P r o g r a m s

Because human language is a multifaceted object of study, Linguistics is, by its nature, an interdisciplinary field. The undergraduate major provides both an in-depth grounding in the field as well as cross-disciplinary breadth. Students beginning a Linguistics major should take LING 200, which is a prerequisite for many upper-level courses in the department. All majors are required to take at least 9 courses (27 semester hours) in Linguistics at the 300 level or above, including 5 core courses as specified below (or otherwise listed in a particular concentration).

Core Courses

• LING 300 Linguistic Analysis
• LING 301 Phonetics
• LING 304 Introduction to Syntax or LING 311 Phonology
• LING 305 Historical Linguistics, LING 315 Introduction to Semantics, or LING 416 Language Universals and Typology
• LING 415 Sociolinguistics or LING 405 Discourse

In addition, competency in 1 language other than English is required. This requirement may be satisfied by 2 courses in a foreign language at the 200 level or above or equivalent. No more than one independent study course may be counted toward the major requirements.

In addition to the basic language competency required of all majors, the language concentration requires an advanced level competency in a different language. This can be satisfied by 2 language courses taught in a language other than English at the 300 level or above, or equivalent. In addition to the 5 core courses, 4 advanced electives (300 level or above) are also required, which should be chosen in consultation with the Linguistics major adviser. Courses in the structure or the history of the languages studied are especially appropriate.

This concentration requires, in addition to the 5 core courses, 4 advanced Linguistics courses focused on the cognitive aspects of human language, selected from:

• LING 306 Language, Thought, and Mind,
• LING 309 Psychology of Language,
• LING 315 Introduction to Semantics,
• LING 411 Neurolinguistics,
• LING 405 Discourse,
• and 2 courses from cognitively-related disciplines (psychology, computer science, anthropology, philosophy) as approved by the Linguistics undergraduate adviser.

For an in-depth grounding in a particular language and culture, this concentration requires 2 language courses at the 300 level or above. The language may be the same as that used to satisfy the basic language competency. Besides the 5 core courses, the student must take 4 courses selected from:

• LING 313 Language and Culture,
• LING 406 Cognitive Studies,
• LING 415 Sociolinguistics,
• LING 419 Bilingualism,
• LING 421 Sociolinguistics of Spanish,
• LING 405 Discourse,
• and 2 courses in sociocultural studies outside the department approved by the Linguistics major adviser. Examples of appropriate courses are ANTH 353 Cultures of India, ANTH 361 Latin American Topics, PSYC 202 Introduction to Social Psychology, HIST 250 Traditional Chinese Culture, or SOCI 386 African Americans in Society.

2 language courses at the 300 level or above are required; the language may be the same as that used to satisfy the basic language competency. In addition to the 5 Linguistics core courses, 4 additional courses are required, as follows:

• LING 340 Theory and Methods of Teaching ESL,
• one Structure of Language course (LING 394 Structure of English or other language equivalent such as LING 318 Structure of French, LING 370 Structure of Japanese, etc. as approved by the Linguistics major adviser),
• and any 2 of the following:
• LING 309 Psychology of Language,
• LING 313 Language and Culture,
• LING 415 Sociolinguistics,
• LING 418 The Acquisition of L2 Spanish,
• LING 419 Bilingualism,
• LING 420 Cognition and L2 Acquisition,
• LING 422 The Development of Tense and Aspect in Second Language Learning,
• or LING 405 Discourse.

This concentration is designed for those who would like to pursue career paths in fields related to speech, language, and hearing. Medical-oriented fields under this rubric include speech pathology and audiology; speech technology fields include speech recognition and speech synthesis. The 5 core courses required for this concentration are:

• LING 300 Linguistic Analysis,
• LING 301 Phonetics,
• LING 311 Phonology,
• LING 415 Sociolinguistics,
• and LING 405 Discourse.

Speech Sciences: Medical Focus

For students planning careers in medically-oriented fields, the 7 additional courses must include:

• LING 212 Speech Sciences,
• LING 309 Psychology of Language,
• and LING 411 Neurolinguistics.

