Michael McCourt
I teach at Franklin & Marshall College, George Washington University, and the University of Mary Washington.
I study word meaning. In my doctoral dissertation and related research, I ask what the notion of modularity has to do with the distinction between semantics (what a word means) and pragmatics (how a word is used). With co-authors in the linguistics department at the University of Maryland, I've experimentally investigated this question using behavioral measures (reading times and visual world eye-tracking). I'm currently working on projects related to the following topics: (i) slurring expressions and their meanings; (ii) polysemy; (iii) modularity and linguistic meaning; and (iv) Aristotle's philosophy of language.
I'm a member of the editorial committee at dialectica.
Research interests
Philosophy of language; philosophy of linguistics; cognitive science; philosophy of logic; ancient Greek philosophy
Teaching interests
Formal logic; general philosophy of science; epistemology; history of analytic philosophy
Publications
McCourt, M. 2021. Semantics and pragmatics in a modular mind. Doctoral Thesis.
Green, J.J., McCourt, M., Lau, E., & Williams, A. (2020). Processing adjunct control: Evidence on the use of structural information and prediction in reference resolution. Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics, 5(1):112. doi: 10.5334/gjgl.1133 pdf
McCourt, M., Green, J.J., Lau, E., and Williams, A. (2015). Processing implicit control: evidence from reading times. Frontiers in Psychology 6:1629. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01629. pdf
Papers under review
Slurs, truth conditions, and semantic internalism (co-authored with Christopher A. Vogel)
Papers in progress
Chimeras versus pointers: an opinionated overview of recent debates about polysemy
Modularity and the naturalization of semantics
'Said in many ways' is said in many ways: Aristotle on polysemy versus homonymy
Courses instructed at George Washington
Origins and evolution of modern thought: value (HONR 1016) Spring 2024
Courses instructed at Franklin & Marshall College
Introduction to philosophy (PHI100) Fall 2023; Spring 2024
History of ancient philosophy (PHI210) Fall 2023
Courses instructed at Mary Washington
Introductory logic (PHIL151B) Fall 2023
Ancient Greek philosophy (PHIL201) Fall 2023
Medieval philosophy (PHIL301) Fall 2023
Modern philosophy (PHIL202) Spring 2024
Philosophy of Language (PHIL307) Spring 2024
Courses instructed at UMD
Introduction to philosophy (PHIL100) Fall 2021; Fall 2022
Introduction to symbolic logic (PHIL170) Summer 2016 (online); Fall 2018; Spring 2019; Spring 2021 (online); Winter 2022 (online); Spring 2022; Winter 2023 (online); Spring 2023
Ancient philosophy (PHIL310) Fall 2019
Philosophy of Plato (PHIL412) Fall 2020
Philosophy of Aristotle (PHIL414) Spring 2022
Theory of knowledge (PHIL362) Fall 2021
Know thyself: wisdom through cognitive science (PHIL202) Winter 2023 (online); Summer 2023 (online); Winter 2024 (online)
Philosophy and neuroscience (PHIL309A) Winter 2017 (online)
Philosophy of language (PHIL360/LING350) Fall 2016
Curses, swears, and slurs: the emotive dimension of language (PHIL318C) Summer 2018 (online)
Things we do with words: statements, lies, innuendo (PHIL418F) Fall 2020