Courses of Study 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Linguistics
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In the College of Arts and Sciences .
Course Offerings
Linguistics, the systematic study of human language, lies at the crossroads of the humanities and the social sciences. It is a theoretical discipline with ties to such areas as cognitive psychology, philosophy, logic, computer science, and anthropology. Much of its appeal derives from the special combination of intuition and rigor that the analysis of language demands. The interests of the members of the Department of Linguistics and colleagues in other departments span most of the major subfields of linguistics: phonetics and phonology, the study of speech sounds; morphology, the structure of words; syntax, the study of how words are combined; semantics, the study of meaning; historical linguistics, the study of language change over time; and computational linguistics, the modeling of natural language in all its aspects from a computational perspective.
Students interested in learning more about linguistics and its relationship to other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to take LING 1101 , a general overview, which is a prerequisite for most other courses in the field, or one of the first-year writing seminars offered in linguistics (on topics such as metaphor, language processing and disorders, English outside the box, and the language instinct). LING 1101 and our other introductory courses fulfill various Arts College distribution requirements. Most of our 1000- and 2000-level courses have no prerequisites. These cover various topics in linguistics (e.g., LING 2221 - Language and Society , LING 2261 - Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics , LING 3324 - Cayuga Language and Culture ) or focus on the linguistics of a particular geographic region or historical development of particular languages (e.g., LING 2241 - [Yiddish Linguistics] , LING 2248 - Native American Languages , LING 4412 - [Japanese Linguistics] ).
Talks and colloquia about linguistics are organized by the Cornell Linguistics Circle, Cornell’s Undergraduate Linguistics Organization (UnderLings), and department faculty. More specialized talks are sponsored by our student and faculty reading groups: Syntax Circle, Ph2, Semantics Group, Historical Reading Group, and Computational Reading Group. These meetings are open to the university public, and anyone wishing to learn more about linguistics is most welcome to attend. Information about such events is posted on the department website.
Website: linguistics.cornell.edu
Faculty
M. Weiss, chair; D. Zec, director of undergraduate studies; M. Despic, director of graduate studies; D. Abusch, H. Aparicio, A. Cohn, M. Diesing, S. Hertz, J. Kuo, A. Nussbaum, S. Murray, N. Owen, M. Pollack, M. Rooth, B. Schertz, S. Tilsen, M. van Schijndel, J. Whitman
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The Linguistics Major:
For questions regarding the linguistics major, contact Professor Draga Zec, 219 Morrill Hall, dz17@cornell.edu.
Note: In addition to the major requirements outlined below, all students must meet the college graduation requirements .
Ten courses (minimum of 37 credit hours) in linguistics and two ancillary skills courses are required to complete the major.
B. Foundation Courses:
Majors must complete all of the following courses. C. Additional Courses:
Majors must complete 6 additional Linguistics courses (of 3 credits or more) selected in consultation with their advisor with the following conditions:
- at least 2 of these must be at the 3000 level or above
- no more than 1 of these may be at the 1000 level
- no more than 1 of these may be satisfied by four credits of coursework with a CU-UGR designation
Any course with a LING prefix except for First-Year Writing Seminars and language courses counts as a linguistics course.*
One course in another department with at least 50% linguistic content will be considered by petition. Of the six courses, at least three need to be regularly scheduled linguistics courses taken at Cornell.
*Note: Cross-listed courses are counted as linguistics courses whether they are taken under the LING prefix or another prefix.
D. Ancillary Skills Courses:
In addition, majors must complete two courses (3 credits or more) in one or more of the following areas, selected in consultation with their advisor. This requirement is intended to equip them with practical skills relevant to their particular interests in linguistics. The Ancillary Skills Course requirement may be waived for students who are majoring in more than one field.
- Statistics
- Logic
- Computer programming
- Two semesters of study of a non-European or non-Indo-European language
- Two semesters of study beyond the level required by the Arts College of a language relevant to the student’s particular areas of interest
- Language teaching methodology
E. Additional Information:
Some substitutions to these standard requirements are possible by petition to your advisor and with approval by the director of undergraduate studies. All courses counted for the major must be taken for a letter grade. The minimum grade for courses applied to the linguistics major is C-. The minimum grade for any transferred Linguistics credits is B-.
Honors:
Honors in Linguistics are awarded for excellence in the major including overall GPA and completion of an honors thesis. Applications for honors should be made by the start of fall term of the senior year to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Admissions:
Admission to the honors program requires an overall GPA of at least 3.3 and a GPA in the major of at least 3.5. A student may be admitted provisionally in the honors program at the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Thesis:
In addition to the regular requirements of the major, the candidate for honors will complete an honors thesis. Writing an honors thesis is typically a two-semester project involving eight credits of coursework beyond the regular course requirements conducted during the senior year. During their first semester of honors work, students typically register for (1) LING 4493 - Honors Thesis Research (with their thesis advisor); and (2) LING 4491 - Honors Research Workshop I . During their second semester of honors work, students are required to register for (1) LING 4494 - Honors Thesis Research (with their thesis advisor); and (2) LING 4492 - Honors Research Workshop II .
