YALP 2023 Course Descriptions

Denial and Ignorance: Social and Political Epistemological Concerns

Melanie Altanian

Whether in the case of Covid denial or climate change denial, (scientific) knowledge seems to have become increasingly vulnerable. However, this problem is not new. The denial and distortion campaigns by the Tobacco industry, AIDS denial, and denial of historical, colonial atrocities or genocide: these and other instances and practices of denial have for decades confronted us with questions about the reasons behind and normative implications of practices and processes of discrediting, reinterpreting, and dismissing scientific knowledge; but also epistemic contributions provided by affected persons and victims-survivors themselves. The more systematic and professionalized this denial occurs, with its own "experts for ignorance" the more we are confronted with the problem of socially produced ignorance and its potentially serious harmful consequences. The purpose of this course is to shed light on the relationship between denial and ignorance, by drawing, among others, on contemporary scholarship in social and political epistemology. We will learn how denial can seemingly paradoxically be understood as a substantive epistemic practice that, under certain conditions, (re-)produces pernicious ignorance, that is, ignorance that promotes and perpetuates injustice. We examine denial in relation to other forms and practices of unknowing, and discuss differences and similarities among various cases and contexts of denial. In doing so, we also discuss individual attitudes and dispositions that may foster such practices of unknowing and the role of social and structural conditions in their cultivation. Finally, we address the question of how we should deal with ignorance as an inherent component of crisis situations.

Nature of Norms

Arshak Balayan

What should I do?  What should I believe?  What should I appreciate?  Answers to these basic questions require knowledge of moral, epistemic and aesthetic norms.   But what are norms and what is normativity?   In this course students will first explore the metaphysical nature of norms and normativity and then discuss epistemological questions pertaining to epistemic and moral normativity.  Questions addressed in this course may include the following:  What are the distinctive features of norms/normativity?  Are norms part of reality?  How can we know about norms?  

Language and Identity

Natalie Batmanian

The lectures will explore how human identity is shaped by language from a sociolinguistic, cognitive and psycholinguistic perspective. The lectures will cover language development, multilingualism, and multiculturalism.  To explore identity, we will discuss dialects and dialectal patterns in Empires and their colonies, heritage languages. We will explore prescriptive and descriptive grammars, some of the politics behind the push for homogeneity in language in national politics. The source books are likely to be ‘Language and Identity’ by John Edwards and The Power of Language’ by Viorica Marian.

Writing and language

Nikita Bezrukov 

The invention of writing was a major breakthrough in human history since it allowed us to record and convey information beyond our immediate surroundings. This course zooms in on the history and linguistics of writing/reading. We will touch upon the origins and typology of writing systems and the role of phonology, morphology, and other levels of linguistic structure in their design. We will focus on the oldest recorded systems of representing language, such as Cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and some other forms of writing used in West Asia.

Introduction to Machine Learning (ML) for Linguistics

Markus Egg 

This class offers an introduction to Machine Learning (ML) for linguistics. In ML, computer systems are applied to data, with the goal of automatically extracting specific information from them. In a second step, the acquired information is then used for the automatic large-scale analysis of new data. ML is widely used in current empirical research on all levels of language. It makes use of (mostly annotated) corpora and is applied to numerous tasks, including Information Retrieval, Sentiment Analysis, and Machine Translation. 

The programme for the course includes the following sessions:

1) Introduction: Basic principles of ML and the role of ML in linguistic research

2) Syntax and semantics in ML

3) Neuronal Networks 1: Deep Learning

4) Neuronal Networks 2: advanced kinds of Neuronal Networks

5) Linguistic applications of ML

Mathematical Approaches to Language

Shahriar Hormozi

Humans speak. This is a (and perhaps even the) fundamental property of our species. The goal of this introductory course is to learn how to think mathematically by analyzing the mathematical structure underlying the languages we all speak and use to reason. We will work through concepts like set theory and basic logic from ground up to help explore and understand puzzles like that above which occur in our language (and any other) every day. The notions we will use are not only very rich and powerful, but are also really intuitive and easy to work with. The course is an excellent opportunity to explore powerful tools that have mathematical power and precision (but with virtually no numbers!) to model accessible and intriguing data in the language domain. At the end of the course, students will be able to: 

● Define and manipulate sets, and perform set-theoretic reasoning

● Define a formal language 

● Determine if a sentence is generated by a formal language 

● Frame arguments using propositional logic, and distinguish between valid and invalid arguments 

● Represent statements, arguments, and properties of the world formally, selecting from a variety of available formal tools 

● Write and critique simple proofs 

● Understand the differences between entailment, presupposition, and implicature 

● Discuss the advantages and limitations of available tools in given situations

Consciousness in Historical Perspective

Alexander Klein

Why are we conscious? What role did this mental trait evolve to play in modulating behavior? Or is consciousness just an epiphenomenon, a useless byproduct of otherwise self-sufficient brain activity? 

