Monthly Archives: February 2018

Welcome

Using logical and mathematical tools, formal semantics answers the following questions: Why do sentences mean what they mean? How is reasoning possible? How does language structure our understanding of time, change, knowledge, morality, identity, and possibility? We will assess formal semantics as a theory of linguistic meaning and reasoning by comparing its predictions with linguistic and psychological evidence. We will also examine its philosophical assumptions. This course is well suited for students interested in computer science, linguistics, logic, mathematics, or philosophy. (Some prior familiarity with formal logic is recommended, but not required.)

Course meeting times and places:
Tuesday and Thursday: 9:30AM-10:45AM in Bicentennial Hall, Room 219
Wednesday: 11:15AM-12:05PM in Twilight Hall, Room 302
Office hours:
Wednesday: 2:30PM-3:30PM in Twilight Hall, Room 303A
Thursday: 11:30AM-1:30PM in Twilight Hall, Room 303A