This course explores the science behind how aspects of language impact how people think about social concepts. For instance, how do metaphorical frames impact how we think about diseases (such as cancer)? How do subtle variations in wording (such as talking about climate change vs global warming) influence whether we intend to live more "green" lives? How do grammatically-gendered languages (e.g., French, German) impact gender biases of its speakers? This course sheds light on how language structures shape the mental models we use to understand and reason about complex social phenomena.
This course explores the science behind how aspects of language impact how people think about social concepts. For instance, how do metaphorical frames impact how we think about diseases (such as cancer)? How do subtle variations in wording (such as talking about climate change vs global warming) influence whether we intend to live more "green" lives? How do grammatically-gendered languages (e.g., French, German) impact gender biases of its speakers? This course sheds light on how language structures shape the mental models we use to understand and reason about complex social phenomena.