Teaching

Spring 2024

Language in a Multicultural America

ENGL 2371

Course description

  • Tues/Thurs 11:00am–12:20pm
  • Section 001: Humanities 308 [map] (formerly Engl/Phil)
  • Section D01: online via Zoom
  • Fulfills multicultural requirement!
  • More information

Principles of Language

ENGL 5335

Course description

  • Tues/Thurs 12:30pm–1:50pm
  • Section 001: Humanities 308 [map] (formerly Engl/Phil)
  • Section D01: online via Zoom
  • More information

Office hours

  • Tues/Thurs 2:00pm–3:00pm
  • Be sure to book an appointment to ensure a slot!
  • F2F in ENGL/PHIL 312C [map] or online via Zoom

Upcoming teaching

Fall 2024

Intro to Language

ENGL 2370

Course description

Analyzing Quantitative Data

ENGL 5377 (Theor. Appr. to T.C.)

Course description

  • (More information coming soon)

Spring 2025 (tentative)

Past teaching

Texas Tech University

Overview of all Texas Tech student evaluation scores: [CSV]

Representative student comments from all Texas Tech courses: [PDF]

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Texas Tech Humanities Building

Rutgers University

Linguistics courses

Overview of all Rutgers linguistics student evaluation scores: [PDF]

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  • Spring 2011. Instructor. Linguistics of Signed Languages. [Syllabus | Student Evals]
  • Fall 2010. Teaching Assistant (Instructor: Paul de Lacy): Introduction to Linguistic Theory (2 sections). [Student Evals]
  • Summer 2010. Instructor. Linguistics of Signed Languages. [Syllabus | Student Evals]
  • Spring 2010. Instructor. Introduction to Linguistic Theory. [Syllabus | Student Evals]
  • Fall 2009. Teaching Assistant (Instructor: Paul de Lacy).: Introduction to the Study of Language (2 sections). [Student Evals]
  • Summer 2009. Instructor. Linguistics of Signed Languages. [Student Evals]

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Other courses

Expand list of past courses

  • Fall 2012. Instructor. 01:355:101: Expository Writing (2 sections). [Syllabus]
  • Fall 2011. Instructor. 01:355:101: Expository Writing (2 sections). [Syllabus]

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Rutgers Linguistics Building

Brandeis University

Spring 2007. Peer Assistant to Henrietta Hung. Phonological Theory.

Usen Castle, Brandeis University

Does the brain process emojis in the same way it processes spoken language? Why is the Pokémon named “Snorlax” larger than the one named “Pikachu”?

This course provides a broad overview of language—its structure, its origins, and its role in society. We'll try to understand why language is so weird (Why does the tiny island of Papua New Guinea have over 800 languages? Why does the !Xóõ language have 164 consonants?) by applying the tools of linguistics to the language we encounter in our daily lives and to languages from around the world.

How does our culture influence our language? How does our language influence our culture?

In this course, we will examine the role of language in the melting pot of America. We'll look at language as influenced by race, gender, sexual and gender identity, and power structures in order to see how social dynamics affect the way people speak—and the way people interpret what they hear.

We'll learn about the methods involved in gathering sociolinguistic data, and even engage in some hands-on research ourselves.

Language touches every aspect of our lives. From reading the morning paper to decrypting secret codes, the subconscious knowledge of language is uniquely human. In this course we'll ask what it means to have a command of language—do animals have it? Infants?

By examining the structures of the world's languages, we will discover why linguists believe in a “universal grammar” in spite of the world's rich linguistic diversity. We'll also learn how to make the sounds of the world's languages—from French nasal vowels to the clicks of Africa's Bantu languages.

This course is suited to anyone interested in language, how the mind works, or the characteristics that make us uniquely human.

This course will teach the basics of analyzing quantitative data. Topics will include survey and experiment design, data visualization, and basic statistical tests.