The Department of Linguistics offers undergraduate instruction of two types: general linguistics and non-Western language courses.
General linguistics courses have two purposes:
- They are intended to prepare students for various careers in which the scientific study of language is of significance, among others: anthropology, speech and hearing science, psychology, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computer science, foreign language teaching (including English as a foreign language), lexicography, stylistics, and text and discourse analysis.
- Combined with a good language background, they also are useful for those interested in area studies, such as Asian or African Studies. They are, furthermore, the basis for continued professional training toward the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in this field.
Non-Western language courses are offered regularly in Arabic, Modern Hebrew, Hindi, Sanskrit, and various African languages (Bamana, Lingala, Swahili, Wolof, and Zulu). One language, Hebrew, may be taken as an option of the major, and other non-Western languages are being proposed for similar majors.
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours
Departmental distinction:
Students are strongly encouraged to fulfill the requirements for completing their program with distinction. Candidates for the degree with distinction must register their candidacy with their advisers no later than the beginning of the second semester of the junior year. They must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.4 for the required 36 hours in linguistics, and register for at least 4 hours of LING 391 - Honors Individual Study, plus submit a senior honors thesis to the Department of Linguistics by the first day of the month preceding the month of graduation.
Students must select one option in consultation with an academic advisor.
For all options:
- Twelve hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the major must be taken on this campus.
- All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
- A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see the Undergraduate Advisor for this. For Spring 2008, this is James Yoon.