A normal developing child can acquire any human language in the right environment, yet it is much more difficult for an adult to achieve the same kind of proficiency in a second language. Why is this? In this seminar we will explore the topic of language acquisition. Some of the questions we will ask are: How do children acquire their first language? Is it effortless? Are humans "hardwired" with language? Is it true that after the "Critical Period," the onset of puberty, humans have lost this capacity? We will also explore the social and cultural constraints on both first and second language acquisition, and learn the basic tools for collecting data for language acquisition research. 3 hrs. sem.