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The Language Sciences Minor
The Language Sciences Minor
Language Sciences can complement any degree, and help prepare students for future careers in various disciplines. These include Speech Language Pathology, Education, Second Language Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Neuroscience. Our minor also emphasizes the social role of language, and how it differs among social groups. Through our classes, we prioritize hands-on experience conducting research about language.
What degrees can be complemented by Language Sciences?
What degrees can be complemented by Language Sciences?
Human Development and Disability Studies
Speech Langauge Pathology/Audiology
Computer Science
Natural Language Processing/Speech Synthesis
Modern Classical Languages and Literatures, International Studies
Translating/Interpreting
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Acoustical Engineering
Business and Communication
Teaching/Advertising and Media
Electrical Engineering
Artificial Intelligence/Signal Processing
Statistics
Artificial Intelligence/Speech Recognition Engineering
English and Pre-education
Teaching/Language Policy
Sociology and History
Research Linguistics/Language Policy
Psychology and Neuroscience
Cognitive Research Science
Minor Requirements
Minor Requirements
Our minor consists of 18 credits (6 courses).
Four courses are required:
Intro to Linguistics
An in-depth sociolinguistics course (Ethnicity or Gender)
An in-depth structure course (Phonology or Syntax)
A research-based capstone course
For the other two classes, you may choose from:
Psychology
Spanish
English
Religion and Culture
Required courses cover Pathways Concepts 1a (Advanced Discourse), 3 (Reasoning in the Social Sciences), 5a (Advanced/Applied Quantitative and Computational Thinking), 5f (Quantitative and Computational thinking), and 7 (Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States).
Fall 2025
Fall 2025
ENGL 1504: Intro to Linguistics
Pathway Area 3: Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Catalog Description:
Introduction to the sounds of language, processes by which words and sentences are formed, how the meanings of words are established by context, and why languages vary and change over time.
CRN: 85222
T/Th 9:30AM - 10:45AM
MAJWM 334
CRN: 91292
T/Th 11:00AM - 12:15PM
MCB 134
ENGL 1514: Language and Society
Pathway Area 3: Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Pathway Area 7: Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States
Catalog Description:
English language variation considered from social, regional, ethnic, gender, and style perspectives. Emphasis on vernacular varieties of American English. Attention paid to the social evolution of different language varieties and sociolinguistic perceptions of language ideologies. Introduction of methods of data analytics.
CRN: 85223
T/Th 9:30AM - 10:45AM
MCB 134
CRN: 85224
MWF 11:15AM - 12:05PM
MCB 134
ENGL 2034: Analyzing the Sounds of Language
Pathway Area 5f: Foundational Quantitative and Computational Thinking
Catalog Description:
Examination of the acoustic attributes of vowels and consonants using quantitative techniques. Statistical analysis of acoustical differences between and within speakers, enabling predictions about future language choices and outcomes. Basic introduction to using computational software for data processing and visualization, and to ethical issues that arise in collecting an analyzing data.
CRN: 91406
MWF 1:25PM - 2:15PM
ROB 101
ENGL/RLCL/SOC 3144: Language and Ethnicity in the United States
Pathway Area 1a: Advanced/Applied Discourse
Pathway Area 3: Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Catalog Description:
Exploration of how racial and ethnic identity are expressed through the use of different languages and dialects. Examination of how language is related to issues of equality, social opportunity, and discrimination in the United States.
CRN: 85266
T/Th 3:30PM - 4:45PM
SHANKS 380
CRN: 85267
T/Th 2:00PM - 3:15PM
USLB 310
ENGL 4054: History of the English Language
Catalog Description:
Development of English including both its internal history (sounds, vocabulary, inflections, syntax) and its external history (political, social, and intellectual forces). Indo-European origins through the present, with special emphasis on the English Language in America.
CRN: 91294
MWF 10:10AM - 11:00AM
WHIT 349
ENGL/PSYC 4134: Language Development
Catalog Description:
Survey of theories, mechanisms, and processes in human language development. Empirical overview of phonology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. Developmental trajectories of mono-and multilingual children. Cultural constraints on language. Perception of language and production of language, in typical and atypical subpopulations (e.g., hearing impairment). Junior/Senior Standing.
CRN: 85324
MW 1:00PM - 2:15PM
WMS 220
ENGL 4144: Phonology
Pathway Area 5a: Advanced/Applied Quantitative and Computational Thinking
Catalog Description:
Examination of the systematic organization of sounds in human languages based upon problem-based learning. Analysis of syllables and morae, articulatory features, timing of articulatory gestures, and phonological processes that lead to sound change. Assessment of various theoretical and computational approaches to phonology including Articulatory Phonology, Prosodic Phonology, and Optimality Theory.
CRN: 85325
MWF 9:05AM - 9:55AM
ROB 122
PSYC 4154: Bilingual Development and Cognition
Pathway Area 3: Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Pathway Area 7: Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States
Catalog Description:
Survey of the process of language acquisition for children exposed to two languages during their early development. Cognitive development in children growing up in bilingual homes. Exploration of the effects of family factors, social experiences, cultural language norms, and language policies on bilingual children and adults in the current transnational environment of immigration and globalization. The effects of heritage language preservation on cultural identity and issues of equity related to linguistic discrimination in the United States.
CRN: 91070
T/Th 9:30AM - 10:45AM
WMS 209
Tentative Spring 2026 Offerings
Tentative Spring 2026 Offerings
ENGL 1504: Intro to Lingustics
ENGL/WGS 3134: Gender and Language
ENGL/AINS 3304: The Languages of Native America
ENGL 4004: Linguistic Discourse Analysis
ENGL 4074: English Syntax
ENGL 4084: Language Sciences Capstone
Other Courses
Other Courses
ENGL/PSYC 1524: Language and the Mind
SPAN 2774: Minority Language in the Spanish-Speaking Context
HUM/RLCL/COMM 3204: Multicultural Communication
SPAN 3494: Intro to Spanish Linguistics
SPAN 3544: Sounds of Spanish
SPAN 4114: Topics in Spanish Linguistics
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