Upon completion of the thesis, the student takes a final oral examination defending the thesis. The oral examination will be conducted by the honors committee, consisting of the thesis advisor and at least one other faculty member in linguistics. Members of other departments may serve as additional members if the topic makes this advisable. Honors students are also required to deposit a copy of the final thesis with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Linguistics and are expected to give an oral presentation on their thesis topic during the department’s year-end undergraduate honors colloquium. Honors are awarded by a departmental committee based on the thesis and overall academic record, guided by honor committees’ recommendations.
The Linguistics Minor:
The minor in linguistics gives students the opportunity to gain formal recognition for substantial coursework in linguistics without the burden of an additional major. The linguistics minor may be a valuable complement to studies in English, foreign languages, psychology, philosophy, computer science, biology, human development, or engineering and is open to undergraduates across Cornell. Requirements:
Prerequisites:
Minimum grade of B- in the following:
Requirements:
Five courses in Linguistics or courses approved for the linguistics major.
Minimum of 18 credits, including:
- LING 1101 - Introduction to Linguistics
- At least one other foundation course:
- Three additional linguistics courses (of 3 credits or more) meeting the following conditions:
- at least one of these must be at the 3000 level or above
- no more than one of these may be at the 1000 level
Additional Information:
Some substitutions to these standard requirements are possible by petition to your advisor and with approval by the director of undergraduate studies. All courses counted for the minor must be taken for a letter grade. The minimum grade for courses applied to the linguistics minor is C-.
Any course with a LING prefix except for First-Year Writing Seminars and Language courses counts as a linguistics course.*
*Note: Cross-listed courses are counted as linguistics courses whether they are taken under the LING prefix or another prefix.
Interested students are invited to consult with the Linguistics Director of Undergraduate Studies, Draga Zec, 219 Morrill Hall, dz17@cornell.edu. Students who declare the minor will consult with either the Director of Undergraduate Studies or an assigned minor advisor on the selection of courses appropriate to their academic objectives.
The American Sign Language (ASL)/Deaf Studies Minor:
The American Sign Language (ASL)/Deaf Studies minor offers the opportunity to pursue an interdisciplinary course sequence focusing on American Sign Language and Deaf culture. The courses offered range across a variety of different disciplines, to provide a broad and compelling perspective on ASL and the Deaf community.
Requirements:
The American Sign Language (ASL)/Deaf Studies minor consists of five courses with a minimum total of 18 credits. A student must currently be taking or have completed ASL 1102 to declare the minor.
1. Three courses are required:
ASL 2202 - Intermediate American Sign Language II (or proficiency at this level)
ASL 2301 - Modern Deaf Culture
LING 1101 - Introduction to Linguistics (Introduction to Linguistics is vital for an accurate understanding of the structure and function of ASL as a language like any other though in a different modality)
2. A minimum of one course can be chosen from ASL/Deaf Studies electives:
ASL 2302 - [ASL Literature]
ASL 3215 - Deaf Art, Film and Theatre
ASL 4410 - American Sign Language Linguistics
3. One course can be chosen from this list of interdisciplinary electives:
BSOC 2051 - Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine
FGSS 4035 - Intersectional Disability Studies
GOVT 3087 - International Human Rights Law and Advocacy
ILRLR 4033 - Disability Law
ILRIC 4360 - Global Comparative Disability Policy
LING 2215 - Psychology of Language
LING 2221 - Language and Society
LING 2223 - [Language and the Law]
LING 3344 - [Superlinguistics: Comics, Signs and Other Sequential Images]
PHIL 2455 - Introduction to Bioethics
Additional Information:
The minimum grade for courses applied to the minor is C-.
Students may apply up to one course from study abroad programs, from another institution, or an independent study toward this minor.
Interested students should consult with the Linguistics Director of Undergraduate Studies, Draga Zec, 219 Morrill Hall, dz17@cornell.edu. Students who declare the minor will consult with either the Director of Undergraduate Studies or ASL/Deaf Studies Minor Advisor Brenda Schertz, 215 Morrill Hall, bschertz@cornell.com on the selection of courses appropriate to their academic objectives.
Suggested course sequence for the ASL/Deaf Studies Minor
First year:
Fall: ASL 1101 - American Sign Language I
Spring: ASL 1102 - American Sign Language II
Second year:
Fall: ASL 2201 - Intermediate American Sign Language I and LING 1101 - Introduction to Linguistics
Spring: ASL 2202 - Intermediate American Sign Language II and ASL 2301 - Modern Deaf Culture
Third year:
Fall: ASL 2302 - [ASL Literature] (Offered in the even numbered years.)
Spring: ASL 3215 - Deaf Art, Film and Theatre or another elective
Fourth year:
Fall: ASL 4410 - American Sign Language Linguistics (offered in the odd numbered years) or another elective. Complete any courses if not able to take them earlier.
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