The Master program in “Language and Mind. Linguistics and Cognitive Studies” is articulated in two curricula:

• Linguistics and Cognition
• Philosophy and Cognition

The program focuses, in both curricula, on the study of language in the perspective of cognitive studies and of the philosophy of language and mind. It is primarily addressed to students interested in:

• the in-depth description of human languages, in their different varieties including different dialects;
• the study of language as a cognitive capacityand its relevance in the domain of first and second language acquisition and language pathology;
• the study of the philosophical, psychological, biological and social bases of language and cognition;
• the study of the relevance of the analysis of human language for philosophical studies.

Students of the Master program in “Language and Mind. Linguistics and Cognitive Studies” will acquire:

• an in-depth knowledge  of the theoretical models and of the analytical methods of contemporary linguistics, including experimental methods and field research;
• the ability to apply theories and methods of linguistic research for the description and analysis of different languages, in a comparative perspective;
• familiarity with different dimensions of the interdisciplinary study of language as a cognitive capacity, of first and second language acquisition, of the relation between mind, language and the brain;
• familiarity with the philosophical issues underlying the study of language as a cognitive capacity and of the relation between language and mind, as well as of the relation between logic, inference and meaning in natural language;
• the ability to utilize theories and methods of formal linguistics in different applied domains, such as language teaching, the study of language pathology, computational applications and psycholinguistic experimentation.

Students have the option to apply for a double master degree combining the Master program in Language and Mind. Linguistics and Cognitive Studies of the University of Siena with the Master program Logic and philosophy of science (LoPhiSc) of the University of Paris 1, Panthéon Sorbonne (classes in French). Furthermore, through a partnership agreement between LoPhiSc and the Master program CogMaster-École Normale Supérieure (Ulm)-Paris, the students applying for the double master degree will also have the opportunity to attend classes offered within the frame of the CogMaster.

The Master program in Language and Mind. Linguistics and Cognitive Studies is activated within the class LM/39 – Linguistics.

Courses are offered in English in order to stress the international character of the master program and favor the enrollment of international students as well as the interaction between Italian and foreign students; to enhance the opportunity to access international doctoral programs, the capacity of students to actively participate in international conferences and seminars, the possibility to access job opportunities abroad.  The articulation in two curricula aims to build a study experience that is at the same time coherent and diversified, in which a predominant number of courses shared by the two curricula are present in the first year while the second year is devoted to an in-depth study of one of the two curricula.

The level of English required for adequately participate in the program is B2, which must be be acquired by the end of the first year at the latest. Students who are L2-English speakers are encouraged to practice and quickly acquire the level B2 or higher in order to become able to produce work material and presentations in class and to profit at best of a lively research interaction with fellow students, professors and invited visiting scholars.

Core courses will be offered by the following professors from the Linguistics and Philosophy staff of the University of Siena: Adriana Belletti, Valentina Bianchi, Giuliano Bocci, Cristiano Chesi, Alison Duguid,  Stefano Guidi, Vincenzo Moscati,  Patrizia Pedrini, Salvatore Pistoia-Reda, Luca San Mauro, Luigi Rizzi, Giuseppe Varnier, Cesare Zanca.