary and philosophical texts, asking how philosophical themes can be explored in fiction, poetry, and drama. Exposes students to diverse modes of humanistic thought, interpretation, and argument, putting the tools and ideas of philosophy into conversation with those of the literary humanities. Students engage closely with selected literary and philosophical texts, explore selected topics in philosophy - such as ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - through a literary lens, and participate in class discussion with peers and professors. Enrollment limited.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject	21L.452[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.242	Logic II	The central results of modern logic: the completeness of predicate logic, recursive functions, the incompleteness of arithmetic, the unprovability of consistency, the indefinability of truth, Skolem-Löwenheim theorems, and nonstandard models. Enrollment may be limited.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.141 or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.243	Classical Set Theory	Introduction to the basic concepts and results of standard, i.e., Zermelo-Fraenkel, set theory, the axioms of ZF, ordinal and cardinal arithmetic, the structure of the set-theoretic universe, the axiom of choice, the (generalized) continuum hypothesis, inaccessibles, and beyond. Enrollment may be limited.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.141 or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.244	Modal Logic	Sentential and quantified modal logic, with emphasis on the model theory ("possible worlds semantics"). Soundness, completeness, and characterization results for alternative systems. Tense and dynamic logics, epistemic logics, as well as logics of necessity and possibility. Applications in philosophy, theoretical computer science, and linguistics. Enrollment may be limited.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.141	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.245	Theory of Models	Studies fundamental results in the model theory of the first-order predicate calculus. Includes completeness, compactness, Löwenheim-Skolem, omitting types, ultraproducts, and categoricity in a cardinal, starting with Tarski's definition of logical consequence, in terms of truth in a model. Enrollment may be limited.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.141 or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.251	Introduction to Philosophy of Language	Examines views on the nature of meaning, reference, and truth, and their bearing on the use of language in communication. No knowledge of logic or linguistics presupposed. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.252	Language and Power	Explores topics at the intersection of philosophy of language and social/political philosophy. Topics may include linguistic harm, free speech, speech in non-cooperative contexts (lying, insincerity, antagonistic interlocutors), propaganda, pejoratives, and the relationship of language to features of the social world (race, gender, ideology). Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	false	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.253	Philosophy of Mathematics	Philosophical issues about or related to mathematics, including the existence and nature of basic mathematical objects such as numbers and sets, how we can come to have knowledge of such objects, the status of mathematical truth, the relation of mathematics to logic, and whether classical logic can be called into question. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.260	Topics in Philosophy	Close examination of a single book, or group of related essays, with major significance in recent philosophy. Subject matter varies from year to year. Intended primarily for majors and minors in philosophy. Opportunities are provided for oral presentation. Students will be required to revise at least one paper in response to instructor's comments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	Two subjects in philosophy	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.280	Foundations of Probability	Topics include probability puzzles, common fallacies in probabilistic reasoning, defenses and criticisms of Kolmogorov's axiomatization, interpretations of probability (including the frequency, logical, propensity, and various subjectivist interpretations), the relation of objective chance to rational subjective credence, conditional probability, rules for updating probability, and proposals for supplementing the probability calculus with further principles. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or one subject on probability	null	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.292	Independent Study: Philosophy	Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Students electing this subject must consult the undergraduate officer.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	rranged	Any two subjects in philosophy	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.293	Independent Study: Philosophy	Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Students electing this subject must consult the undergraduate officer.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	rranged	Any two subjects in philosophy	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.S00	Special Subject: Philosophy	Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.	true	Fall, Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.S20	Special Subject: Philosophy	Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.	true	Fall, Spring, Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.UR	Undergraduate Research	Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information, consult the departmental coordinators.	true	Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer	Undergraduate	rranged [P/D/F]	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.URG	Undergraduate Research	Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information consult the departmental coordinators.	true	Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.191	Being, Thinking, Doing (or Not): Ethics in Your Life	Provides an opportunity to explore a wide range of ethical issues through guided discussions that are geared to equip students for ongoing reflection and action. Lectures and discussions with guest faculty, as well as attendance at on-and off-campus events, expose students to ethical problems and resources for addressing them. Encourages students to work collaboratively as they clarify their personal and vocational principles. Topics vary each term and will reflect the interests of those enrolled.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	2-0-4 [P/D/F]	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.192	Language, Information, and Power	Explores foundational issues about language and communication by investigating different ways language and its use affects various aspects of lived experience. Topics include speech act theory, lying, propaganda, censorship, expressions of knowledge, communication in non-cooperative contexts.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	2-0-4 [P/D/F]	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.400	Proseminar in Philosophy I	Advanced study of the basic problems of philosophy. Intended for first-year graduate students in philosophy.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	6-0-18 [P/D/F]	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.401	Proseminar in Philosophy II	Advanced study of the basic problems of philosophy. Intended for first-year graduate students in philosophy.	true	Spring	Graduate	6-0-18 [P/D/F]	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.410	Topics in the History of Philosophy	Intensive study of a philosopher or philosophical movement. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.420	Ancient Philosophy	Investigates the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece. Aims both to understand the philosophical questions the Greeks were asking on their own terms, and to assess their answers to them. Examines how a human being can lead a good life, the relationship between morality and happiness, our knowledge of the world around us, and the entities we need to appeal to in order to explain that world. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.500	Topics in Philosophy of Mind	Selected topics in philosophy of mind. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include consciousness, mental representation, perception, and mental causation.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.501	Problems in Metaphysics	Systematic examination of selected problems in metaphysics. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.502	Topics in Metaphysics and Ethics	Systematic examination of selected problems concerning the relation between metaphysics and ethics, for example questions about personal identity and its relation to issues about fairness and distribution, or questions about the relation between causation and responsibility. Content may vary from year to year, and the subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of the instructor and the student's advisor.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.503	Topics in Philosophy of Religion	Selected topics in philosophy of religion. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the traditional arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, the problem of evil, survival after death, God and ethics.