Sample Curriculum

Properties that languages share and how languages differ with respect to structure (sound system, word formation, syntax), expression of meaning, acquisition, variation, and change; cultural and artistic uses of language; comparison of oral, written, and signed languages. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. (Credits: 4)

Introduction to various speech and language disorders found across linguistically and culturally diverse populations. Characteristics underlying biological systems and methods for evaluation and treating a variety or communication disorders are examined. Exploration of the professions of speech pathology and audiology. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (CASLX322) - (Students must also register for required co-req CAS LX 322.) Introduction to syntax as an object of inquiry. Students build an increasingly sophisticated model of syntactic knowledge to account for data from English and other languages, constructing and evaluating alternative hypotheses about how sentence structure works. Carries humanities divisional studies credit in CAS. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Syntax I" that was previously numbered CAS LX 522. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) - Exploration, within the framework of generative grammar, of how similarities and differences in the acquisition patterns of syntax, semantics, and morphology across typologically diverse languages provide key evidence about the essential nature of first and second language acquisition. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. - Overview of second language acquisition at all linguistic levels. Topics include the role of the native language; markedness; universals; environmental variables; cognitive and affective factors; social dimensions; individual differences among learners; and application of theory to third language acquisition. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX301) - Surveys current knowledge about how children acquire phonology during the first years of life. Topics include biological foundations; perceptual and vocal development; word learning; phonological universals; implicit and explicit learning mechanisms; formalist and functionalist models; and individual variation. Also offered as GRS LX 753. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Phonological Development" that was previously numbered CAS LX 541. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX321) - Exploration of the character and course of acquisition of syntactic knowledge in both first and second language contexts. Covers methodological principles for conducting studies and analyzing data, and topics such as development of verb movement, binding theory, and tense. Also offered as GRS LX 754. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS LX 540. (Credits: 4)

This course will focus on first language acquisition in infancy and childhood. We will cover the progression of language development in each of the traditional areas of linguistic analysis: phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. The course will be focused on experimental research in typical language acquisition and on different theories that strive to explain the underlying cognitive and linguistic mechanisms at work in an early learner. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. - Systematic examination of how meaning is encoded in words and sentences, and how it can emerge from the complexity of the grammar. Also touches on various aspects of pragmatics--the study of how meaning is shaped by context. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork and Collaboration. (Credits: 4)

Study of the physiological structures and functions that underlie speech production. Emphasis is placed on the respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory systems. Introduction to neuroanatomy and neural control of the production of speech as well as dysfunction of these normal processes in clinical disorders is included. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (CASLX302) - (Students must also register for required co-req CAS LX 302.) Introduction to the nature and patterning of sounds in human language. Presents articulatory and acoustic phonetics, and basic phonological analysis, focusing on cross-language typology and comparison. Hands-on development of practical skills, including IPA transcription, field techniques, and digital speech analysis. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking. (Credits: 4)

Phonetics is the science of the sounds of speech, including how they are produced, perceived, and classified. In this course, students will develop competence in perceiving and classifying the segmental and suprasegmental patterns of American English. Students will master the International Phonetic Alphabet for broad and narrow transcription of vowels, consonants, and connected speech. Classroom and lab-based activities will develop listening and transcription skills for analyzing individual differences in dialect and accent, phonological development, and disordered speech. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: SAR SH 221 and SH 524 - This course provides an overview of current models of normal and disordered phonological development. Students examine and practice evidenced-based principles and practical applications of assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and remediation approaches and procedures to facilitate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to apply to working with individuals with a variety of phonological disorders (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: SAR SH221, SH524, and SH531, or consent of instructor. - This course is designed to prepare speech-language pathology students to enter into clinical practicum. Students will study theories of clinical process through guided observation experiences, culminating to a final mini-practicum experience. As part of this course, students will complete the ASHA requirement of 25 clinical observation hours. (Credits: 4)

Undergraduate Prerequisites: SLHS & LX Major and Minor only; senior status - The goal of this capstone seminar is to provide SLHS students with knowledge and skills in professionalism and the application of different types of evidence as a basis for practice in a variety of clinical and research settings. The course involves internships related to the disciplines of speech language and hearing sciences and is for students in their final year of these majors. (Credits: 2)