Postgraduate Course: Simulating Language (LASC11113)

Course Outline
School	School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	The study of the origins and evolution of language and communication has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. Part of the reason for this has been the application of new techniques from computer modelling to test out different hypotheses about how language evolved. This allows researchers to run experiments on populations of simulated individuals, essentially rerunning competing proposed scenarios for the evolution of language. In this course, we will build and run experiments with very simple models that nevertheless cast light on a wide range of puzzles - from the origins of animal communication all the way to the emergence of patterns of regularity and irregularity in language structure. Each of these models will build on the previous ones and at each step we will relate the practical work we are doing with the existing literature on simulating language, as well as broader issues in the scientific understanding of the origins and ongoing evolution of language. This course will be suitable for anyone interested in the dynamic processes underpinning language, including individual learning, cultural transmission, and biological evolution. It will involve a mix of practical lab work, lectures and discussions. Experience of programming (using any language) would be an advantage, but is not a prerequisite. Formative feedback; - lab sessions with one-to-one advice on completing lab assignments. - lecture giving feedback on first assessment and feedforward advice on approaching the second.
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 52, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 142 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 100 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Short answer questions within a take-home exam (30%) and practical work within a take-home exam (70%) Assignment 1 deadline: Monday 2nd March 2015, 12 noon Return deadline: 24th March 2015 Assignment 2 deadline: Monday 13th April 2015, 12 noon Return deadline: 5th May 2015
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
- An ability to critically assess research papers that use modelling techniques; - an understanding of those aspects of evolutionary linguistics in which modelling has played a part; - an understanding of multi-agent simulation, and basic evolutionary computation and machine learning techniques; - an ability to run and analyse computer simulation experiments in order to test hypotheses about the cultural and biological evolution of linguistic behaviour; - an ability to modify existing simulations and construct novel ones