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.504	Topics in Aesthetics	Selected topics in aesthetics. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the definition of art, the expression of emotion in music, the nature of depiction, the role of artists intentions in interpretation, and the relationship between moral and aesthetic value.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.601	Topics in Moral Philosophy	Systematic examination of selected problems in moral philosophy. Content varies from year to year. Subject may be repeated only with permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.602	Topics in the Philosophy of Agency	Systematic examination of selected problems in the theory of agency. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.611[J]	Political Philosophy	Systematic examination of selected issues in political philosophy. Topic changes each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	17.000[J]	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.634	Global Justice, Gender, and Development	Addresses challenges in working towards global justice including poverty, food and water insecurity, healthcare disparities, human rights violations, violence and dislocation, and environmental risk. Focuses on gender and identity, locating the root causes of inequality within cultural, political and economic contexts. Designed to give a framework to understand gender dynamics. Teaches how to integrate gender sensitive strategies into development work. Classes, readings, and final projects illustrate how design and implementation of international development strategies can provide capacity building and income generation opportunities. Meets with EC.798 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 20 total for versions meeting together.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.635	Topics in Critical Social Theory	Explores topics arising within critical race theory, feminist theory, queer theory, disability studies, working class studies, and related interdisciplinary efforts - both historical and contemporary - to understand and promote social justice.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.636	Topics in Social Theory and Practice	An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	One philosophy subject or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.637[J]	Feminist Thought	Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor, based on previous coursework	17.006[J]	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.711	Topics in Philosophical Logic	Problems of ontology, epistemology, and philosophy of language that bear directly on questions about the nature of logic and the conceptual analysis of logical theory, such as logical truth, logical consequence, and proof. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly upon permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.729	Topics in Philosophy of Language	Major issues in the philosophy of language. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.805	Topics in Theory of Knowledge	Major issues in theory of knowledge. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.810	Topics in Philosophy of Science	Topics in the foundations of science: the nature of concepts and theories, the distinction between empirical and theoretical knowledge claims, realist and instrumentalist interpretation of such claims, and the analysis of scientific explanation. The central topic varies from year to year. Subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of instructor and advisor.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.891	Independent Study: Philosophy	Open to qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Consult with the intended advisor and the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students in Philosophy before registering.	true	Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.892	Independent Study: Philosophy	Open to qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Consult with the intended advisor and the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students in Philosophy before registering.	true	Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged [P/D/F]	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.893	Dissertation Workshop	Workshop for students working on their dissertations. Restricted to Philosophy doctoral students.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	2-0-1	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.894	Placement Workshop	Workshop for students planning to apply for academic jobs in the following year. Advice and feedback on preparation of application materials, including writing sample, thesis abstract, and course syllabi. Limited to philosophy graduate students.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	2-0-1 [P/D/F]	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.899	Topics in Linguistics and Philosophy	Selected topics at the intersection of linguistics and philosophy. Intended for graduate students in either linguistics or philosophy. Topics vary from year to year.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.TAC	Teaching Requirement in Linguistics and Philosophy (New)	For graduate students who are fulfilling an academic teaching requirement in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	rranged [P/D/F]	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.THG	Graduate Thesis	Program of research and writing of thesis, to be arranged by the student with supervising committee.	true	Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.S40	Special Seminar: Philosophy	Graduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.S41	Special Seminar: Philosophy	Graduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.	true	Fall, Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.900	Introduction to Linguistics	Studies what is language and what does knowledge of a language consist of. It asks how do children learn languages and is language unique to humans; why are there many languages; how do languages change; is any language or dialect superior to another; and how are speech and writing related. Context for these and similar questions provided by basic examination of internal organization of sentences, words, and sound systems. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.	true	Fall, Spring	Undergraduate	4-0-8	null	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	CI-H
24.9000	How Language Works	Introduces the field of linguistics as the scientific study of the human capacity for language, and its interaction with other cognitive systems. Examines specific phenomena that reveal the general laws and principles that govern the structure of all human languages, as well as the ways in which languages do differ. Topics include language acquisition and use, language change, dialects, and language technologies, with a special focus on collection and analysis of linguistic data. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	4-0-8	null	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.901	Language and Its Structure I: Phonology	Introduction to fundamental concepts in phonological theory and their relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Articulatory and acoustic phonetics, distinctive features and the structure of feature systems, underlying representations and underspecification, phonological rules and derivations, syllable structure, accentual systems, and the morphology-phonology interface. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.902	Language and Its Structure II: Syntax	Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.903	Language and Its Structure III: Semantics and Pragmatics	Introduction to fundamental concepts in semantic and pragmatic theory. Basic issues of form and meaning in natural languages. Ambiguities of structure and of meaning. Compositionality. Word meaning. Quantification and logical form. Contexts: indexicality, discourse, presupposition and conversational implicature. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.904	Language Acquisition	Covers the major results in the study of first-language acquisition concentrating on the development of linguistic structure, including morphology, syntax, and semantics. Universal aspects of development are discussed, as well as a variety of cross-linguistic phenomena. Theories of language learning are considered, including parameter-setting and maturation.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.905[J]	Laboratory in Psycholinguistics	Hands-on experience designing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting experiments on the structure and processing of human language. Focuses on constructing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting an original and independent experimental project of publishable quality. Develops skills in reading and writing scientific research reports in cognitive science, including evaluating the methods section of a published paper, reading and understanding graphical displays and statistical claims about data, and evaluating theoretical claims based on experimental data. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-3-6	null	9.59[J]	true	false	false	False	False	False
