Why do certain words shock us, make us laugh, or feel powerful to say? Why do swear words exist in every culture, and why do they change so quickly over time?

In this College Edge seminar, you will explore the hidden rules and surprising science behind profane language. Using perspectives from linguistics, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and neuroscience, the course examines where swear words come from, how they sound and function grammatically, how they vary across cultures, and what happens in our brains and bodies when we hear or use them.

The class blends academic readings with examples from music, film, social media, and everyday speech. You will have plenty of opportunities to share your own observations about slang, taboo language, and cultural shifts, and to investigate expressions that genuinely interest you. Along the way, you will learn how scholars study language as a living, social system shaped by identity, power, emotion, and history.

The course includes a field trip to the Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center, where we will examine how taboo language appears in art, music, comedy, and media. You will also hear short introductory talks from UW faculty across the disciplines we explore, offering a behind-the-scenes look at different academic departments and the kinds of questions they study.

By the end of the course, you will be able to explain patterns in the meaning, sound, grammar, and evolution of swear words, identify cross-cultural differences in profanity, and thoughtfully consider what the future of taboo language might look like in American English. Designed as an engaging, discussion-based seminar, this course helps you build confidence as a college-level thinker while exploring a topic that is both intellectually serious and deeply familiar.

Learn more about the instructor of this course here.