Linguistics (B.A.)
At-a-Glance
Minimum hours required for major: 33
Minimum hours required for minor: 18
Special requirement: In order to earn a B.A. in Linguistics, a student must maintain an overall grade-point average of 2.5 or better, and a grade-point average of 3.0 or better in courses applied to the major.
Advising information: Freshmen and sophomores who are interested in majoring or minoring in Linguistics are advised to take LIN 260 Language, Society, and Culture (3 credits), which counts toward the social sciences graduation requirement and as a Linguistics elective. This course is cross-listed as ANT 260 and ENG 260. Students interested in majoring in Linguistics should contact the Interdisciplinary Programs office, Rhodes Tower 1644, (216) 687-3914.
Foreign language requirement: The college's foreign language requirement may be satisfied by taking a two-semester sequence of LIN 318 Language Analysis (4 credits each, cross-listed as ENG 318 or MLA 310) and offered as Sanskrit, Old English, Old Norse, Mayan, or other languages. These count as core courses in the Linguistics major and minor.
Career information:
Students preparing to teach English as a Second Language are advised to take courses in phonetics and phonology, English grammar, applied linguistics, teaching ESL, and ESL internship. For preprofessional and general liberal-arts majors, linguistics contributes to analytical and research skills that enhance a professional résumé. Opportunities are varied and include linguistic analysis of primary texts, the study of language diversity in social and educational contexts, field experiences, and internships. The Linguistics major is drawn from courses in anthropology, communication, education, English, modern languages, philosophy, psychology, and speech and hearing. Some students have found it advantageous to take a double major, combining linguistics with one of these fields.
Major-Field Requirements
To earn a major in Linguistics, students must take at least 33 credits distributed among at least 9 courses. The number of credits in each course varies from 2 to 4. Course requirements are defined as follows:
- Introductory course (one of the following):
- ANT 304 Linguistic Anthropology
- MLA 325 Introduction to Linguistics
- ENG 311/LIN 311 Elements of Linguistics
- Linguistic core courses (4 courses from the following list):
- ANT 304 Linguistic Anthropology (may apply either as an introductory course or as a core course)
- ANT 340/LIN 340 Phonology
- ANT 341/LIN 341 Morphology and Syntax
- ANT 342/LIN 342 Languages in Contact
- ANT 344/LIN 313 Sociolinguistics
- ENG 312/LIN 312 Modern English Grammar
- ENG 313/LIN 313 Studies in Linguistics (may be repeated with change of topic)
- ENG 318/LIN 318/MLA 310 Language Analysis (may be repeated as a 2-semester sequence or with change of topic)
- SPH 228 Phonetics
- SPH 229 Speech and Language Development
- SPN 417 History of the Spanish Language
- Electives in language and linguistics (four courses or more as needed to bring the total number of credits to 33; at least three electives must be upper-division courses). Electives may include any courses from the core list, and courses from the following:
- ANT 260/ENG 260/LIN 260 Language, Society, and Culture
- ANT 343 Language and Gender
- EDL 406 Second Language Learning and Pedagogy
- EDL 407 TESOL Methods
- ENG 310/LIN 310 Traditional Grammar
- ENG 314/LIN 314 Applied Linguistics
- ENG 315/LIN 315 Introduction to the English Language
- ENG/LIN 490 Professional Internship: Teaching Adult ESL
- FRN 315/LIN 315 French Phonetics and Diction
- FRN 416 Studies in French Linguistics
- LIN 315 Phonetics and Contrastive Structures
- LIN 347 Maya Hieroglyphic Writing I
- LIN 447 Maya Hieroglyphic Writing II
- LIN 480/MLA 493 Special Topic in Linguistics
- LIN 496 Independent Study in Linguistics
- MLA 201 Words: An Introduction to Etymology
- PHL 377 Language and Philosophy
- PHL 432 Analytic and Linguistic Philosophy
- PSY 372 Memory and Cognition
- SPH 431 Language Disorders
- SPH 438/LIN 438 Urban Language Patterns
- SPN 293/393/493 Special Topics in Spanish (with linguistic topic)
- SPN 315/LIN 315 Spanish Phonetics
- SPN 416 Studies in Spanish Linguistics
Linguistics Minor
The minor in Linguistics requires at least 18 credits, with courses distributed as follows:
