Minor Requirements

Linguistics at Richmond is an interdisciplinary minor that studies the system of language as a medium of cognition and perception as well as a social institution. Engaging in linguistic analysis enables students to view culture through the lens of language. Language can be studied at multiple levels: phonetics and phonology (sounds), morphology (words), syntax (sentences), and semantics and pragmatics (meaning). Faculty at Richmond investigate each of these levels in courses that take different analytical perspectives: applied linguistics, computational linguistics, generative linguistics, historical linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and theoretical linguistics. These courses address a variety of topics, including language change, language and cognition, and language and society (gender, class, race/ethnicity).

The Linguistics Minor

Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00.

Six units, including:

  • LING203 Introductory Linguistics

  • Five units of elective chosen from the following:

    • ANTH101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

    • ANTH211 Field Methods in Ethnography

    • ANTH290 Cultural Theory

    • ANTH300 Sexuality and Gender Across Cultures

    • CGSC299 Cognitive Science

    • CLSC201 Classical Elements in the English Language

    • CMSC150 Introduction to Computing

    • CMSC221 Data Structures with Lab

    • DSST289 Introduction to Data Science

    • DSST389 Advanced Data Science

    • EDUC324 Reading Foundations for Early Literacy Instruction

    • FREN415 Traduction

    • FYS100 Language, Race, and Ethnicity

    • FYS100 Lost in Translation

    • FYS100  The Power and Prejudice of Language

    • FYS100  Say What? Exploring 2nd Language Acquisition

    • FYS100 Split Selves: Growing up Bilingual

    • LAIS350 Sociolinguistic Approaches to Spanish

    • LAIS 411 Bilingualism in US, Latin America, and Spain

    • LAIS412 The Sounds of Spanish

    • LAIS413 Spanglish

    • LING250 Introduction to Syntax

    • LING252 Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics

    • LLC198 Teaching English as a Second Language through Literature and Film

    • LLC310 Teaching of a Modern Second Language

    • LLC362 History of the Romance Languages

    • LING297 Selected Topics

    • PHIL251 Elementary Symbolic Logic

    • PSYC300 Methods and Analyses Core Project

    • PSYC341 Cognitive Neuroscience

    • PSYC343 Psycholinguistics with Lab

    • PSYC361 Independent Research (in psycholinguistics)

    • PSYC449 Misunderstanding Language

    • RHCS253 Rhetorical Theory

  • Up to three units in a language other than English.

    • These cannot all be in the same language. You may apply one unit at the advanced (300 or 400) level, and this may be in addition to any of the courses listed above. You may also apply up to two units in a language other than the language of the advanced level course. These may be at any level. Please note: the application of language courses to the minor is normally done senior year during senior audit.

    • Students may apply Self Directed Language Courses to the minor (SDLC 110, 111, 112, 113). Offered through the Global Studio, these are courses in any language not taught at UR, e.g., Korean, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, etc. Department approval is required for enrollment. Contact Michael Marsh-Soloway for additional details.

Selected topics courses in linguistics are applied to the minor on a case-by-case basis.

Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the minor. Prerequisites do not count toward the minor unless otherwise noted. Coursework in phonetics, syntax, morphology and other related topics taken during study abroad may fulfill some minor requirements. Study abroad in consultation with advisor is strongly encouraged.