MSE 2701: Sounds of Human Language

Course Information

• Meeting Time:
  
  Class: MW 1:55pm-3:10pm
  Lab: M 3:20pm-6:00pm (section 001); W 3:20-6:00pm (section 002)
  
• Location:
  Class: Tolentine 427B
  Lab: Tolentine 301A
• Instructor:
  
  Dr. Joe Toscano
  Email: joseph.toscano@villanova.edu
  Phone: 610-519-4755
  Office: Tolentine M52
  Availability: Office hours are by appointment on Dr. Toscano's calendar.
• Graduate TA:
  
  Grace Gervino
  Email: ggervino@villanova.edu
  Office: Tolentine 231
  Availability: TR 12:00pm-2:00pm

Course Description

How do you turn sounds into language? This course explores the sounds used in spoken language and how we use speech to communicate with each other. We will discuss how speech varies between talkers, dialects, and languages, and we will study the mechanisms that listeners use to recognize speech. We will also explore how the brain processes language, how infants and children learn to understand speech, and how research on spoken language helps to inform work in other areas. The course also provides an in depth study of the techniques used to study speech perception, as well as the major theoretical debates that have informed work in this field.

Objectives

Throughout the course, we will explore concepts and techniques used in the scientific study of human speech, including how speech sounds are produced, learned, and perceived. We will examine a number of topics, including questions about language acquisition, how the brain processes speech, and how speech sounds vary between languages. In addition to learning content, the course includes a number of objectives related to understanding the scientific process:

• Science is about debates, and there is no shortage of debates about how humans understand language. Debating ideas is one of the key ingredients in generating new scientific knowledge. The course is designed to provide you with a background on current debates in the field, as well as practice forming oral and written arguments, and backing them up with evidence.


• Hands-on laboratory experience is critical for understanding the scientific process and gaining the technical skills needed to be a scientist. In lab, we will learn how to design experiments, collect data, and perform statistical analyses. After learning these techniques, you will build on this knowledge to complete your own experiment in the second half of the course.


• An interdisciplinary perspective provides a rich context for understanding the impact of science on society. We will examine how scientific work on speech and language intersects with research in the humanities and social sciences. These discussions will focus on how our understanding of the sounds used in human language influences the way we think about and use language in general.

Course Materials

All required reading material will be posted on the course website. I have prepared a set of background readings that provide an introduction to the topics we will be discussing, and there are several research articles we will read during the semester. Be sure to read this material before class! I have endeavored to keep the background readings short to help you keep up with them. We will discuss the readings in class, so come prepared with any questions you have. Please also come see me during my office hours if you would like to discuss the readings.

Hardware and Software Requirements

There are no specific computer requirements for the course. You may use your laptop in class for taking notes and accessing course materials if you would like.

Course Requirements

Assessments

Grades will be based on a combination of exams, class participation, and lab activities. These assessments are designed to provide you with an opportunity to use what you've learned in class and in the lab to make arguments based on evidence, to take a stance on debates in the field, and to demonstrate your technical skills. Grades will be based on points earned for each assessment. If you have any concerns about meeting the requirements for any component of the course, please let me know so we can discuss it.

Grading Scale

Exams

There will be three exams (two non-cumululative midterms and a cumulative final exam). The goal of the exams is to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts covered in class, apply the scientific principles you have learned, and take a stance on current debates in the field, backing up your claims with evidence. Questions will be drawn from material presented in class discussions and lab, as well as material presented in articles and background readings. Additional details about the format of the exams will be presented in class.

You may request a make-up exam if you have an authorized University absence/ Excused absences are described in the University's official Attendance Policy. Please speak to me in person if you have an authorized absence that requires you to make-up a scheduled exam.

Participation

Format of the class. The classroom component of the course is discussion-based. As a result, you will get the most out of the course if you keep up with the readings and come to class ready to participate. These discussions form the core of the course, and notes from class and group meetings will be used as the basis for exams. Therefore, it is very important to keep up with the readings and attend all class sessions. Please arrive on time and contribute to class discussions and activities. If you must miss class, I will be happy to meet with you to go over any material you would like. Just send me a message.

Student-led discussions. Each discussion will be led by myself and several student experts (that's you!). You will have an opportunity to select which topics you would like to lead the discussion of on the first day of class. You do not need to meet with the other discussion leaders before class (but you are welcome to if you want!). Each student should be prepared to contribute to the discussion of the reading, including experiments described in the reading, as well as how the data fit with one or more broader theories of speech perception and language processing. Each discussion leader should contribute to presenting their thoughts and guiding the discussion in their group and in class. Everyone else is encouraged to participate in the discussion as well. It's okay if there are things in the reading you don't understand—that's why we discuss the material together. I am also happy to meet with you before class to answer any questions. If you must miss class for some reason on a day you are scheduled to lead discussion, please meet with me to make up the work.

Journals. One of the key themes of this class is learning to ask and answer questions scientifically. In addition to asking questions in our class discussions, another way to practice this skill is with a response journal. I will leave a few minutes at the end of each class to complete this assignment. You may be asked to respond to specific questions, to summarize the key points of that day's class, or to discuss questions you still have on the topic. I will review the journals before each class, and we will have an opportunity to discuss any questions you had at the beginning of the next class.

Lab assignments

There will be regular laboratory meetings during the semester. These meetings are designed to give you hands-on experience with the tools used by scientists to study speech. There will be a series of lab exercises that you will complete over the course of the semester, as well as a final project. Details for each lab exercise will be given in laboratory meetings and will be available on the course website. The exercises are designed to build on each other, so the techniques you learn from the first exercise will be useful for the second one, and so on. Ultimately, the skills you learn in the lab will be used to complete your final project.

Lab reports. Following each of the lab exercises, you will write a short lab report detailing what you found in the lab. Your lab report should be written as a summary of what you accomplished during the lab activity. It is purposefully left open-ended so that you can describe your results in the way you think is best. We will discuss how to write a lab report together in class.

Final lab project. The final project will combine what you have learned in class discussions with the skills covered in laboratory meetings throughout the semester. The goal of the final project is to use what you have learned to design, run, and analyze the results of a new experiment. This experiment can take many different forms. Examples will be provided, but you should feel free to think outside the box. Critically, you must: (1) base your experiment on some previous findings about the sounds of language, (2) present a clear hypothesis, (3) collect the data necessary to test your hypothesis, and (4) analyze and report the results. You will turn in a write-up of the experiment, and present your results to the class during the last week of the semester. More details on the project will be provided later in the semester.

Course Policies

Standard Villanova Course Policies

• Office of Disabilities (ODS) and Learning Support Services(LSS) : It is the policy of Villanova to make reasonable academic accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. All students who need accommodations should go to Clockwork for Students via myNOVA to complete the Online Intake or to send accommodation letters to professors. Go to the LSS website http://learningsupportservices.villanova.edu or the ODS website https://www1.villanova.edu/university/student-life/ods.html for registration guidelines and instructions. If you have any questions please contact LSS at 610-519-5176 or learning.support.services@villanova.edu, or ODS at 610-519-3209 or ods@villanova.edu.
• Academic Integrity: All students are expected to uphold Villanova’s Academic Integrity Policy and Code. Any incident of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for disciplinary action. For the College’s statement on Academic Integrity, you should consult the Student Guide to Policies and Procedures. You may view the University’s Academic Integrity Policy and Code, as well as other useful information related to writing papers, at the Academic Integrity Gateway web site: https://library.villanova.edu/research/subject-guides/academicintegrity
• Absences for Religious Holidays: Villanova University makes every reasonable effort to allow members of the community to observe their religious holidays, consistent with the University’s obligations, responsibilities, and policies. Students who expect to miss a class or assignment due to the observance of a religious holiday should discuss the matter with their professors as soon as possible, normally at least two weeks in advance. Absence from classes or examinations for religious reasons does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the absence. https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/provost/resources/student/policies/religiousholidays.html

Course-specific Policies

• Late Assignments: An automatic 3-day grace period applies to late lab reports, such that any lab report submitted within three days of the due date will be graded without penalty. No prior permission is required to use the grace period. Assignments submitted after this grace period without prior approval will lose 25% of the total points, and assignments submitted more than two weeks after the due date without prior approval will receive zero points. If you will not be able to submit an assignment by the due date, let me know so we can work something out.
• Laptop Use: Please use laptops only for class-related activities (e.g., taking notes, viewing articles, looking up material we are discussing). Web surfing, texting, browsing Facebook, etc. are not allowed. Please be courteous to your fellow students, as it is very distracting if you are not focused on the course material.
• Laboratory Safety: The lab we will be using is also used for research and for other courses. Please be mindful of this and avoid any equipment and materials that are not being used as part of our class.
• COVID-19 Precautions: Students are expected to follow all Villanova University health and safety guidelines. If the guidelines change during the course of the semester, I will communicate this to the class via email.
• Modifications to Syllabus: If any information in the syllabus changes during the course of the semester, an updated version will be posted on the course website.

Extra credit

Course Schedule

Note: SoHL = Sounds of Human Language background readings. Link to the entire book.

Lab reports are due one week after completing the lab activity.

Lab Schedule