PHYSCI 175
Why Fido Can't Speak: Biological Evolution of Language
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 111A or Neuroscience M101A. "Homo sapiens" are only species currently on planet to possess language. Exploration of whether other species possess potential building blocks for language. Topics range from examination of how bees and ants signal about food sources to whether structured songs of birds, whales, and monkeys contain compositional meaning. Topics intersect with those in fields of anthropology, biopsychology, linguistics, molecular genetics, neuroscience, and physiology. Letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
1 of 1
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - This was one of the classes I chose when my entire schedule went to shit and I had no other phy sci classes open to me. It wasn't a bad course but I would have rather taken something on the actual human body than birds. Despite this class not being my first choice, it was actually interesting. It's all about language. How we speak. Why we speak. Why certain animals cant. Its funny though, Dr. White starts of the class asking if FOXP2 is the key to language and the class ended without a solid answer. Dr. White herself is cool because you can tell she really likes her research and the material, but she can get really confusing sometimes when she lectures. Her explanations get really jumbled and I found myself thinking "what the..." a lot. Her testing method is also eh. The multiple choice has really ambiguous answer choices. The final was way easier because it was pure free response. She scared the class by talking about experimental design questions but she ended up asking questions that had to do with experiments she covered in class so it wasn't bad at all. BREAKDOWN: Three Quizzes: 30% (10% each) Two Midterms: 40% (20% each) Myth Busters Presentation: 18% Attendance and Participation: 12% Overall, if I had to take Dr. White again, I would! Just not something thats my first choice in terms of material or instructor
Winter 2021 - This was one of the classes I chose when my entire schedule went to shit and I had no other phy sci classes open to me. It wasn't a bad course but I would have rather taken something on the actual human body than birds. Despite this class not being my first choice, it was actually interesting. It's all about language. How we speak. Why we speak. Why certain animals cant. Its funny though, Dr. White starts of the class asking if FOXP2 is the key to language and the class ended without a solid answer. Dr. White herself is cool because you can tell she really likes her research and the material, but she can get really confusing sometimes when she lectures. Her explanations get really jumbled and I found myself thinking "what the..." a lot. Her testing method is also eh. The multiple choice has really ambiguous answer choices. The final was way easier because it was pure free response. She scared the class by talking about experimental design questions but she ended up asking questions that had to do with experiments she covered in class so it wasn't bad at all. BREAKDOWN: Three Quizzes: 30% (10% each) Two Midterms: 40% (20% each) Myth Busters Presentation: 18% Attendance and Participation: 12% Overall, if I had to take Dr. White again, I would! Just not something thats my first choice in terms of material or instructor
AD
1 of 1
