1:00 Instructor
PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE University of Texas, Austin Department of Philosophy Phil 332, Spring 2010 MWF: 12:00 - 1:00
INSTRUCTOR Lawrence Ray Buchanan E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (512) 471-7396 Office: Waggener Hall 4th Floor Room # 416B Office hours: Mondays 2:05 -3:05
COURSE SUMMARY The course focuses on various philosophical issues concerning language. Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to, the following: speaker-meaning, conversational implicature, sentence/expression-meaning, reference, modality, and propositional attitude ascriptions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS Assignments:
• Two 5-6 page papers on topics selected from a list of prompts given by instructor. The first of these papers will be worth 20% of the student’s final grade for the course; the second will be worth 25% of the grade for the course. • One in-class midterm worth 25% of the student’s final grade. • A cumulative final exam (25% of the grade). • Class participation and attendance (5%).
Regarding the *participation* component of your grade: I expect regular attendance and participation in our course. Moreover, I expect you to have read the material for lecture carefully in advance. However, should my expectations on either front fail to be realized, I will assign (short) in-class written assignments regarding the required reading for the day that will then be counted towards the participation component of your grade.
Please Note: This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and to read and discuss your peers' work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work.
1 UT HONOR CODE “The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.”
COURSE MATERIALS
Required text: Readings in the Philosophy of Language (Bradford Books) edited by Peter Ludlow.
Additional required readings will be posted on the course Blackboard site (these readings are marked with an asterisk below).
CALENDAR OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
The following calendar of readings is extremely ambitious and will likely be revised as the semester proceeds. Updates to the course schedule will be posted on Blackboard or distributed in class as needed.
Introduction to the Course
Wednesday, Jan. 19th • Introduction: No reading assignment
Unit 1: Speaker-Meaning, Convention, and Expression-Meaning
Friday, Jan. 21s • H. P. Grice, ‘Meaning’*
Monday, Jan. 24th • H. P. Grice, ‘Meaning’* (continued)
Wednesday, Jan. 26th • H.P. Grice, ‘Utterer’s Meaning and Intentions’ • William Lycan, Philosophy of Language, Chapter 7*
Friday, Jan. 28th • H.P. Grice, ‘Utterer’s Meaning and Intentions’ (continued) • John Searle, ‘What Is a Speech Act?’ (selections)*
Monday, Jan. 31st • David Lewis, ‘Language and Languages’ (selections)*
Wednesday, Feb. 2nd • David Lewis, ‘Language and Languages’ (continued) • Tyler Burge, ‘Knowledge and Convention’*
2 Friday, Feb. 4th • Tyler Burge, ‘Knowledge and Convention’ • Stephen Schiffer, ‘Actual-Language Relations’* (selections)
Monday, Feb. 7th • Stephen Schiffer, ‘Actual-Language Relations’* (continued) • First Paper due
Unit Two: Conversational Implicature
Wednesday, Feb. 9th • H. P. Grice, ‘Logic and Conversation’* • William Lycan, (ibid.) Chapter Thirteen*
Friday, Feb. 11th • H. P. Grice, ‘Logic and Conversation’* (continued)
Monday, Feb. 14th • Wayne Davis, ‘Implicature’ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Wednesday, Feb. 16th • Wayne Davis, ‘Implicature’ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (continued)
Unit 2: A Case Study: Definite Descriptions
Friday, Feb. 18th • Bertrand Russell, ‘On Denoting’* (selections) • Stephen Neale, Chapters One and Two of Descriptions
Monday, Feb. 21st • Bertrand Russell, ‘Descriptions’
Wednesday, Feb. 23rd • P. F. Strawson, ‘On Referring’
Friday, Feb. 25th • Stephen Neale, ‘Context and Communication’
Monday, Feb. 28th • Stephen Neale, ‘Context and Communication’ (continued)
Wednesday, Mar. 2nd • Marga Reimer, ‘Donnellan’s Distinction/Kripke’s Test’*
Friday, Mar. 4th • In Class Test
3 Unit Three: Reference, Proper Names, and Propositional Attitude Ascriptions
Monday, Mar.7th • Gottlieb Frege, ‘On Sense and Reference’
Wednesday, Mar. 9th • Gottlieb Frege, ‘On Sense and Reference’ (continued) • John Searle, ‘Proper Names’ • Chapter Three of Lycan
Friday, Mar. 11th • John Searle, ‘Proper Names’ (continued) • Chapter Three of Lycan (continued)
Monday, Mar. 14th • No Class – Spring Break
Wednesday, Mar. 16th • No Class – Spring Break
Friday, Mar. 18th • No Class – Spring Break
Monday, Mar. 21st • Saul Kripke, Lecture One of Naming and Necessity*
Wednesday, Mar. 23rd • Saul Kripke, Lecture Two of N & N
Friday, Mar. 25th • Saul Kripke Lecture Two of N & N (continued) • Chapter Four in Lycan
Monday, Mar. 28th • Saul Kripke, Lecture Three of N & N
Wednesday, Mar. 30th • Gareth Evans, ‘The Causal Theory of Names’
Friday, April 1st (No class)
Monday, April 4th • Gareth Evans, ‘The Causal Theory of Names’ (continued)
Wednesday, April 6th • Saul Kripke, ‘A Puzzle about Belief’ • David Sosa, ‘The Import of a Puzzle about Belief’*
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Friday, April 8th • Saul Kripke, ‘A Puzzle about Belief’ (continued) • David Sosa, ‘The Import of a Puzzle about Belief’* (continued) • Draft of second paper due
Unit 5: Meaning, Truth, and Analyticity
Monday, April 11th • W.V. Quine, ‘Two Dogmas of Empiricism’*
Wednesday, April 13th • W.V. Quine, ‘Two Dogmas of Empiricism’ (continued)
Friday, April 15th • Donald Davidson, ‘Truth and Meaning’
Monday, April 18th • Donald Davidson, ‘Truth and Meaning’ (continued) • Revised second paper due
Wednesday, April 20th • Donald Davidson, ‘Truth and Meaning’ (continued)
Friday, April 22nd • R. Larson and G. Segal, ‘Knowledge of Meaning and Theories of Truth’
Monday, April 25th • R. Larson and G. Segal, ‘Knowledge of Meaning and Theories of Truth’
Wednesday, April 27th • Jeff Speaks, ‘Truth Theories, Translation Manuals, and Theories of Meaning’*
Monday, May 2nd • Jeff Speaks, ‘Truth Theories, Translation Manuals, and Theories of Meaning’* (continued)
Final Exam: Thursday, May 12, 9:00-12:00 noon
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