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Linguistics Curriculum


Minor

LING 101: Introduction to Linguistics

Five additional courses from the following, at least two from the Foundational courses and two from the Language in a Social and Cultural Context courses.

Foundational Courses:
ENGL 213: The Structure of English Grammar
PHIL 121: Introductory Symbolic Logic
SPAN 365: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
LING 201: Phonetics and Phonology
LING 202: Structure and Meaning in Language

Language in a Social and Cultural Context Courses:
ANTH 210: Language and Culture
ANTH 211: Sociolinguistics
FREN 363: (Topics) Introduction to French Sociolinguistics
FREN 363: (Topics) French Inside Out: An Introduction to Language Acquisition
SPAN 366: Introduction to Spanish Sociolinguistics

NOTE: Up to three courses taken during study abroad may count toward the minor; it will be at the discretion of the program coordinator whether a course taken abroad counts towards the minor, and if so, which requirement it will fulfill.

Other Dickinson offerings may count towards the minor; it will be at the discretion of the program coordinator whether such a course counts towards the minor, and if so, which requirement it will fulfill.

Courses

  • 101 Introduction to Linguistics
    This course is an introduction to the scientific study of human language. We will discuss language as a cultural phenomenon (How does language change over time? How does language variation express cultural identity?) and as a cognitive function (How do children learn language? How do human brains store and process language?). Participants will learn the fundamentals of linguistic analysis, including phonetics and phonology (sounds), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), and semantics and pragmatics (meaning).
    This course fulfills the DIV II social sciences distribution requirement.

  • 201 Phonetics and Phonology
    This course studies the sounds systems of human languages. We will learn about articulatory phonetics (how sounds are produced by the vocal apparatus), acoustic phonetics (what acoustic properties distinguish sounds from each other), and phonology (how sounds pattern and alternate in languages).
    Prerequisite: 101, or permission of instructor. This course fulfills the DIV II social sciences distribution requirement.

  • 202 Structure and Meaning of Language
    This course concerns the analysis of the grammatical structure of linguistic expressions (syntax) and its relationship to meaning (semantics). Students will develop skills in uncovering and stating linguistic patterns and generalizations in English and other languages.
    Prerequisite: 101, or permission of instructor. This course fulfills the DIV II social sciences distribution requirement.

  • 250 Special Topics in Linguistics
    An examination of topics in Linguistics not otherwise represented in the curriculum.
    Prerequisite: 101, or permission of instructor. This course fulfills the DIV II social sciences distribution requirement.