SEASIAN M20
Visible Language: Study of Writing
Description: (Same as Asian M20, Indo-European Studies M20, Near Eastern Languages M20, and Slavic M20.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Consideration of concrete means of language representation in writing systems. Earliest representations of language known are those of Near East dating to end of 4th millennium BC. While literate civilizations of Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and Mesoamerica left little evidence of corresponding earliest developments, their antiquity and, in case of China and Mesoamerica, their evident isolation mark these centers as loci of independent developments in writing. Basic characteristics of early scripts, assessment of modern alphabetic writing systems, and presentation of conceptual basis of semiotic language representation. Origins and development of early non-Western writing systems. How Greco-Roman alphabet arose in 1st millennium BC and how it compares to other modern writing systems. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2017 - I do not recommend taking this class as a GE. The professor is really nice and helpful but he doesn't podcast his lectures and his lecture slides don't give a lot of information so attendance is mandatory. The tests he gives are incredibly hard and focus on the smallest details of the information learned. He even tests the memorization of the Phoenician alphabet. There is a group project with about 5 people to create a writing system, which was really difficult to do and took a lot of time outside of class. There is a final paper that you have to write about 5 pages long with a ton of requirements regarding sources, the layout, etc. The information was interesting but not enough to take it for a GE.
Spring 2017 - I do not recommend taking this class as a GE. The professor is really nice and helpful but he doesn't podcast his lectures and his lecture slides don't give a lot of information so attendance is mandatory. The tests he gives are incredibly hard and focus on the smallest details of the information learned. He even tests the memorization of the Phoenician alphabet. There is a group project with about 5 people to create a writing system, which was really difficult to do and took a lot of time outside of class. There is a final paper that you have to write about 5 pages long with a ton of requirements regarding sources, the layout, etc. The information was interesting but not enough to take it for a GE.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - The reviews are so harsh omg. Out of all the Linguistics GEs out there, this class is a GEM. Take it take it take it if you need that requirement. Professor Yates is a great, funny lecturer, and despite not being super interested in the material at first I found it super worthwhile. Sections are mandatory but interesting, and weekly HW takes less than 30 minutes. You can skip out on a lot of the readings, and the final is a project where you create your own language.
Spring 2025 - The reviews are so harsh omg. Out of all the Linguistics GEs out there, this class is a GEM. Take it take it take it if you need that requirement. Professor Yates is a great, funny lecturer, and despite not being super interested in the material at first I found it super worthwhile. Sections are mandatory but interesting, and weekly HW takes less than 30 minutes. You can skip out on a lot of the readings, and the final is a project where you create your own language.
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