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Majors

Linguistics majors are exposed to a broad range of information while studying language through the perspectives of physiology, cognition, meaning, society, and culture. Upon completion, students will

  • think critically about language and linguistic research
  • describe and apply principles and methods of linguistics
  • communicate effectively orally and in writing
  • recognize rising ethical questions in linguistics and address questions with appropriate standards

BA in Linguistics

This major is designed to introduce students to fundamental aspects of studying human language, emphasizing how an interdisciplinary approach to language better informs a global understanding of language use, structure, acquisition, variation, and change. Specifically the program aims to show how structural, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches to language study compare, contrast, and complement.

  • Three core courses
    • LING 101 Language Diversity in the US
    • LING 201 Foundations of Linguistics
    • LING 401W Language, Mind and Society
  • Four breadth courses (three for students who declared before 8/1/24)
    • 2 Structural Courses (LING 210, 212, or 214)
    • 1 Sociocultural Course (LING 333, 340, 341, 342, 350)
    • 1 Cognitive Course (LING 309, 316, 317)
  • Three electives
    • The elective can be satisfied by taking additional courses in any of the three breadth areas above, and/or any other 3+ credit Linguistics course except LING 151 Second Language Study.
  • Two language study courses (two foreign language courses if declared before 8/1/24)
    1. Two courses in one foreign language at the 200-level or above, OR
    2. Two courses in two different foreign languages at any level, OR
    3. A foreign language course at any level and a LING course designated 'language study'
    • LING 151 Second Language Study
    • LING 230 Description & Analysis: Chinese Language
    • LING 234 Intro to Japanese Linguistics
    • LING 242 Languages of the World
    • LING 338 Bilingualism in Japanese Context
    • LING 363 Old English Language & Literature
    • LING 430R Field Methods in Linguistics
  • One research course (which may also serve as an elective or breadth course). Must be 3+credits.
    • LING 316 Language Acquisition
    • LING 317 Psycholinguistics
    • LING 342 Language Prejudice
    • LING 350 Health Communication
    • LING 405W Language & Discourse on the Web
    • LING 430R Field Methods in Linguistics
    • LING 497 Directed Research
    • LING 499 Independent Research
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BS in Data Science

The Data Science (DATASCI) major is the integration of liberal arts and data science. With the DATASCI major, students learn data science techniques and quantitative theory while they study the natural sciences, social sciences, or humanities. The Linguistics Track will teach you to model knowledge and language computationally and to use data to find patterns in how people acquire language and track linguistic variations across speakers and geography.

  • MATH 111: Calculus I
  • DATASCI 110: Introduction to Scientific Methods
  • DATASCI 150: Intro to Statistical Computing I
  • DATASCI 151: Intro to Statistical Computing II
  • MATH 210: Advanced Calculus for Data Sciences
  • MATH 221: Linear Algebra
  • DATASCI 210: Probability & Statistics
  • DATASCI 220: Regression Analysis
  • Three Linguistics Course classes
    • LING 101: History of the American Languages
    • LING 201: Foundations of Linguistics
    • LING 210 Sounds of Human Language or 212 Structure of Human Language or 214 Meaning in Human Language
  • Three Advanced DATASCI electives
  • Three Linguistics Electives (two must be research-focused)
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