Neurolinguistics

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4001913FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Philippe Paquier (course titular)
Stefanie Keulen

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
30 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals

Course Content

This course aims to introduce students to the relevant terminology pertaining to the domain of clinical neurolinguistics. A variety of clinical speech and language impairments ranging from developmental to acquired and neurodegenerative disorders, will be covered. The students will get acquainted with neurolinguistic concepts, definitions and pathologies, as well as with the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and neuro-anatomical substrates. The students will learn how these disorders are diagnosed and what tests/elements pertain to the diagnostic process. A practical assignment (WPO) will require students to further investigate aspects relating to a specific course theme.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Aphasia, A clinical perspective, Benson DF, Ardilla A., New York: Oxford University Press, 9780195089349, 1996

Additional info

Guest professors/speakers may be invited to give a lecture.

Extra-muros activities can be possible (mentioned on time, in class)

This course consists of a combination of "HOC": lectures & "WPO": practical assignment (see below)

Contact information:

Stefanie.Keulen@vub.be

Philippe.Paquier@vub.be

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The students know and can define all theoretical concepts related to neurolinguistic research.

The students know, and are able to locate, the different areas of the brain pertaining to the neurolinguistic study of speech and language processing.

The students are able to recognize the discussed speech and language disorders, and to develop on the pathophysiological mechanisms.

The students will gain insights into the co-occurrence of other neurocognitive disorders (agnosia, apraxia, amnesia, …) which share a common neurobiological substrate or are caused by damage to interconnected brain regions.

The students are able to find research on a specific theme related to the speech and language disorders covered in the course. The students can report on their insights and findings based upon a systematic literature review in the form of a scientific paper, written in an appropriate register of a standard variety of English and with an accurate use of the acquired terminology.

The students are able to report on their research findings in the form of an oral presentation.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
PRAC Practical Assignment determines 25% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral Exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 75% of the final mark.

Note: Oral exam addressing all of the topics covered in the classes, as well as the articles/chapters marked as “compulsory reading”.Calculation of evaluation figure: Lectures count for 75%, practical exercises for 25%.

Within the PRAC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Practical Assignment with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

Note: Explanation: Research paper (group effort) that includes a systematic literature review –may also include a group research project, which will then be communicated during a separate class when the WPO is initiated. Oral presentation of the group paper.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Final mark = 75% Theory (HOC) + 25% Practical assignment (WPO).

A pass mark is awarded if the final mark comprising of the sum the weighed scores of the two components (75% oral exam+ 25% practical assignment) is equal to or above 10/20. Students who failed one of the two components but who got a final mark ≥10/20, will not be allowed to take the failed exam component again.

If a student does not participate in all of the evaluation criteria of the course (HOC/WPO), the student will be marked “absent” for the course as a whole.

Late submissions of papers will *not* be accepted. All deadlines hold for both digital as well as paper copies.

Second session: students who scored below 10/20 during the first exam session, will have to redo the component or components they failed. If the failing mark concerns the group paper and presentation (practical assignment), an individual adaptation of the paper and an individual presentation will be required.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context