24.906[J]	The Linguistic Study of Bilingualism	Development of bilingualism in human history (from Australopithecus to present day). Focuses on linguistic aspects of bilingualism; models of bilingualism and language acquisition; competence versus performance; effects of bilingualism on other domains of human cognition; brain imaging studies; early versus late bilingualism; opportunities to observe and conduct original research; and implications for educational policies among others. Students participate in six online web meetings with partner institutions. Taught in English. Enrollment limited.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	21G.024[J]	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	CI-H
24.908	Creole Languages and Caribbean Identities	Caribbean Creole languages result from language contact via colonization and the slave trade. Explores creolization from cognitive, historical and comparative perspectives and evaluates popular theories about "Creole genesis" and the role of language acquisition. Also explores non-linguistic creolization in literature, religion and music in the Caribbean and addresses issues of Caribbean identities by examining Creole speakers' and others' beliefs toward Creole cultures. Draws comparisons with aspects of African-American culture.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	CI-H
24.909	Field Methods in Linguistics	Explores the structure of an unfamiliar language through direct work with a native speaker. Students complete a grammatical sketch of the phonology and syntax, work in groups on specific aspects of the language's structure, and assemble reports to create a partial grammar of the language. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication. Enrollment limited.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-1-8	24.901, 24.902, and permission of instructor	null	true	false	false	False	False	False
24.910	Advanced Topics in Linguistic Analysis	In-depth study of an advanced topic in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax or semantics, with a focus on the interfaces among these grammar components. Provides practice in written and oral communication.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	(24.901, 24.902, and 24.903) or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.912[J]	Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies	Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. Connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Includes lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	21H.106[J], 21L.008[J], 21W.741[J], CMS.150[J], WGS.190[J]	false	false	false	False	False	CI-H
24.914	Language Variation and Change	Explores how linguistic systems vary across time and space. Uses case studies in particular languages to examine how language transmission and social factors shape the grammatical systems of individual speakers, and how grammar constrains variation and change. Students work in groups to analyze corpus or survey data. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.915	Linguistic Phonetics	The study of speech sounds: how we produce and perceive them and their acoustic properties. The influence of the production and perception systems on phonological patterns and sound change. Acoustic analysis and experimental techniques. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or 24.9000	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.916[J]	Old English and Beowulf	Intensive introduction to Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon), the ancestor of modern English that was spoken in England ca. 600-1100. In the first half of the term, students use short prose texts to study the basics of Old English grammar. They go on to read short poems, and conclude by tackling portions of the epic Beowulf in the last third of the term. Assessment based upon translation work, daily vocabulary quizzes, and three exams. Limited to 16.	false	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	21L.601[J]	false	false	false	False	Humanities	False
24.917	ConLangs: How to Construct a Language	Explores languages that have been deliberately constructed (ConLangs), including Esperanto, Klingon, and Tolkien's Elvish. Students construct their own languages while considering phenomena from a variety of languages of the world. Topics include writing systems, phonology (basic units of speech and how they combine), morphology (structure of words), syntax (how words are put together), and semantics (the expression of meaning, and what language leaves unexpressed). Through regular assignments, students describe their constructed language in light of the topics discussed. Final assignment is a grammatical description of the new language.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.918	Workshop in Linguistic Research	Students pursue individual research projects in linguistic analysis under the guidance of an advisor. Class meets weekly for presentation of student research and to critically discuss background reading. Focuses on developing skills in linguistic argumentation and presentation of findings. Provides practice in written and oral communication. Includes a 20-page final paper that each student presents to the class.	true	Spring	Undergraduate	3-0-9	(24.901, 24.902, and 24.903) or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	Social Sciences	False
24.919	Independent Study: Linguistics	Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects.	true	Fall, Spring, Summer	Undergraduate	rranged	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.UR	Undergraduate Research	Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information, consult the departmental coordinators.	true	Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer	Undergraduate	rranged [P/D/F]	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.URG	Undergraduate Research	Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information consult the departmental coordinators.	true	Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer	Undergraduate	rranged	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.S90	Special Subject: Linguistics	Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.	true	Fall	Undergraduate	3-0-9	24.900 or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.921	Independent Study: Linguistics	Open to qualified graduate students in linguistics who wish to pursue special studies or projects.	true	Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged	Permission of advisor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.922	Independent Study: Linguistics	Open to qualified graduate students in linguistics who wish to pursue special studies or projects.	true	Fall, Spring, Summer	Graduate	rranged [P/D/F]	Permission of advisor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.931	Language and Its Structure I: Phonology	Introduction to fundamental concepts in phonological theory and their relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Articulatory and acoustic phonetics, distinctive features and the structure of feature systems, underlying representations and underspecification, phonological rules and derivations, syllable structure, accentual systems, and the morphology-phonology interface. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.932	Language and Its Structure II: Syntax	Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.933	Language and Its Structure III: Semantics and Pragmatics	Introduction to fundamental concepts in semantic and pragmatic theory. Basic issues of form and meaning in natural languages. Ambiguities of structure and of meaning. Compositionality. Word meaning. Quantification and logical form. Contexts: indexicality, discourse, presupposition and conversational implicature. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.934	Language Acquisition	Covers the major results in the study of first-language acquisition concentrating on the development of linguistic structure, including morphology, syntax, and semantics. Universal aspects of development are discussed, as well as a variety of cross-linguistic phenomena. Theories of language learning are considered. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	24.900 or permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.942	Topics in the Grammar of a Less Familiar Language	Students work with a native speaker of a language whose structure is significantly different from English, examining aspects of its syntax, semantics, and phonology. In the course of doing this, students acquire techniques for gathering linguistic data from native speakers. Enrollment limited.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	24.951	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.943	Syntax of a Language (Family)	Detailed examination of the syntax of a particular language or language family, and theories proposed in the existing literature to account for the observed phenomena.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-9	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.946	Linguistic Theory and Japanese Language	Detailed examination of the grammar of Japanese and its structure which is significantly different from English, with special emphasis on problems of interest in the study of linguistic universals. Data from a broad group of languages studied for comparison with Japanese. Assumes familiarity with linguistic theory.	true	Fall	Graduate	3-0-6	Permission of instructor	null	false	false	false	False	False	False
24.947	Language Disorders in Children	Reading and discussion of current linguistic theory, first language acquisition and language disorders in young children. Focus on development of a principled understanding of language disorders at the phonological, morphological and syntactic levels. Examines ways in which these disorders confront theories of language and acquisition.	true	Spring	Graduate	3-0-9	null	null	false	false	false	False	False	False

