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Linguistics

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Human language is complex and endlessly fascinating. If you agree with these words, UMW’s minor program in linguistics might be for you. At a crossroads of the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, linguistics complements any major that deals with language, literature, cognition, sociology, or education. Get to the heart of the structure, use, and psychology of language. Study language acquisition. Learn how to describe the sounds languages use. Discover the similarities and differences between the world’s various tongues.

Areas of Study

Courses offered in UMW’s minor program in linguistics include Introduction to Linguistics, Writing Systems of the World, Issues in Linguistics, Introduction to Psycholinguistics, Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Anthropological Linguistics, Linguistics and Text, Language and Gender, Introduction to Phonology, History of the English Language, Introduction to Morphology, and Language Acquisition.

Internships

Students in UMW’s Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication (ELC) have interned with newspapers, radio and television stations, public relations departments of businesses and institutions, membership departments, law firms, technical writing businesses, libraries, and schools. A list of guidelines for completing a for-credit ELC internship is provided by the department, and a complete list of available internships can be found through the Office of Academic and Career Services.

Honors

Students with at least a 3.7 GPA in the major may qualify for Honors in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication. The Honors distinction requires an “A” paper or project from an ELC seminar or individual study, with approval of the faculty member who supervised the paper or project. Specific guidelines and deadlines can be found through the ELC Department.

Requirements

UMW’s linguistics minor program requires 18 credits, including Introduction to Linguistics, Introduction to Psycholinguistics, and Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Anthropological Linguistics, plus either Introduction to Phonology or Introduction to Morphology, as well as a 400-level seminar in linguistics and any other linguistics course offered through the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication.

Scholarships

A complete list of available scholarships can be found at UMW’s Office of Financial Aid.

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Special Majors

Students also have the option to design a special major that combines courses from two or more academic disciplines into a coherent plan of study. Special majors are developed with a faculty advisor and approved by a curriculum committee. Examples of some of the special majors UMW students have developed are journalism, digital media studies, Italian studies, linguistics, biochemistry, communication, arts management, and Latin American studies.
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