Teaching

My most frequently taught courses are the following:

Ling 537: Introduction to Semantics

This introduces students some of the fundamental concepts of semantic theory primarily through the development of a formal semantics for a fragment of English. 

Ling 547: Language Deficits and Cognition

This course examines the linguistic properties associated with disorders such as aphasia, autism, William’s syndrome, and dyslexia. Rather than focusing on sorting people into disorder categories, it emphasizes the implications of the properties of these and other conditions for theories of language and theories of mind. 

Ling 335: Structure of African American English

Cross listed with the department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies (AAA 335), this course  examines both the formal and sociolinguistic structure of African American English (AAE). In it, students gain practice identifying systematic patterns and stating insightful generalizations about AAE phonology, syntax, and semantics as well as in relating those patterns and generalizations to issues of identity. 

IDST 113: The Idea of Race

Co-taught with Daniel Matute (UNC Biology) and David Pier (UNC African, African American, and Diaspora Studies), this course explores the idea of “race” from biological, linguistic, historical, and anthropological perspectives.