24.131

Ethics of Technology

Introduces the tools of philosophical ethics through application to contemporary issues concerning technology. Takes up current debates on topics such as privacy and surveillance, algorithmic bias, the promise and peril of artificial intelligence, automation and the future of work, and threats to democracy in the digital age from the perspective of users, practitioners, and regulatory/governing bodies.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.132

Workshop in Ethical Engineering

Students study and apply a protocol for identifying and addressing ethical issues in a computer science, software development, or other engineering project. Builds a vocabulary to advocate for and justify ethical decisions in engineering contexts. For the final project, students either apply the protocol to a project they are working on, or develop their own protocol.

true

IAP

Undergraduate

2-0-1

null

false

False

24.133

Experiential Ethics

Examines the ethical context around students' summer internships, research, and other experiential learning activities. During the summer and through the first four weeks of the fall term, students engage in small group discussions of applied ethical practices and case studies. Throughout the subject, they explore their own moral values through a reflective final project that examines their engagement with ethics during their summer experience. Includes local field trips, practitioner interviews, and/or similar opportunities for interaction with professional ethics. Concludes with a showcase of final presentations. Meets with 24.134, a 6-unit version which includes additional class time, assignments, theoretical content, and in-depth engagement. Students planning to take this subject must apply in the spring; consult program website for details.

true

Fall, Spring

Undergraduate

1-0-2

null

false

False

24.134

Experiential Ethics

Examines the ethical context around students' summer internships, research, and other experiential learning activities. During the summer and beginning of fall term, students engage in small group discussions of applied ethical problems. Includes an independent project and opportunities for interaction with professional ethics. Meets with 24.133 but includes additional class time, assignments, theoretical content, and in-depth engagement. Students planning to take this subject must apply in the spring; consult program website for details.

true

Fall, Spring

Undergraduate

2-0-4

null

false

False

24.137[J]

Feminist Thought

Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.

true

Fall, Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

17.007[J], WGS.301[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.141

Logic I

Introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic. The logic of truth functions and quantifiers. The concepts of validity and truth and their relation to formal deduction. Applications of logic and the place of logic in philosophy.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.150[J]

Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech

Examines theories and principles that underlie the concept of free speech in the United States, the historical context in which the values of free speech and toleration emerged, and the philosophical arguments that were and are made for and against them. Students analyze a variety of contexts and communicative practices, including new media technologies, to debate how "speech" can be described and when it should be appropriately regulated. Considers current disputes over free speech on college campuses.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

17.043[J], CMS.125[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.C40[J]

Ethics of Computing (New)

Explores ethical questions raised by the potentially transformative power of computing technologies. Topics include: lessons from the history of transformative technologies; the status of property and privacy rights in the digital realm; effective accelerationism, AI alignment, and existential risk; algorithmic bias and algorithmic fairness; and free speech, disinformation, and polarization on online platforms.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

6.C40[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.200

Ancient Philosophy

Investigates the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece. Aims both to understand the philosophical questions the Greeks were asking on their own terms, and to assess their answers to them. Examines how a human being can lead a good life, the relationship between morality and happiness, our knowledge of the world around us, and the entities we need to appeal to in order to explain that world. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One Philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.201

Topics in the History of Philosophy

Close examination of a text, an author, or a theme in the history of philosophy. Can be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor and advisor. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.211

Theory of Knowledge

Study of problems concerning our concept of knowledge, our knowledge of the past, our knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of ourselves and others, and our knowledge of the existence and properties of physical objects in our immediate environment. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.212

Philosophy of Perception

In-depth examination of philosophical issues concerning perception, such as whether we see mind-independent physical objects or, alternatively, mind-dependent representations; whether perception is a source of theory-neutral observations or is affected by the perceiver's beliefs in a way that compromises the objectivity of science. Readings primarily drawn from contemporary literature in both philosophy and psychology. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.213

