Coordinator: Jennifer Lang-Rigal
Email: langrijr@jmu.edu
Phone: 540-568-6886
Linguistics Minor Website
Program Description
The interdisciplinary minor in linguistics offers courses founded on the core concepts of linguistics, methods of linguistic analysis, modern linguistic theories and the application of linguistics to other areas. The program is drawn from a variety of departments and colleges offering diverse courses whose approaches to linguistics range from theoretical linguistics, to anthropological linguistics, to Spanish linguistics and speech pathology. The purpose of this program is to provide the student with a fundamental understanding of human language and the different ways language impacts our lives. This program is relevant for students interested in a variety of professions, including but not limited to: language teaching, interpretation, translation, speech-language pathology and audiology, language policy and planning, language documentation and revitalization, and computer sciences/natural language processing. Students will develop their knowledge of their native and second languages through metalinguistic inquiry, consequently enriching their ability to engage more broadly with the forms and functions of linguistic communication. The linguistics minor will encourage students to appreciate linguistic diversity, think about language-focused discrimination and recognize the importance of language in efforts to encourage inclusive excellence.
Minor Requirements
Students must take six courses (18 credits) from the following list. A maximum of 9 credits hours from a single discipline (e.g., ENG or SPAN) may be earned. One three-credit foreign language course of any level may be counted toward the minor by approval of the minor coordinator. These credits cannot also be counted toward the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Modern Foreign Languages. One other appropriate course not listed below may be considered for the minor upon consultation with the minor coordinator.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| 18 |
| Language and Culture | |
| Topics in Linguistic Anthropology | |
| Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders | |
| Old English Language and Literature | |
| History of the English Language | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | |
| Structure of the English Language | |
| Studies in Linguistics and the English Language | |
| Advanced Studies in Linguistics and the English Language | |
| Translation Strategies 1 | |
| Special Topics in German Linguistics 1 | |
| Study of Language Structures | |
| Bilingualism in the United States | |
| Sounds of Speech 2 | |
| Introduction to Romance Linguistics | |
| Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law | |
| World Language Teaching Methods | |
| Introduction to Symbolic Logic | |
| Philosophy of Language | |
| Signs, Symbols and Social Interaction | |
| Introduction to Spanish Linguistics 3 | |
| Contrastive Linguistics 3 | |
| Sounds of Speech 3 | |
| Spanish in the United States 3 | |
| Translation Strategies 3 | |
| Introduction to Interpretation 3 | |
| Special Topics in Spanish Linguistics 3 | |
| Introduction to Second Language Acquisition | |
| Total Credits | 18 |
