Linguistics — the scientific study of language — is inherently interdisciplinary. With respect to the administrative and curricular divisions of Harpur College at Binghamton University, the field of linguistics is, in fact, fully interdivisional. The subject matter of linguistics includes topics from all three divisions: humanities, social sciences, and science and mathematics.
The major and minor programs in linguistics provide a foundation in the principles of linguistic theory and method, as well as a wide variety of cross-disciplinary and sub-disciplinary offerings.
Linguistics as Preparation for Graduate and Professional Studies
Undergraduate study in linguistics serves as an excellent preparation for graduate and professional study in many fields, including law, anthropology, education and counseling, and language pathology, as well as linguistics itself. Students planning to pursue graduate or professional study in any of these areas are strongly advised to keep these plans in mind as they select courses. Students with an interest in graduate work in linguistics, for example, are well advised to study at least two languages other than English; one, a language of scholarship and the other, a non-Western language. Students considering professional training in applied and clinical areas such as language teaching, speech/language pathology and audiology, deaf education or counseling are urged to consult appropriate pre-professional information sources early in their undergraduate career, preferably not later than the beginning of the sophomore year.
Harpur College Requirements
Harpur College students must complete the following requirements in addition to those listed for the major:
- 126 credits
- 94 liberal arts and sciences credits
- Minimum of 46 upper-level credits
- Completion of the Harpur College writing requirement (four to five courses as described in the All-College Writing section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin. Maximum of one C/J course and two W courses may be transferred).
- Minimum of 44 credits in residence in Harpur College
- 2.0 or higher GPA
Harpur College requirements are described in detail in the Requirements for Graduation section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin.
Linguistics Major
The major in linguistics combines the study of linguistic theory and methods with the comparative study of specific languages.
- LING 118 (equivalent is ANTH 118);
- 24 additional credits in linguistics, at least 16 of which must be at the upper-divisional level (LING 300 or above);
Language courses:
- One advanced world language course in composition or phonetics or advanced grammatical analysis, presupposing intermediate fluency (the fluency normally attained after four or more semesters of college-level language instruction)
- One upper-level language course in advanced world language
- Four semesters of college-level instruction in a language or languages other than the language above. Students may fulfill this requirement with up to four semesters (or equivalent) in a single additional language or one semester each of four different languages, or any combination adding up to the equivalent of four semesters of college-level language instruction.
Note: Depending on prior exposure to the language, introductory/elementary language courses (typically language courses numbered 101 and 102 or 111 and 115) and intermediate level I and II language courses (typically language courses numbered 203 and 204 or 211 and 215) are required prerequisites for completion of the major.
Honors in Linguistics
The award of honors in linguistics is based upon completion of an acceptable honors thesis. To be considered for honors, a student must have at least a B+ average in linguistics courses, must secure the approval of a faculty member who agrees to serve as the honors thesis supervisor and a second faculty member who will serve as a reader, and must submit a written request to the program director for approval no later than the end of the semester preceding the student’s final semester. Up to four credits may be obtained for the thesis by registering for LING 498. LING 498 may not be used, however, toward fulfillment of the minimum course requirements for the major. By the last day of classes in the student’s final semester, each honors thesis supervisor must submit written confirmation that an acceptable thesis has been completed or is certain to be completed by the end of the semester.
Linguistics Minor
The linguistics minor is also interdivisional. Six courses, distributed as follows, are required for the linguistics minor:
- LING 114 or LING 170 (choose one) and 118 (equivalents are ANTH 114, 118, 170)
- Four other courses in linguistics, at least two of which must be at or above the 300 level
Counting of Courses Toward Major and Minor Requirements
All courses presented in fulfillment of the minimum requirements for the linguistics major or minor must be taken for a letter grade (no Pass/Fail), and the grade received must be a C– or better in order to count toward these requirements. The overall average in courses presented in fulfillment of minimum requirements must be a C or better. Exceptions to any of the above requirements must be requested in writing from the program director, who may grant such requests in extraordinary circumstances.
List of Faculty
This program draws faculty from across multiple departments. For a list of faculty, see the program's website.