Philosophy of Film

Explores the philosophical analysis of cinematic art. Topics may include the nature of film, authorship, interpretation, ethical, narration, metaphor, meta-criticism, political and emotional engagement with the cinematic experience. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.215

Topics in the Philosophy of Science

Close examination of a small number of issues central to recent philosophy of science, such as the demarcation problem, causal relations, laws of nature, underdetermination of theory by data, paradoxes of confirmation, scientific realism, the role of mathematics in science, elimination of bias, and the objectivity of scientific discourse. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.220

Moral Psychology

An examination of philosophical theories of action and motivation in the light of empirical findings from social psychology, sociology and neuroscience. Topics include belief, desire, and moral motivation; sympathy and empathy; intentions and other committing states; strength of will and weakness of will; free will; addiction and compulsion; guilt, shame and regret; evil; self-knowledge and self-deception; virtues and character traits. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.222

Decisions, Games and Rational Choice

Foundations and philosophical applications of Bayesian decision theory, game theory and theory of collective choice. Why should degrees of belief be probabilities? Is it always rational to maximize expected utility? If so, why and what is its utility? What is a solution to a game? What does a game-theoretic solution concept such as Nash equilibrium say about how rational players will, or should, act in a game? How are the values and the actions of groups, institutions and societies related to the values and actions of the individuals that constitute them? Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.223

Rationality

Provides the tools for thinking through the tension of empirical work that suggests humans are surprisingly irrational and other work that suggests humans are exquisitely rational. Doing so requires combining both normative and descriptive methods: the need to know how ideally rational agents <em>would</em> reason, as well as how real people <em>do</em> reason. The first half of the term is spent learning the details of how to work with the canonical (Bayesian) theory of rationality; it is blackboard- and problem-set based. The second half of the term is spent applying this theory to work out the proper interpretation of a variety of empirical results that have been taken to demonstrate human irrationality, such as hindsight bias, motivated reasoning, the gambler's fallacy, the sunk-cost fallacy, conformity, and polarization. Subject is paper- and discussion-based. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.230

Meta-ethics

Considers a range of philosophical questions about the foundations of morality, such as whether and in what sense morality is objective, the nature of moral discourse, and how we can come to know right from wrong. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.233

The Ethics of Climate Change

Deals with ethical questions raised by the way in which our climate is changing as a result of fossil fuel consumption. Explores the moral problems raised by these effects, the obligations of individuals and governments, the difficulties involved in dealing with uncertainty, catastrophe, and the ethics of future generations. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.234

Global Justice, Gender, and Development

Addresses challenges in working towards global justice including poverty, food and water insecurity, healthcare disparities, human rights violations, violence and dislocation, and environmental risk. Focuses on gender and identity, locating the root causes of inequality within cultural, political and economic contexts. Designed to give a framework to understand gender dynamics. Teaches how to integrate gender sensitive strategies into development work. Classes, readings, and final projects illustrate how design and implementation of international development strategies can provide capacity building and income generation opportunities. Meets with EC.718 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 20 total for versions meeting together.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.235[J]

Philosophy of Law

Examines fundamental issues in philosophy of law, such as the nature and limits of law and a legal system, and the relation of law to morality, with particular emphasis on the philosophical issues and problems associated with privacy, liberty, justice, punishment, and responsibility. Historical and contemporary readings, including court cases. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

17.021[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.236

Topics in Social Theory and Practice

An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philsophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.240[J]

Literature and Philosophy

Highlights interactions between literary and philosophical texts, asking how philosophical themes can be explored in fiction, poetry, and drama. Exposes students to diverse modes of humanistic thought, interpretation, and argument, putting the tools and ideas of philosophy into conversation with those of the literary humanities. Students engage closely with selected literary and philosophical texts, explore selected topics in philosophy - such as ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - through a literary lens, and participate in class discussion with peers and professors. Enrollment limited.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject

21L.452[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.242

Logic II

The central results of modern logic: the completeness of predicate logic, recursive functions, the incompleteness of arithmetic, the unprovability of consistency, the indefinability of truth, Skolem-Löwenheim theorems, and nonstandard models. Enrollment may be limited.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.141 or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.243

Classical Set Theory

Introduction to the basic concepts and results of standard, i.e., Zermelo-Fraenkel, set theory, the axioms of ZF, ordinal and cardinal arithmetic, the structure of the set-theoretic universe, the axiom of choice, the (generalized) continuum hypothesis, inaccessibles, and beyond. Enrollment may be limited.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.141 or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.244

Modal Logic

Sentential and quantified modal logic, with emphasis on the model theory ("possible worlds semantics"). Soundness, completeness, and characterization results for alternative systems. Tense and dynamic logics, epistemic logics, as well as logics of necessity and possibility. Applications in philosophy, theoretical computer science, and linguistics. Enrollment may be limited.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.141

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.245

Theory of Models

Studies fundamental results in the model theory of the first-order predicate calculus. Includes completeness, compactness, Löwenheim-Skolem, omitting types, ultraproducts, and categoricity in a cardinal, starting with Tarski's definition of logical consequence, in terms of truth in a model. Enrollment may be limited.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.141 or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.251

Introduction to Philosophy of Language

Examines views on the nature of meaning, reference, and truth, and their bearing on the use of language in communication. No knowledge of logic or linguistics presupposed. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.252

