The general topic for this assignment is Words. You are expected to write a response to the questions below based on your own opinion, AFTER listening to a 1 hr long Radiolab podcast online. The podcast can be found here: http://www.radiolab.org/story/91725-words/
Your opinion can be informed by what you have read in the text, heard in class, or know from personal experience. THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER. In order to receive full credit on the assignment, your response must meet ALL of the following criteria:
Your response MUST be no shorter than TWO full pages, typed (12 pt font), Times New Romans, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around, and MUST be no longer than 3 full pages, with these same specifications. YOUR NAME AND COURSE NUMBER (PSYC 301) MUST BE AT THE TOP OF THE FIRST PAGE AND MUST BE SINGLE-SPACED, NOT DOUBLE-SPACED LIKE THE REST OF THE PAPER. DO NOT include a title and the questions, it is not necessary and just takes up space. Just put (a), (b), (c), and (d) instead of the full questions.
Opinion papers MUST be typed and submitted to D2L under “Assignment” as a Word document.
Your response MUST address all the questions. Responses that are “off-topic” or do not fully address the question (i.e., all parts of the question) will not receive full credit and may receive a 0 on that question. The judgment about whether a response is “off-topic” rests entirely with the TA and course instructor.
Your response MUST be readable with respect to grammar and punctuation. Failure to write a clear response, with proper sentence construction and punctuation will result in loss of points. Responses deemed too difficult to read will not be graded. The judgment about whether a response is “readable” rests entirely with the TA and course instructor.
Your response MUST be submitted to the D2L course website by 11:59 pm on SUNDAY, July 7th, 2024. EMAILED RESPONSES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. You are encouraged to turn your response in early. NO papers will be accepted after the due date for any reason.
*** Responses that are poorly written, do not address the topic, or fail to meet the format/content guidelines will receive 50 points at maximum no matter how good the content of your paper is (full points = 100).
***** No matter how good the content is, plagiarism gets zero points.
Specifically, if the Turnitin score is higher than 20, you’ll receive ZERO points.
Questions
– Only include that NUMBER in your paper, not the question.
(a) For the 27-year-old man who suddenly came to understand that everything in the world has a name, what changed? Did his way of thinking fundamentally change? Yes or no, and why?
(b) What about the rats? Do you agree with Elizabeth Spelke’s conclusion that it’s language that bridges different parts of your brain communicate, linking together concepts that ordinarily would remain separated? Why or why not?
(c) What about the deaf Nicaraguans? Do the younger children with all the signs for various kinds of thinking actually have a more elaborate understanding of thinking than the older individuals with just one or two signs for “thinking”? Why or why not?
(d) So… What is thought without language? Speculate about what that might be like to experience?
