The goal of this course is to introduce students to Linguistics (the study of the structure and cognitive organization of human language) as a discipline falling within the domain of social science. We approach the subject matter empirically, proceeding from a discussion of the nature and role of empiricism – i.e., observation and hypotheses resulting therefrom -- in scientific investigation, not only with reference to the study of language but to other naturally occurring phenomena as well. Students will be encouraged to compare their previous experience with language, usually in the second-language classroom, with the investigation of language as a domain of inquiry, and thus to appreciate the difference between informal interaction with a subject matter and formal, in which the goal is knowledge as opposed to the acquisition of a skill. Language provides unusual insight into empiricism as an approach because linguistic systems are not subject to direct observation, i.e., cannot be seen, and therefore will require us to adjust and broaden our understanding of the meaning of empiricism to include indirect, or introspective, observation.