ATS2865 · Language, truth and meaning

Overview

Imagine spending a day without language: without speaking, without reading, without hearing anyone else say anything, without even thinking to yourself in language. That would be a weird day! Language is a key part of almost everything we do; our world would be completely different without it. But it can be mysterious just how language operates. How is it that just making some particular noises, or making some particular inscriptions, manages to communicate information, build or break relationships, shape distributions of power, and do so much else? The key seems to be that those noises and inscriptions *mean* something. Some of the questions you will explore in this unit concern: what is linguistic meaning, anyway? What determines what a piece of language means? What does it take for a claim to be true? What is the relationship between the language of a community and the way each individual member of the community speaks? How is our use of language shaped by, and how does it shape, social power?

Areas of study: Philosophy

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. explain and apply key concepts in the philosophy of language, both orally and in writing;
2. summarise and interpret texts in the philosophy of language;
3. analyse and evaluate detailed philosophical arguments about language;
4. apply research and academic communication skills that are relevant to the discipline of philosophy;
5. collaborate effectively with peers.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.