We will take a historical approach to these philosophical questions. The lectures are organized around some empirically-driven work on consciousness by William James (1842 – 1910). We begin with a review of some intriguing results from animal experimentation that he sought to explain. Since the time of Aristotle, it had been understood that many vertebrates can survive decapitation. Such “spinal” creatures were long assumed to be capable of little more than unthinking, reflexive responses to stimuli. But in 1853, a German experimentalist named Eduard Pflüger demonstrated that living, decapitated frogs are actually capable of goal-directed, purposive behavior as well, leading some to speculate that these brainless creatures may somehow be conscious. James developed a novel explanation of the experimental results, arguing that these decapitated creatures may act with purpose, but that they yet lack a capacity to evaluate aspects of their environment. He proposed that consciousness is an adaptation for evaluation that, if seated in the hemispheres, could account for some observed behavioral differences between decapitated and intact vertebrates. In the course of building his model of consciousness, he also developed an evolutionary objection to epiphenomenalism (to the view that consciousness is not causally potent), an objection that continues to fuel discussion today. Thus, our examination of what is in essence discarded science yields surprising insights on philosophical issues still facing those who seek to understand consciousness in the present.

Plato’s Dialogues and Classical Greek Tragedy and Poetry

Marianna Koshkaryan

In this course we will discuss the most fundamental problems which every Plato scholar inevitably has to confront:

1) Should we consider each dialogue of Plato an autonomous unit?

2) What does Plato mean by “true philosopher”? Whom does he consider the true philosopher?

3) How should we understand Plato’s claim about the “divine origin” of philosophy?

We will attempt to answer these questions through the analysis of:

• the philosophical problems common to Plato and the Classical Greek poets, including the tragedians;

• the use of myths both by Plato and by the Classical Greek poets/tragedians; 

• the reasons for Plato’s repudiation of the tragedies which influenced him significantly;

• the structure of the Platonic dialogues and its evolution; the reasons why Socrates, as the main character, was eventually eliminated from the later dialogues.

We will conclude the course with a brief review of the contemporary state of Platonic studies.

Liberalism and Toleration: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives

Jon Mahoney

Many political philosophers argue that the concept ‘toleration’ applies when we object to or oppose a belief or practice, on the one hand, yet defend the liberty to express that belief or engage in that practice, on the other. On this view toleration is a condition for various kinds of liberty. Consider that we oppose or judge to be false many religious beliefs. If we endorse religious liberty, then we should permit others to express religious convictions we oppose, or think are false. But why, and on what basis?

This series of seminars for week two of YALP—August 7-11—will start with an examination of an influential theory of toleration defended by Rainer Forst (Toleration in Conflict: Past and Present, 2003, and “Toleration,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007). After setting the stage with some ideas from Forst we will survey some classical and contemporary theories of toleration, including John Locke (Letter Concerning Toleration, 1689), J.S. Mill (On Liberty, 1859), and recent attempts to develop theories of toleration for non-liberal societies (e.g., Abdullahi Ahmed an-Na’im, Islam and the Secular State, 2007).

We will also consider some examples of how constitutional democracies use law to demarcate the limits of toleration. For example, must a tolerant society permit Muslim women to wear a hijab in public spaces and in the workplace? Must a tolerant society permit religious minorities to slaughter animals in ways the majority thinks immoral, as is sometimes the case when Jews wish to keep kosher, or Muslims wish to comply with halal dietary practices. Students of course will be encouraged to propose for consideration their own examples, which we can discuss in reference to the theories of toleration we examine.

Bioethics

Anaid Muratian 

This course aims at introducing students to some fundamental problems in bioethics, such as beginning and end of life, biomedical innovations, public health, and environmental health.

Bioethics is the critical study of ethical problems arising from medicine, healthcare and the biological sciences.This 2 weeks course will give you the analytical keys to identify and analyze bioethical issues.  To this end, we will focus on discussions around medical ethics and public health such as : What are the principles used to define bioethics? What are medical ethics and informed consent of patients? What does environmental bioethics mean? What place does mental health have in bioethics discussions?

Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Armik Mirzayan

Phonetics and Phonology concern the study of the minimal units of language and how these units pattern as meaning distinguishing pieces in discourse. In this course we will attempt to acquire a deeper understanding of human language by focusing on how these minimal units are produced, the obvious and subtle physical aspects of these units (sounds or gestures), and how our ears, eyes, and minds work to recognize and categorize these units as fundamental meaning distinguishing pieces. 

