LING 310. Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Determining what a written text or spoken utterance exactly conveys is nowhere more important than in the area of the law where subtle differences in wording can have drastic consequences in people’s lives. This course examines how language is used and interpreted in legal settings by applying insights from the linguistic fields of semantics, pragmatics, discourse analysis and sociolinguistics. The course has lifelong relevance for every citizen, since we can expect to sign contracts, receive a jury summons or engage in many other ways with the law and legal documents. The course emphasizes active student participation and an explicit connection between theory and practice. Students will be expected to apply their acquired knowledge to practical and—wherever possible—current societal issues. (Available for General Education, B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning or E Lifelong Learning.) (WI)