Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Linguistics


Bruce Long Peng, Director
111 Wilber Hall
315-312-2663
www.oswego.edu/linguistics

Cosponsoring Programs: Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Curriculum and Instruction, English and Creative Writing, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Psychology

 

The Linguistics Program at SUNY Oswego offers a B.A. degree in Linguistics. In addition, the program allows students to double-major in linguistics and other disciplines such as anthropology, cognitive science, English, psychology, modern languages and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), etc. Students can also take a minor in linguistics. The linguistics major and minor requirements are listed below.

The Linguistics Program at SUNY Oswego is unique for two reasons. First, SUNY Oswego is only one of a handful of SUNY campuses that offers a bachelor degree in linguistics. Second, SUNY Oswego offers a truly inter-disciplinary degree in linguistics. Four of the five core linguistics courses and all eight of the cognate courses examine language from a formal and functional perspective within linguistics itself as well as from the perspectives of related disciplines such as anthropology, cognitive science, computer science, education, English, philosophy and psychology. The faculty members that teach the core and cognate linguistics courses are all specialists in at least two of these fields.

In recent years, linguistics has drawn increased attention for its value both as a theoretical science and for its practical applications in fields such as computer science, language teaching and law. Career opportunities for majors in linguistics, especially those with a second major or a minor in a related field, include such fields as artificial intelligence, computing, international trade, publishing, speech pathology, technical and business writing, TESOL and translation. In short, linguistics is a truly global and cross-cultural discipline whose research and applications concerning the many cultural and interdisciplinary manifestations of language can be conducted almost any time, anywhere.

Due to its strong interdisciplinary focus, the Linguistics Program at SUNY Oswego provides graduates with a strong foundation upon which to pursue graduate studies in many fields. Many of the graduates from the linguistics program have gone on to master’s and doctoral programs. Graduate school opportunities include studies in formal and applied linguistics, anthropology, computational linguistics, education, English, linguistics, law, modern languages, philosophy, psychology, speech pathology and sociology.

The linguistics major at SUNY Oswego develops truly cross-cultural communication interests and skills for the modern global market place. The program design is flexible and enables students to look at the world from multiple perspectives. Since linguistics is rarely taught in two-year colleges, it also offers an opportunity for the transfer student to creatively combine courses and interests for an exciting and useful major.

The Ferdinand de Saussure Award honors an outstanding student in linguistics and students of excellence are inducted annually into Phi Sigma Iota, the International Foreign Language Honor Society which includes the study of linguistics.

 

Programs

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Minor