2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Social and Human Sciences Graduate major in Social and Human Sciences

Graduate Lecture in Cognition, Mathematics and Information F1A

Academic unit or major: Graduate major in Social and Human Sciences
Instructor(s): Mika Ebara
Class Format: Lecture
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms)
Class: -
Course Code: SHS.M443
Number of credits: 100
Course offered: 2026
Offered quarter: 3Q
Syllabus updated: Mar 16, 2026
Language: English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

This course aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge and analytical skills necessary for linguistic research.
Focusing on Japanese syntax and semantics, students will develop perspectives and analytical approaches required for linguistic analysis through readings, lectures, discussions, exercises, and presentations.
By contrasting Japanese with other languages, students will cultivate the ability to examine language from multiple perspectives.

Course description and aims

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1) Read and comprehend foundational linguistic research papers.
2) Independently identify and locate relevant linguistic literature.
3) Conduct contrastive analyses of languages and examine their differences critically.

Keywords

Linguistics, Japanese linguistics, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Through lectures, discussions, and analytical exercises, students will explore the linguistic characteristics of Japanese.
By reading academic papers, students will also learn the structure and argumentative style of linguistic research.
In the latter half of the course, students will independently select a research paper on Japanese, conduct a contrastive analysis with another language, and present their findings.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Introduction to assigned readings and course procedures Overview of Japanese linguistics	・Learning how to search for relevant academic papers ・Discussion of linguistic features of Japanese
Class 2	How to Read Linguistic Research Papers	・Inferring the field and topic of a paper from the title in the reference
Class 3	Background and Originality in Linguistic Research	・Understanding the research background and novelty of academic papers
Class 4	Methods of Linguistic Analysis	・Learning fundamental analytical methods in linguistics
Class 5	Discussion Sections and the Significance of Linguistic Research	・Examining discussion sections and considering the significance of linguistic research
Class 6	Comparison between Japanese and Other Languages	・Conducting contrastive linguistic analysis
Class 7	Presentations and Discussion	・Presenting analytical findings in a clear and logical manner

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None required. Course materials will be provided during the class.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

・Handbook of Japanese syntax, edited by Masayoshi Shibatani, Shigeru Miyagawa, Hisashi Noda
（Handbooks of Japanese language and linguistics, v. 4）, De Gruyter Mouton, c2017

・Handbook of Japanese semantics and pragmatics, edited by Wesley M. Jacobsen, Yukinori Takubo
（Handbooks of Japanese language and linguistics, v. 5）, De Gruyter Mouton, c2020

Evaluation methods and criteria

Grades will be determined as follows:
30% assignments, 30% final paper, 40% final presentation.

Related courses

SHS.M442 ： Graduate Lecture in Cognition, Mathematics and Information S1B
SHS.M444 ： Graduate Lecture in Cognition, Mathematics and Information F1B
SHS.M461 ： Graduate Methodologies in Cognition, Mathematics and Information S1
SHS.L411 ： Trans-disciplinary Exercise in Social and Human Sciences S1A
SHS.L412 ： Trans-disciplinary Exercise in Social and Human Sciences S1B

Prerequisites

Students are expected to have completed introductory courses in linguistics or applied linguistics, or possess equivalent knowledge.
Since Japanese will be the primary language of analysis, students must have at least an intermediate level of Japanese proficiency.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

Mika Ebara, ebara[at]ila.titech.ac.jp

Office hours

Contact by email in advance to schedule an appointment.

Other

The course will be conducted in English.
Students are required to make all presentations and participate in discussions in English.