• From Linguistics, one of the following:
• LING 304 Introduction to Syntax,
• LING 427 Advanced Phonology,
• LING 428 Laboratory Phonology,
• or LING 409 Special Topics, when on a topic deemed appropriate by the Speech Sciences adviser.
From courses outside the department, 3 of the following:
• EDUC 310 Introduction to Special Education
• PSYC 321 Developmental Psychology
• PSYC 339 Statistical Methods
• PSYC 351 Psychology of Perception
• BIOS 122 Intro Biology
• KINE 301 Human Physiology
• or NEUR 511 Integrative Neuroscience

Speech Sciences: Technology Focus

For students planning careers in speech technology, the 7 additional courses will include 4 of the following:

• LING 212 Speech Sciences,
• LING 304 Introduction to Syntax,
• LING 309 Psychology of Language,
• LING 427 Advanced Phonology,
• LING 428 Laboratory Phonology,
• or LING 409 Special Topics, when on a topic deemed appropriate by the Speech Sciences adviser.

• ELEC 301 Introduction to Signals,
• ELEC 434 Digital Signal Processing Lab,
• MECH 373 Acoustics,
• COMP 200 Elements of Computer Science or COMP 210 Principles of Computing.
• or PSYC 339 Statistical Methods

Further courses in the medical and the language technology areas will enhance students' preparation for these respective fields. Students contemplating careers in the speech sciences should consult with the Speech Sciences adviser and faculty in other relevant areas concerning course choice and career planning.

The Linguistics Honors Program provides selected undergraduate majors with the opportunity to conduct supervised research within their area of specialization in the major. Majors planning to pursue graduate training in Linguistics or a related field are strongly encouraged to apply, as well as others who wish to add the experience of an intensive, individualized research project to their undergraduate education.

Application to the Honors Program should be made in person to the undergraduate major adviser before the end of the student's junior year. In support of the application, the student should prepare a brief description of the proposed project signed by the faculty member who is to supervise the work (the project supervisor). On acceptance, the student will enroll in LING 482 Honors Project, with the supervising faculty member named as instructor.

The Honors Program framework is designed to facilitate the development of a mentoring relationship between student and faculty member. Students are thus expected to meet regularly with their project supervisor regarding their progress; the supervisor is responsible for providing research guidance and general support.

With the appropriate completion of major requirements and the Honors project or thesis, the student will graduate with departmental honors.

this program has been discontinued as of academic year 2007-2008. Students who have already taken LING 340(Theory and Methods of Teaching ESL) can complete their remaining requirements, but no new students may sign up for this certificate program. Requirements for the certificate are as follows:

Courses

• LING 200 Introduction to Language. This course provides basic knowledge about language, focusing on linguistic structure (contrastive and descriptive) and the universal properties of human language.
• LING 394 The Structure of English Study of the grammatical systems of English. Students learn to discover and elucidate the unconscious patterns that underlie speakers' use of the language. A metalanguage for talking about grammar is developed which allows comparison and contrast of English with other languages.
• One of the following, which provides some basic knowledge of the psychological and social/cultural aspects of language:
• LING 205 Language and Society: looks at the linguistic behavior of social groups, including topics such as bilingualism, language variation across groups, language attitudes, and linguistic minorities.
• LING 300 Linguistic Analysis: Provides students with extensive exposure to different phenomena and gives practice at analyzing the grammar of different languages.
• LING 306 Language, Thought and Mind,
• LING 309 Psychology of Language: Explores the relation of language and mind, including cognitive development, language processing and language disorders.
• LING 313 Language and Culture: Focuses on the influence of cultural patterns on language and vice versa. It is intended to help students move beyond a view centered on (and hence limited to) the patterns of their own particular language and culture.
• or LING 415 Sociolinguistics: A more advanced course which builds on ideas raised in Language and Society and introduces methods of quantifying language variation.
• LING 340 Theories and Methods of Teaching Second Languages: This requirement provides students with a knowledge of the basic issues and methodology in language teaching and learning. It covers the basic findings of research on second language acquisition and theoretical models based on that research. Also covered are teaching methods, including the use of educational technology for language learning.

Practicum

The practical component consists of 20 hours of language teaching experience (e.g. 2 hours per week for ten weeks). At the end of the practicum, students will submit a short report (1-2 pages) containing an assessment of the teaching/learning experience.

The requirement can be filled in several ways: by tutoring English in the RSVP program; by teaching EFL abroad (e.g. as part of a summer program or study abroad); by volunteering for an ESL position with the Student Writing program; teaching through Rice's ESL tutoring program for staff, affiliates and continuing education students; or by teaching ESL in the community. Contact the certificate director for more information about any of these programs. Practicum placements need to be approved by the certificate director.