Language and Power

Explores topics at the intersection of philosophy of language and social/political philosophy. Topics may include linguistic harm, free speech, speech in non-cooperative contexts (lying, insincerity, antagonistic interlocutors), propaganda, pejoratives, and the relationship of language to features of the social world (race, gender, ideology). Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

false

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.253

Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophical issues about or related to mathematics, including the existence and nature of basic mathematical objects such as numbers and sets, how we can come to have knowledge of such objects, the status of mathematical truth, the relation of mathematics to logic, and whether classical logic can be called into question. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.260

Topics in Philosophy

Close examination of a single book, or group of related essays, with major significance in recent philosophy. Subject matter varies from year to year. Intended primarily for majors and minors in philosophy. Opportunities are provided for oral presentation. Students will be required to revise at least one paper in response to instructor's comments. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

Two subjects in philosophy

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.280

Foundations of Probability

Topics include probability puzzles, common fallacies in probabilistic reasoning, defenses and criticisms of Kolmogorov's axiomatization, interpretations of probability (including the frequency, logical, propensity, and various subjectivist interpretations), the relation of objective chance to rational subjective credence, conditional probability, rules for updating probability, and proposals for supplementing the probability calculus with further principles. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or one subject on probability

null

false

False

Humanities

False

24.292

Independent Study: Philosophy

Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Students electing this subject must consult the undergraduate officer.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

rranged

Any two subjects in philosophy

null

false

False

24.293

Independent Study: Philosophy

Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Students electing this subject must consult the undergraduate officer.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

rranged

Any two subjects in philosophy

null

false

False

24.S00

Special Subject: Philosophy

Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.

true

Fall, Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

24.S20

Special Subject: Philosophy

Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.

true

Fall, Spring, Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.UR

Undergraduate Research

Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information, consult the departmental coordinators.

true

Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer

Undergraduate

rranged [P/D/F]

null

false

False

24.URG

Undergraduate Research

Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information consult the departmental coordinators.

true

Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged

null

false

False

24.191

Being, Thinking, Doing (or Not): Ethics in Your Life

Provides an opportunity to explore a wide range of ethical issues through guided discussions that are geared to equip students for ongoing reflection and action. Lectures and discussions with guest faculty, as well as attendance at on-and off-campus events, expose students to ethical problems and resources for addressing them. Encourages students to work collaboratively as they clarify their personal and vocational principles. Topics vary each term and will reflect the interests of those enrolled.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

2-0-4 [P/D/F]

null

false

False

24.192

Language, Information, and Power

Explores foundational issues about language and communication by investigating different ways language and its use affects various aspects of lived experience. Topics include speech act theory, lying, propaganda, censorship, expressions of knowledge, communication in non-cooperative contexts.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

2-0-4 [P/D/F]

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.400

Proseminar in Philosophy I

Advanced study of the basic problems of philosophy. Intended for first-year graduate students in philosophy.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

6-0-18 [P/D/F]

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.401

Proseminar in Philosophy II

Advanced study of the basic problems of philosophy. Intended for first-year graduate students in philosophy.

true

Spring

Graduate

6-0-18 [P/D/F]

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.410

Topics in the History of Philosophy

Intensive study of a philosopher or philosophical movement. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.420

Ancient Philosophy

Investigates the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece. Aims both to understand the philosophical questions the Greeks were asking on their own terms, and to assess their answers to them. Examines how a human being can lead a good life, the relationship between morality and happiness, our knowledge of the world around us, and the entities we need to appeal to in order to explain that world. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.500

Topics in Philosophy of Mind

Selected topics in philosophy of mind. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include consciousness, mental representation, perception, and mental causation.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.501

Problems in Metaphysics

Systematic examination of selected problems in metaphysics. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.502

Topics in Metaphysics and Ethics

Systematic examination of selected problems concerning the relation between metaphysics and ethics, for example questions about personal identity and its relation to issues about fairness and distribution, or questions about the relation between causation and responsibility. Content may vary from year to year, and the subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of the instructor and the student's advisor.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.503

Topics in Philosophy of Religion

Selected topics in philosophy of religion. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the traditional arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, the problem of evil, survival after death, God and ethics.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.504

Topics in Aesthetics

Selected topics in aesthetics. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the definition of art, the expression of emotion in music, the nature of depiction, the role of artists intentions in interpretation, and the relationship between moral and aesthetic value.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.601

Topics in Moral Philosophy

Systematic examination of selected problems in moral philosophy. Content varies from year to year. Subject may be repeated only with permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.602

Topics in the Philosophy of Agency

Systematic examination of selected problems in the theory of agency. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.611[J]

Political Philosophy

Systematic examination of selected issues in political philosophy. Topic changes each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

17.000[J]

false

False

24.634

Global Justice, Gender, and Development

Addresses challenges in working towards global justice including poverty, food and water insecurity, healthcare disparities, human rights violations, violence and dislocation, and environmental risk. Focuses on gender and identity, locating the root causes of inequality within cultural, political and economic contexts. Designed to give a framework to understand gender dynamics. Teaches how to integrate gender sensitive strategies into development work. Classes, readings, and final projects illustrate how design and implementation of international development strategies can provide capacity building and income generation opportunities. Meets with EC.798 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 20 total for versions meeting together.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

24.635

Topics in Critical Social Theory

Explores topics arising within critical race theory, feminist theory, queer theory, disability studies, working class studies, and related interdisciplinary efforts - both historical and contemporary - to understand and promote social justice.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.636

