English

This course introduces the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, and understand language. Modern psycholinguistic research makes use of biology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and information theory to study how the brain processes language. Topics covered include the biological bases of language including methodologies used to study brain processes underlying language comprehension and use, the time course of linguistic processing, infant language acquisition, speech processing and production, and developmental language disorders and aphasia.

Students familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of evolutionary theory and cognitive science in order to able to evaluate the controversies and debates within the framework of an evolutionary perspective on art, literature, and music. Several themes are discussed, such as: the mating mind; artistic universals; human nature: blank or pre-wired, the rhythm of poetry; the science of art; the origins of music, grooming, gossip, and the novel; art as adaptation vs. art as by-product. At the conclusion of this course, students are able to evaluate and apply Darwinist approaches to practices in art, literature, music, and religion.

How can we understand gender in the contemporary world? How is gender constructed in different contexts and what are the material consequences? How can gender analyses empower us to act as agents of personal and social change? This inter-disciplinary course provides an overview of the major issues at stake in the study of gender relations from a broadly social science perspective. It introduces students to gender studies as a theoretical field of investigation, examining key concepts and debates in the field. Students explore issues of power, inequality, intersectionality, change and resistance through contemporary examples of "doing gender" around the world. In doing so, this course equips students - as 21st century graduates - with awareness and understanding of global inequalities based on gender, race, class, and sexuality, as well as basic tools to undertake gender analysis.

This course highlights how luck has influenced and still influences several aspects of the world. From the beginning of the universe, to present-day lives, to the end of the universe, random events beyond anyone's control continue to shape fate. By exploring the various fields that luck manifests itself in, the course ultimately delves into the intriguingly precarious nature of existence.