Did you ever wonder if a fetus “pays attention” to language? If you trained a chimp to speak, could it? What if an infant never hears speech, would it be able to communicate? What exactly is language? Is language uniquely human? How are language and our consciousness connected? We will explore these questions and others during the semester by reading and discussing research on language development, language origins, bilingualism vs. monolingualism, and atypical development. You do not need to have a child development background for the class but you do need a curious mind that enjoys learning and challenge.