Description
[cross-listed with PHL 3900] This course is an introduction to conceptual metaphor theory, which treats metaphor not as mere literary device, but as a fundamental aspect of human thought. Contemporary metaphor theory is driven by a community of writers and researchers working in and across disciplines including philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, and literature. Our goal in this course will be to establish a firm theoretical grasp of conceptual metaphor—basically, the process of understanding one concept in terms of another—and then to apply it to research or creative projects of our own design. Coursework includes in-class presentations, quizzes, midterm exam, and final project. Required texts: Kovecses, Zoltan. Metaphor: A Practical Introduction. (Oxford, 2010); and Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live By. (Chicago, 2003).