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LING-BA - Linguistics (BA)

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LinguisticsUndergraduate MatriculatedBA - Bachelor of Arts

Program Overview

The mission of the undergraduate program in Linguistics is to provide students with basic knowledge in the principal areas of linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and computational linguistics) and the skills to do more advanced work in these subfields. Courses in the major also involve interdisciplinary work with connections to other programs, including anthropology, communication, computer science, education, foreign languages, psychology, and symbolic systems. The program prepares students for further study in graduate or professional schools and careers in business, government agencies, social services, and teaching.

Please note: Unit requirement has changed as of autumn quarter 2022-23. You may follow the old requirements if you declared before autumn quarter 2022-23.

Minimum Units in the Program

60

Minimum University Units

180
Completion requirement
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2133701

(to be taken no later than Autumn Quarter, junior year; must be taken before Linguist197A)

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2133681

(to be taken Winter Quarter, senior year)

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
No selection provided
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1208071
    OR
    1208072
  • 1206711
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2169601
    OR
    2169611
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2011661
    OR
    2011662
  • 1206861
Completion requirement
Complete at least 2 of the following:
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1207251
OR
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1207101
  • 1207061
  • 2124031
    OR
    2124032
  • 1209311
OR
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1408382
  • 2183662
OR
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2085112
    OR
    2085113
  • 2054182
    OR
    2054183
  • 2091511
  • 1209042

Select at least one course each from two of the previous four areas

Completion requirement
Complete at least 2 courses in the following Course Sets:

Must be taken for 3-4 units each; students should verify that they meet any prerequisites before enrolling.

  • A minimum of 60 units of course work; at least 36 of these units must be in Linguistics. 

  • Of the 60 units required for the major, no more than 12 may be below the 100-level and a maximum of 3 courses, totaling no more than 8 units, may be taken on a credit/no credit basis(CR/NC). 

  • All required courses must be taken for a letter grade of C- or better.

  • Note, any course taken between Spring 2020 and Summer 2021 in which the student received a final grade of "S" or "CR" counts toward undergraduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade. 

The remaining units may be in linguistics or related fields and should form a coherent program of study. Majors should discuss this coursework with faculty and get specific approval from the Linguistics Director of Undergraduate Studies for courses outside the department.
Linguistics majors must have competence in at least one language other than English as part of their understanding of linguistics and its study. This requirement is fulfilled by completing six quarters of language coursework at Stanford or by certification of equivalent proficiency through the Language Center or the relevant department (see university requirements). Language courses do not count toward the 60 required units for the major. Majors may petition to be exempted from the language requirement if they have grown up speaking a language other than English and can use it for everyday purposes and linguistic analysis; students should submit such a petition as soon as possible and no later than the end of Autumn Quarter of senior year.
Completion requirement
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2169601

Students must inform the instructor at the beginning of the quarter that they are using this course to satisfy the WIM requirement.

Completion requirement
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2133681
Completion requirement

Students who wish to undertake a more intensive program of study, including independent research, should pursue departmental honors. Students should apply for honors by the end of spring quarter of their junior year. As part of the application, the student must write a research proposal describing the honors project, which the project advisor must approve. Approval for honors depends on the number of courses in the major a student has taken for a letter grade by the start of the third quarter of the junior year. For students who have completed at least 28 units for a letter grade fulfilling major requirements, only those maintaining a grade point average of 3.3 (B+) or better in these courses are eligible for honors. Students who have taken fewer than 28 units in the major for a letter grade must receive an endorsement from both a faculty member in the Department of Linguistics who will supervise or co-supervise the honors project and a second Department of Linguistics faculty member who can attest to the student’s qualifications for carrying out honors research.

Honors students complete 70 units, including the 60 units for the major, plus ten additional units of Independent Study and Honors Research. In addition, they must complete an honors thesis based on research conducted with a project advisor, who must be a member of the Linguistics faculty, and a second faculty reader, who may, with the approval of the Linguistics Director of Undergraduate Studies, be a member of another department. In the autumn quarter of the senior year, honors students enroll in course Independent Study to work closely with one of their advisors on the research project. In winter and spring quarters, honors students enroll in course Honors Research with the student’s project advisor for close supervision of the honors thesis. The thesis must be submitted in its final and acceptable form by May 15. The thesis topic is presented orally at a department Honors Colloquium late in spring quarter.

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1207931
  • 1207921