Topics in Social Theory and Practice

An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

One philosophy subject or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.637[J]

Feminist Thought

Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor, based on previous coursework

17.006[J]

false

False

24.711

Topics in Philosophical Logic

Problems of ontology, epistemology, and philosophy of language that bear directly on questions about the nature of logic and the conceptual analysis of logical theory, such as logical truth, logical consequence, and proof. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly upon permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.729

Topics in Philosophy of Language

Major issues in the philosophy of language. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.805

Topics in Theory of Knowledge

Major issues in theory of knowledge. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.810

Topics in Philosophy of Science

Topics in the foundations of science: the nature of concepts and theories, the distinction between empirical and theoretical knowledge claims, realist and instrumentalist interpretation of such claims, and the analysis of scientific explanation. The central topic varies from year to year. Subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of instructor and advisor.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.891

Independent Study: Philosophy

Open to qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Consult with the intended advisor and the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students in Philosophy before registering.

true

Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.892

Independent Study: Philosophy

Open to qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Consult with the intended advisor and the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students in Philosophy before registering.

true

Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged [P/D/F]

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.893

Dissertation Workshop

Workshop for students working on their dissertations. Restricted to Philosophy doctoral students.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

2-0-1

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.894

Placement Workshop

Workshop for students planning to apply for academic jobs in the following year. Advice and feedback on preparation of application materials, including writing sample, thesis abstract, and course syllabi. Limited to philosophy graduate students.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

2-0-1 [P/D/F]

null

false

False

24.899

Topics in Linguistics and Philosophy

Selected topics at the intersection of linguistics and philosophy. Intended for graduate students in either linguistics or philosophy. Topics vary from year to year.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.TAC

Teaching Requirement in Linguistics and Philosophy (New)

For graduate students who are fulfilling an academic teaching requirement in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

rranged [P/D/F]

null

false

False

24.THG

Graduate Thesis

Program of research and writing of thesis, to be arranged by the student with supervising committee.

true

Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.S40

Special Seminar: Philosophy

Graduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

24.S41

Special Seminar: Philosophy

Graduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.

true

Fall, Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.900

Introduction to Linguistics

Studies what is language and what does knowledge of a language consist of. It asks how do children learn languages and is language unique to humans; why are there many languages; how do languages change; is any language or dialect superior to another; and how are speech and writing related. Context for these and similar questions provided by basic examination of internal organization of sentences, words, and sound systems. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.

true

Fall, Spring

Undergraduate

4-0-8

null

false

False

Social Sciences

CI-H

24.9000

How Language Works

Introduces the field of linguistics as the scientific study of the human capacity for language, and its interaction with other cognitive systems. Examines specific phenomena that reveal the general laws and principles that govern the structure of all human languages, as well as the ways in which languages do differ. Topics include language acquisition and use, language change, dialects, and language technologies, with a special focus on collection and analysis of linguistic data. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

4-0-8

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.901

Language and Its Structure I: Phonology

Introduction to fundamental concepts in phonological theory and their relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Articulatory and acoustic phonetics, distinctive features and the structure of feature systems, underlying representations and underspecification, phonological rules and derivations, syllable structure, accentual systems, and the morphology-phonology interface. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.902

Language and Its Structure II: Syntax

Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.903

Language and Its Structure III: Semantics and Pragmatics

Introduction to fundamental concepts in semantic and pragmatic theory. Basic issues of form and meaning in natural languages. Ambiguities of structure and of meaning. Compositionality. Word meaning. Quantification and logical form. Contexts: indexicality, discourse, presupposition and conversational implicature. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.904

Language Acquisition

Covers the major results in the study of first-language acquisition concentrating on the development of linguistic structure, including morphology, syntax, and semantics. Universal aspects of development are discussed, as well as a variety of cross-linguistic phenomena. Theories of language learning are considered, including parameter-setting and maturation.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.905[J]

Laboratory in Psycholinguistics

Hands-on experience designing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting experiments on the structure and processing of human language. Focuses on constructing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting an original and independent experimental project of publishable quality. Develops skills in reading and writing scientific research reports in cognitive science, including evaluating the methods section of a published paper, reading and understanding graphical displays and statistical claims about data, and evaluating theoretical claims based on experimental data. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-3-6

null

9.59[J]

true

false

False

24.906[J]

The Linguistic Study of Bilingualism

Development of bilingualism in human history (from Australopithecus to present day). Focuses on linguistic aspects of bilingualism; models of bilingualism and language acquisition; competence versus performance; effects of bilingualism on other domains of human cognition; brain imaging studies; early versus late bilingualism; opportunities to observe and conduct original research; and implications for educational policies among others. Students participate in six online web meetings with partner institutions. Taught in English. Enrollment limited.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

21G.024[J]

false

False

Social Sciences

CI-H

24.908

Creole Languages and Caribbean Identities

Caribbean Creole languages result from language contact via colonization and the slave trade. Explores creolization from cognitive, historical and comparative perspectives and evaluates popular theories about "Creole genesis" and the role of language acquisition. Also explores non-linguistic creolization in literature, religion and music in the Caribbean and addresses issues of Caribbean identities by examining Creole speakers' and others' beliefs toward Creole cultures. Draws comparisons with aspects of African-American culture.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

Social Sciences

CI-H

24.909

Field Methods in Linguistics

Explores the structure of an unfamiliar language through direct work with a native speaker. Students complete a grammatical sketch of the phonology and syntax, work in groups on specific aspects of the language's structure, and assemble reports to create a partial grammar of the language. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication. Enrollment limited.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-1-8

