The Linguistics Major
We here in the Linguistics Program may be biased, but we think linguistics is an ideal major at a liberal arts college. Our program examines significant aspects of human nature at several levels and via a number of methodologies. We look at human beings as expert learners and manipulators of extraordinarily complex species-specific systems called “grammars”. We examine the nature of languages using various mathematical techniques. Students are required to exercise their creativity by actively participating in the building of elaborate theories of the underlying cognitive structures humans routinely, though subconsciously, acquire. They ask how we might understand the concept of “meaning” and its linguistic communication. They ponder what the results of linguistic analysis reveals about long-standing problems in the philosophy of language and mind. They learn to “make sense” of what at first blush appear to be quite exotic examples of this fundamental human skill. The program includes courses which investigate the quite amazing area of speech production and recognition, and we ask what the characteristics of sound and gesture systems tell us about human beings and their cognitive evolution. Students probe the use of language in artistic settings. They look at how languages develop and change over time, and how they are realized in written form.
We think students emerge from our program with enhanced versatility, intellectual bravery, and an appreciation of the value of rigor. They are unafraid of complexity, know the joy of achieving insight into hard problems, and can speak lucidly in public under pressure. In short, they are ready for anything.
Beginning with the class of 2012, we have offered a regular linguistics major.
The linguistics major consists of 69 credits, distributed as follows:
I. Required Courses (51 credits)
A. Two gateway courses (12 credits)
Either 100 or 110:
LING 100: A&I seminar in Linguistics, offered every other fall
LING 110: Introduction to Linguistics, offered at least twice a year
and
LING 115: Introduction to the Theory of Syntax, offered every fall and spring
B. Two intermediate level courses (12 credits)
LING 216: Generative Approaches to Syntax, offered every winter (prerequisite: 115)
LING 217: Phonetics and Phonology, offered every fall (prerequisite: any gateway course)
C. Three advanced courses, drawn from the following (18 credits)
LING 315: Topics in Syntax, offered every other fall (prerequisite: 216)
LING 316: Topics in Morphology, offered every other year (prerequisite: 216)
LING 317: Topics in Phonology, offered every other winter (prerequisite: 217)
LING 325: Syntax of an Unfamiliar Language, offered every other spring (prerequisite: 216)
LING 340: Semantics, offered every other year (prerequisite: 216)
D. Comprehensive exercise (9 credits)
LING 399: Senior Thesis (3 credits)
LING 400: Comps (6 credits)
II. Elective courses (18 credits)
A. At least two in Linguistics, drawn from the following:
ASLN 111: Writing Systems
LING 220: Case and Agreement
LING 250: Linguistics and the Literary Art
ASLN 260: Historical Linguistics
LING 265: Language and Brain
LING 270: Language, Speech and Evolution
LING 275: First Language Acquisition
LING 280: Field Methods
LING 285: The Linguistics of the Japanese Writing System (in Kyoto)
LING 286: The Structure of Japanese (in Kyoto)
B. At most one course in a related field, drawn from the following:
CGSC 232: Cognitive Processes
CS 254: Automata and Computability
CS 322: Natural Language Processing
PHIL 110: Evolution and Mind
PHIL 210: Logic
PHIL 220: Philosophy of Language
PHIL 253: Philosophy of Cognitive Science
PSYC 234: Psychology of Language
PSYC 362: Psychology of Spoken Words
PSYC 364: Psychology of Reading Words
PSYC 366: Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 375: Language and Deception
SOAN 274: Language, Culture and Society
Of course, students may take more than one of these courses, but only one of them can count towards the Linguistics Major.
