UNDERGRADUATE

The BA Program in Linguistics offers the tools for understanding the structure of natural languages and explores the foundations of linguistic theory. To this end, the first year of the program introduces the student to the basic conceptual notions of general linguistics, followed up in the second year by core courses in theoretical linguistics which form the basis of linguistic analysis. The third and fourth year courses reflect the diversity in linguistics, laying the groundwork for the various sub-fields. The program focuses both on the formation of critical thinking and on the methodology required to elicit linguistic data, and to analyze them thereby preparing the student to model natural languages. This will enable the student to pursue his or her interests in a wide range of areas such as the linguistic description of a particular language, the internal structure of grammar, structural characteristics of impaired language, language use in different contexts and the acquisition of first and second languages.

 

The undergraduate curriculum is a well-balanced program in the spirit of the liberal arts tradition of the university. The requirements for the completion of the program are 130/134 credits with a total of 17/19 linguistics courses covering a wide range of areas in linguistics. The remaining courses are taken from other departments, giving the students the opportunity to broaden their interests. Exposure to a language other than English and native language is also part of the curriculum.