Spring 2027

Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical

Introductory course covering elementary theory and practical work in phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax, with attention to formal grammar.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Laura Horton

Summary

1 / 5

Past student reviews · Rebecca Shields

The workload was manageable, with one student reporting they could succeed by reading lecture slides on Canvas rather than attending live sessions, though remembering linguistic processes was required.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Read and write phonetic transcriptions of speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet

  • Describe the mechanisms at work during the production of human speech sounds

  • List from memory the distinctive features of the sounds of English, and be familiar with the phonetic features of many non-English sounds

  • Use appropriate tests to determine the morphological and syntactic structure of English words and sentences.

  • Apply knowledge of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax in analyzing linguistic datasets from a wide variety of unfamiliar languages

  • Use basic linguistic terms and concepts to read and summarize academic research in linguistics

Source: UW Guide 1 UW Guide 2

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Graduate/professional standing. Not open to students with credit forLINGUIS 101.

    • Graduate/professional standing
    • not eligible with
    take all
ANTHRO/LINGUIS 301 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • All of
    • Graduate/professional standing
    • Not eligible with

Professors

Spring 2027
Historical instructors & teaching patterns

REBECCA SHIELDS is recorded teaching in Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 1190
DIS 402Classroom Instruction0 / 250
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 2000
DIS 402Classroom Instruction0 / 250

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Rebecca Shields

A past student found the class enjoyable and engaging, noting that the professor's personality and interest in the subject made the material accessible and fun to learn.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2020: 3.47 GPA, 74.5% A/AB (n=55 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=2 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.75 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Rebecca Shields

The workload was manageable, with one student reporting they could succeed by reading lecture slides on Canvas rather than attending live sessions, though remembering linguistic processes was required.

Past student reviews · Rebecca Shields

A past student described the professor as great and enthusiastic, stating that the class was honestly not that hard and that they really enjoyed the experience.

Topics

  • Phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax
  • Formal grammar
  • International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Skills

  • Read and write phonetic transcriptions using IPA
  • Determine morphological and syntactic structure of English words and sentences
  • Analyze linguistic datasets from unfamiliar languages

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2024— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Fall 2024

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
ANTHRO/LINGUIS 301 · Spring 2027

Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical

Recorded 2026-10-14
ANTHRO/LINGUIS 301 · Spring 2027

Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:156:011273",
    "course_id": "ANTHRO/LINGUIS 301",
    "course_uid": "course_2431589e0815e3d5203f376c",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "011273",
    "source_subject_id": "156",
    "title": "Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:550:011273",
    "course_id": "ANTHRO/LINGUIS 301",
    "course_uid": "course_2431589e0815e3d5203f376c",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "011273",
    "source_subject_id": "550",
    "title": "Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "5ce0818a77285c92a1b0ff9614d51565fd8b1f34614f699289c0686fe027d9d8",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}