24.901, 24.902, and permission of instructor

null

true

false

False

24.910

Advanced Topics in Linguistic Analysis

In-depth study of an advanced topic in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax or semantics, with a focus on the interfaces among these grammar components. Provides practice in written and oral communication.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

(24.901, 24.902, and 24.903) or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.912[J]

Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies

Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. Connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Includes lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

21H.106[J], 21L.008[J], 21W.741[J], CMS.150[J], WGS.190[J]

false

False

CI-H

24.914

Language Variation and Change

Explores how linguistic systems vary across time and space. Uses case studies in particular languages to examine how language transmission and social factors shape the grammatical systems of individual speakers, and how grammar constrains variation and change. Students work in groups to analyze corpus or survey data. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.915

Linguistic Phonetics

The study of speech sounds: how we produce and perceive them and their acoustic properties. The influence of the production and perception systems on phonological patterns and sound change. Acoustic analysis and experimental techniques. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or 24.9000

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.916[J]

Old English and Beowulf

Intensive introduction to Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon), the ancestor of modern English that was spoken in England ca. 600-1100. In the first half of the term, students use short prose texts to study the basics of Old English grammar. They go on to read short poems, and conclude by tackling portions of the epic Beowulf in the last third of the term. Assessment based upon translation work, daily vocabulary quizzes, and three exams. Limited to 16.

false

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

21L.601[J]

false

False

Humanities

False

24.917

ConLangs: How to Construct a Language

Explores languages that have been deliberately constructed (ConLangs), including Esperanto, Klingon, and Tolkien's Elvish. Students construct their own languages while considering phenomena from a variety of languages of the world. Topics include writing systems, phonology (basic units of speech and how they combine), morphology (structure of words), syntax (how words are put together), and semantics (the expression of meaning, and what language leaves unexpressed). Through regular assignments, students describe their constructed language in light of the topics discussed. Final assignment is a grammatical description of the new language.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.918

Workshop in Linguistic Research

Students pursue individual research projects in linguistic analysis under the guidance of an advisor. Class meets weekly for presentation of student research and to critically discuss background reading. Focuses on developing skills in linguistic argumentation and presentation of findings. Provides practice in written and oral communication. Includes a 20-page final paper that each student presents to the class.

true

Spring

Undergraduate

3-0-9

(24.901, 24.902, and 24.903) or permission of instructor

null

false

False

Social Sciences

False

24.919

Independent Study: Linguistics

Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects.

true

Fall, Spring, Summer

Undergraduate

rranged

null

false

False

24.UR

Undergraduate Research

Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information, consult the departmental coordinators.

true

Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer

Undergraduate

rranged [P/D/F]

null

false

False

24.URG

Undergraduate Research

Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information consult the departmental coordinators.

true

Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer

Undergraduate

rranged

null

false

False

24.S90

Special Subject: Linguistics

Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.

true

Fall

Undergraduate

3-0-9

24.900 or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.921

Independent Study: Linguistics

Open to qualified graduate students in linguistics who wish to pursue special studies or projects.

true

Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged

Permission of advisor

null

false

False

24.922

Independent Study: Linguistics

Open to qualified graduate students in linguistics who wish to pursue special studies or projects.

true

Fall, Spring, Summer

Graduate

rranged [P/D/F]

Permission of advisor

null

false

False

24.931

Language and Its Structure I: Phonology

Introduction to fundamental concepts in phonological theory and their relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Articulatory and acoustic phonetics, distinctive features and the structure of feature systems, underlying representations and underspecification, phonological rules and derivations, syllable structure, accentual systems, and the morphology-phonology interface. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.932

Language and Its Structure II: Syntax

Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.933

Language and Its Structure III: Semantics and Pragmatics

Introduction to fundamental concepts in semantic and pragmatic theory. Basic issues of form and meaning in natural languages. Ambiguities of structure and of meaning. Compositionality. Word meaning. Quantification and logical form. Contexts: indexicality, discourse, presupposition and conversational implicature. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.934

Language Acquisition

Covers the major results in the study of first-language acquisition concentrating on the development of linguistic structure, including morphology, syntax, and semantics. Universal aspects of development are discussed, as well as a variety of cross-linguistic phenomena. Theories of language learning are considered. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

24.900 or permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.942

Topics in the Grammar of a Less Familiar Language

Students work with a native speaker of a language whose structure is significantly different from English, examining aspects of its syntax, semantics, and phonology. In the course of doing this, students acquire techniques for gathering linguistic data from native speakers. Enrollment limited.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

24.951

null

false

False

24.943

Syntax of a Language (Family)

Detailed examination of the syntax of a particular language or language family, and theories proposed in the existing literature to account for the observed phenomena.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-9

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.946

Linguistic Theory and Japanese Language

Detailed examination of the grammar of Japanese and its structure which is significantly different from English, with special emphasis on problems of interest in the study of linguistic universals. Data from a broad group of languages studied for comparison with Japanese. Assumes familiarity with linguistic theory.

true

Fall

Graduate

3-0-6

Permission of instructor

null

false

False

24.947

Language Disorders in Children

Reading and discussion of current linguistic theory, first language acquisition and language disorders in young children. Focus on development of a principled understanding of language disorders at the phonological, morphological and syntactic levels. Examines ways in which these disorders confront theories of language and acquisition.

true

Spring

Graduate

3-0-9

null

false

False