Linguistics and the Humanities

The Humanities Division of the College of Arts and Sciences offers a concentration in Linguistics and the Humanities leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Humanities. Procedures and standards of admission to the degree program are given in the General Information section of the Graduate catalog. For the concentration in Linguistics and the Humanities, which is a non-thesis option with a focus on the study of language, applicants should have an undergraduate background which includes courses in linguistics. The second discipline or area of emphasis will be approved by the Graduate Advisor.

Program:

15 credit hours of Linguistics coursework, three hours in each of the 5 areas:

Area 1. Introduction to Linguistics: Required
LING 518 Foundations of Language

Area 2. Language and Culture: Choose 1
ENGL 523 History of the English Language
LING 621 Sociolinguistics
LING 623 Culture as the Basis of Foreign Language Teaching
LING 630 Language and Culture

Area 3. Language and Structure: Choose 1
ENGL 522 Structure of Modern American English
LING 535 Applied Linguistics for English Teachers
LING 603 Syntax
LING 606 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
LING 610 Phonetics and Phonology

Area 4. Language and Cognition: Choose 1
LING 524 Psycholinguistics
LING 622 Psychology of Second Language Learning and Teaching
LING 624 Language and Cognition
LING 641 Recent Philosophy of Language

Area 5. Any 500-600 level elective course in Linguistics, not already chosen: Choose 1
LING 521 Teaching Techniques in Foreign Language
LING 590 Special Topics in Linguistics
LING 600 Independent Study
LING 605 Summer Workshop for Foreign Language Teachers
LING 620 Special Topics in Foreign Language Education
LING 625 The Teaching of English as a Second Language
LING 690 Seminar in Linguistics

9 credit hours in a second humanities discipline or area.

3 credit hours in interdisciplinary methodology: Humanities 609 (or 610 if appropriate).

3 credit hours in Directed Study Project: Humanities 655.

Foreign Language Competency

An Oral Examination will cover the contents of the Directed Study Project

A minimum of 15 semester hours must be in courses at the 600 level, excluding HUM 655.

The Directed Study Project.

For students who are pursuing an ESL (English as a Second Language) Endorsement, the above MA Concentration allows ESL endorsement coursework to count towards the degree.

C. Course Descriptions

LING 518 Foundations of Language (3)
Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 518. Introduction to the study of language: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and related disciplines.

LING 522 Structure of Modern American English (3)
Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 522. The structure of English is provided within a contemporary theoretical framework such as government binding theory, optimal grammar theory, or cognitive grammar theory.

LING 523 History of the English Language (3)
Prerequisites: ENGL 102 or 105; junior standing. Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 523. The evolution of modern English in terms of social, historical, and linguistic forces which molded it; emphasis on Anglo-Saxon metrics, Latin, French, and Danish influences, and cosmopolitan aspects of English.

LING 521 Teaching Techniques in Foreign Languages (3)
Teaching methods in foreign languages. Recommended for those teaching or preparing to teach a foreign language.

LING 524 Psycholinguistics (3)
Prerequisite: LING/ENGL 518 or PSYC 324. Note: Cross-listed with PSYC 524. Psychological aspects of language and their significance for analysis and understanding of cognitive and social processes.

LING 535 Applied Linguistics for English Teachers (3)
Prerequisite: ENGL 102 or ENGL 105; junior standing. Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 535. Applied linguistics and its application to an understanding of speaking, listening, reading, and writing processes.

LING 590 Special Topics in Linguistics (3)
Prerequisite: Junior standing. Intensive investigation of selected topics in current linguistic theory or practice.

LING 600 Independent Study
Prerequisite: 12 graduate hours in Linguistics. Consent of Chair. Guided independent in depth study of a topic in linguistic theory or practice.

LING 603 Syntax (3)
Investigation into the syntactic nature of language from the perspective of contemporary models of language: structuralism, generative grammar, and cognitive grammar.

LING 605 Summer Workshop for Foreign Language Teachers (3)
Note: Cross-listed with Modern Languages 605. This course is envisioned as having different subject matter each time offered. In intensive two-to-three week workshops, to be held in the summer, a different pedagogical topic will be explored during a six-to-seven hour day. In addition, optional evening activities will be planned.

LING 606 Historical and Comparative Linguistics (3)
Prerequisite: LING/ENGL 518. A historical study of phonological, morphological, and semantic changes in language through the comparative method and internal reconstruction; recent trends in diachronic linguistics.

LING 610 Phonetics and Phonology (3)
Prerequisites: LING/ENG 518 or consent of instructor. An introduction to phonetics and phonological theory; study of nature and organization of sound in language.

LING 620 Phonetics and Phonology (3)
Study of the structure of human sound systems: articulatory phonetics, distinctive feature theory, acoustic phonetics, phonological and syllabic systems.

LING 620 Special Topics in Foreign Language Education (3)
A course with variable subject matter designed for foreign language teachers and prospective teachers.

LING 621 Sociolinguistics (3)
Prerequisite: LING/ENGL 518 or consent of instructor. Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 621. The nature of language in social context, presented within the theoretical framework of generative grammar.

LING 622 Psychology of Second Language Learning/Teaching (3)
This course will treat psychological variables in the learning and teaching of foreign languages. Special attention will be focused on aptitude, attitude and motivation as they affect learning and teaching languages. This is not a method-of-teaching-foreign-languages course.

LING 623 Culture as the Basis of Foreign Language Teaching (3)
Prerequisite: Current status as a foreign language instructor. Emphasis will be placed on techniques for teaching culture through language, for preparing culturally oriented teaching materials (e.g., cultural assimilators), and for carrying out cultural field work abroad.

LING 624 Language and Cognition (3)
Prerequisite: LING/ENGL 518 or consent of instructor. Note: Cross-listed with PSYC 624. Examination of the theory and research on the relationship between fundamental processes or cognition and linguistics processes, e.g., organization of thought, memory, discourse, and text.

LING 625 The Teaching of English as a Second Language (3)
Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 625. A theoretical and practical approach to teaching English to students whose native language is not English. The linguistic bases of English will be considered as well as the application of curriculum principles.

LING 630 Language and Culture (3)
The investigation of the role that language plays in culture: theories and applications of culture through language systems

LING 641 Recent Philosophy of Language (3)
Note: Cross-listed with PHIL 641. The role of logical form in linguistics is the focus of this course, which includes various models of logic with applications to language.

LING 690 Seminar in Linguistics (3)
Note: Cross-listed with ENGL 682. Seminar topics vary each semester. Past topics have included social metaphors, structural hermeneutics, discourse analysis, and the sociology of language.