Topics discussed will include (a) the fundamental articulatory gestures involved in the production of phonetic units, (b) survey of some of the methods that phoneticians use to measure the articulatory, acoustic, and optical aspects of such phonetic units, (c) the perception and processing of these phonetic units, and (d) the function of these units in language. In doing so we will address questions concerning the nature of phonological knowledge and its relation to phonetic signals, sampling a wide range of phonetic-phonological systems from languages of the world.

Feminist Views on Agency and Autonomy

Anthony Nguyen

In this course, we will investigate intersectional feminist perspectives on the topics of adaptive preferences, oppressive double binds, and relational autonomy. When people from oppressed groups act on preferences that are encouraged or incentivized by their subordinate social position, do they act autonomously? How, if at all, do double binds undermine oppressed individuals' autonomy? And finally, what does it mean to be autonomous given pervasive social influences on our personalities, preferences, and abilities? We will read work addressing these questions by Serene Khader, Marilyn Frye, Sukaina Hirji, and Marina Oshana. No previous background will be assumed.

Bilingualism: Heritage Languages

Maria Polinsky

This course is about heritage languages and their speakers—individuals who are raised speaking a minority language at home but are exposed to a dominant, majority language outside the home. This dominant language becomes their main language in adolescence and adulthood. The minority or heritage language, despite being first in the order of acquisition, ends up being differentially represented, processed and used as compared to monolinguals of the same language. The study of heritage languages provides linguists with a novel tool for understanding how a grammar can be acquired under minimal input: what constitutes bare grammar, what constitutes sufficient if minimal input, and what are the areas of strength and vulnerability in language? A large body of research examines heritage languages from the standpoint of social or processing perspective. In this course we will focus on the grammatical properties of heritage languages, asking the following questions:  How do linguistic properties of heritage languages differ from linguistic properties of their fully acquired counterparts? Can the differences be predicted? What do these differences tell us about the universal principles of language structure, the relationship between language and thought (linguistic relativity), and the nature of language acquisition?

 The course presupposes knowledge of basic-level syntax, morphology, phonology, and semantics.

Language and Mind

Kelsey Sasaki

All humans, with rare exception, acquire one or more languages. And, beneath the apparent diversity of the world’s languages, we find striking similarities. How might we explain these observations? In this course, we will approach this question by learning how to think about language as a part of human biology. In particular, we will explore the relationship between language and thought, how the mind represents language in memory, and how the mind processes language.

Through this exploration, we will be introduced to psycholinguistic theory and methodology, and consider some of the ways in which psycholinguistics and formal linguistics constitute distinct, yet complementary, approaches to the study of human language. Along the way, we will also learn some general, practical tips for engaging with linguistic experimentation, so that even those who do not wish to do experiments themselves will gain some concrete knowledge of how to evaluate experimental work in a field that is increasingly embracing it.

Egalitarianism and the Future of Humanity

Shlomi Segall

The course will outline recent developments in ethical thinking about how to assess the future of humanity from a distributive perspective. Population ethics, the exploration of the moral value of different futures for humanity, has accumulated significant lessons over the past 40 years. In recent years, philosophers have placed more emphasis on the distant future of humanity (also known as Longtermism). Reflecting about the future of humanity, we hope to show, reveals fascinating questions about not just the value of existence (as opposed to extinction), but also about the very nature of equality (and priority, and utility) itself. The course, as can be seen, combines two areas of thought, population ethics, and egalitarianism and distributive justice.

The East Caucasian languages: an introduction

Nina Sumbatova 

The Caucasus is widely known as a place with an extremely high language diversity. This diversity is to a large extent due to the languages of the East Caucasian (Nakh-Dagestanian) language family, which are spoken in a vast area adjacent to the Caspian Sea.

This course is a short introduction into the East Caucasian languages. We will learn about some typical and unusual features in their grammars as well as about their functioning in modern society and the problem of language shift. We will try to discover some of their grammatical features ourselves by solving linguistic puzzles and looking at the data collected by field linguists. We will also discuss the problem of the so-called “Caucasian Sprachbund” – a “union” of genetically different languages that are spoken in the Caucasus. 

Introduction to Sign Language

Valeria Vinogradova & Maria Kyuseva

This introductory course covers key topics in sign language studies. It discusses similarities and differences between signed and spoken languages and provides insights into how sign language research informs our understanding of human language ability. We will cover the fundamental structural properties of sign languages, as well as the theoretical, cultural, and social relevance of studying sign languages. After the course, the students will possess basic tools for engaging with descriptive and experimental research on sign languages. 

In addition to introducing the principal linguistic features of sign languages, the course will focus on the issues of high applied importance, such as the status of sign languages, neural substrates, variation, acquisition, and bilingualism.