Linguistics Minor

Michael Aceto, Co-coordinator, 2125 Bate Building
Almitra Medina, Co-coordinator, 3302 Bate Building

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, of the common properties shared by all languages, and of the functions of language in human life and society. The linguistics minor provides students with an opportunity to study the background of linguistic theory, the applications of language and its theory in the learning and teaching of second or foreign languages, and the social and cultural uses of language in society and communication. The courses are designed to help students have a better understanding of how human communication takes place in an ever more globalized society, with greater encounters with different languages. This curriculum complements a wide range of liberal arts majors by promoting students’ critical thinking, cultural awareness and analysis, and communication skills.

Students taking this interdisciplinary minor, following the guidance of their assigned advisor, will be asked to establish connections between a wide variety of classes, ranging from core courses on theoretical linguistics to classes describing and practicing more applied uses of language in a classroom setting as well as in other social and cultural contexts. Additionally, the students in the minor will benefit from course offerings from different departments and schools, including English, anthropology, foreign languages and literatures, philosophy, communication, and communication sciences and disorders. Semester hours that count toward the student’s major may not count toward the linguistics minor.  Other appropriate courses, including special topic courses (when the theme is relevant) may be considered for inclusion as electives upon review by the coordinator. Visit http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/engl/EnglishMinor.cfm for more information.

Minimum requirement for the linguistics minor is 18 s.h. of credit as follows: