The English Major with a Concentration in Linguistics
The English major with a concentration in linguistics allows students to explore the scientific study of language. This concentration is recommended for anyone interested in understanding the principles that underlie language. As language scientists, linguists study how people turn thoughts into sentences. They explore such diverse topics as grammar, dialects, language history, sound systems, language acquisition, and language and the brain, among other areas. Linguistics is quite interdisciplinary, having ties to anthropology, cognitive science, education, foreign language, philosophy, and psychology. Completing the English major with a concentration in linguistics can make a student uniquely suited for a number of different professions—for example, law, medicine, education, writing, government service (such as the FBI), professional translation, or diplomacy. Linguistics majors have entered diverse fields upon graduation: speech therapy, technical writing, language-related software development, law, and neurological medicine.
Requirements
To earn a major in English with a concentration in linguistics under the current catalog, a student must complete a total of at least 42 credit hours in addition to EH101 and 102 and other UAB core requirements. These hours should include:
- Two courses (6 hours) from EH 221, 222, 223, 224;
- EH 301;
- One course (3 hours) from EH 365 or 366;
- EH 476;
- One course (3 hours) in non-Shakespearean British literature produced before 1660 (EH 469, 470, 471, 473, 474, 475, 478, 491 when approved, 492 when approved);
- One course (3 hours) at the 400-level in British literature produced after 1660 (EH 414, 480, 481, 482, 483, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 491 when approved, 492 when approved);
- One course (3 hours) in American literature at the 400 level (EH 416, 445, 446, 447, 448, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 491 when approved, 492 when approved);
- One course (3 hours) in the study of English as a language (EH 450, 451, 452, 453, 454, or 493 when approved) OR two courses (6 hours) in linguistics at the 200 or 300 levels (250, 251, 252, 292 when approved, 355, 356, 360, or 393 when approved), thereby increasing the total number of hours required for the major to 45;
- Five additional courses (15 hours) in linguistics, at least three (9 hours) of which must be at the 400 level.
Courses that require approval are approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies only when their contents fall within the area described. Students majoring in English with a concentration in linguistics must achieve a grade of C or higher in all courses applied toward the major and concentration, and at least 15 hours of English courses at the 300 and 400 levels must be taken at UAB. Since linguistics is interdisciplinary, students will find that these 15 hours can be selected from any EH linguistics course, LING course, or ANTH or CS course cross-listed with LING.
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