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This course explores landscape painting as an extension of site and salvage as an expanded portrait of self. While reinforcing formal painting knowledge and skills, students will investigate new strategies around the application and integration of non-traditional materials as a critical response to traditional painting histories. Some questions we will ask ourselves over the

This course explores the dynamic processes of language change: how languages evolve over time and influence each other when its users come into contact. Students will examine the mechanisms of phonetic, morphological, and syntactic change, along with phenomena such as grammaticalization and semantic shifts. Special attention will be given to the effects of language contact,

There are approximately 2,000 languages spoken on the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and they tell us a story of impressive migrations, millennia of contact, and island resilience. We will explore this story by discussing the two primary language groups in the Pacific: the Austronesian language family and the non-Austronesian languages of New Guinea. Tracing two

The purpose of this course is twofold: first, to immerse students in the rich linguistic setting of Vermont and its immediate neighbors, and, second, to introduce them to the basic methodologies of field research in sociolinguistics and related disciplines. Thematically, the course will consider language diversity at three different scales. We will begin by examining the

The purpose of this course is twofold: first, to immerse students in the rich linguistic setting of Vermont and its immediate neighbors, and second, to introduce them to the basic methodologies of field research in sociolinguistics and related disciplines.  Thematically, the course will consider language diversity at three different

The physical space around us may seem to be universal, but differences in how people interact with/in their environment (e.g. via settlement patterns, architecture, or agriculture) have long been topics of scholarly inquiry. This course continues this legacy by studying how humans perceive, conceptualize, and describe spatial relationships and their surrounds through the

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

In this course, students will examine the building blocks which make up the interlocking systems of language and observe how those systems are enacted and granted layers of meaning through social practice. Beyond developing an understanding of the basic mechanics of sound systems, word-meaning relations, and the expression of grammatical values in languages of the world, we

Do emoji count as language? What about birdsong? How about the gestures of people and other primates? Can we consider ‘boom’ and ‘pow’ words of the English language? This course investigates forms of communication often considered peripheral to the linguistic system, focusing on how meaning is created and shared through “marginal” language practices. We will analyze how systems

Languages shift and change over time, and while much of this is due to new innovations by speakers, languages can also change due to contact with other languages. Throughout the course, we will examine various situations of contact and how the sociocultural factors shape the languages. We will examine English’s own history of contact, particularly with the French language, and

In this course, we will learn about the current language endangerment crisis and methods that can be implemented to mitigate it. The course will be both theoretical and practical, starting with a discussion of the reasons for the loss of linguistic diversity around the world and what linguists are doing as a response. Students will concurrently learn language documentation

This course is designed to equip students with the basic methodologies necessary to carry out linguistic fieldwork on un(der)documented languages. Students will be trained in the skills and tools of language documentation and description by working with a speaker of a language previously unknown to them. Students will learn techniques of data collection, elicitation, management

This course addresses the theories, methods, ethics, and actual outcomes of language documentation, revitalization, and reclamation work. Students will examine the causes and consequences of language endangerment, strategies for revitalization, and community-led initiatives in reclaiming linguistic and cultural heritage. Case studies from around the world will

In this class, we will explore the life cycles of human languages: their genesis, their continual change, how they give rise to descendants and how they, in many cases, come to disappear. The 21st century represents a watershed moment in the history of the world’s language population, as expert estimates predict that anywhere from 40-80% of its 7,000+ languages may cease to be

In this course, students will utilize primary and secondary sources to explore language and language use in Vermont and surrounding regions.  Our exploration will span from the pre-Columbian era till present, and address the diversity and inter-relationships of the languages and language varieties utilized in and around Bennington, and how these link to broader phenomena

The Mediterranean represents a critical site of interaction between speakers of three of the world’s largest language families; nevertheless, linguists typically treat this contact and cross-pollination as an incidental, even distorting product of the families’ southern/northern/western peripheries, rather than as constituting a dynamic center of gravity for linguistic and

The Isabelle Kaplan Center for Languages and Cultures presents the Language Series every term.  The purpose of the Language Series is to provide students opportunities to explore and deepen their knowledge in the study of foreign languages and cultures.  The Language Series events such as presentations and workshops are related to the foreign language courses that are

Students in this course will continue to learn the Spanish language through an examination of films. While there will be some necessary discussion about cinematographic components, the focus of discussion will be on historical and political moments present in the films. A consideration, for instance, of national and regional identity, political violence, border crossing,