Undergraduate Program
Requirements
The Linguistics Joint Majors
The Department of Linguistics offers seven interdisciplinary majors in which the study of linguistics forms a significant part of the curriculum. These are a combination of Linguistics and Anthropology, Chinese, German, Japanese, Philosophy, Psychology and Russian*. It is also possible to major in linguistics alone or to minor in linguistics.
Please contact both departments before considering any of these joint majors to determine current availability of course offerings. Some required courses are unavailable on the UMass campus at present. Please see the Russian and Japanese requirements for details.
1. Linguistics and Anthropology
Two years (or equivalent) of a foreign language, to be completed before the junior year. A minimum of 44 credits in Linguistics and Anthropology including all of the following:
ANTHRO 102 Archaeology and Prehistory or ANTHRO 103 Human Origins
and Variation
ANTHRO 104 Culture, Society and People
ANTHRO 105 Language, Culture and Communication
ANTHRO 233 Kinship and Social Organization
LINGUIST 201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
One of the following:
ANTHRO 363 Linguistic Anthropology: Comparative Dimensions
LINGUIST 505/CLASSICS 592A Historical Linguistics
One of the following:
ANTHRO 360 Language in Culture and Society
LINGUIST 413 Sociolinguistics
One of the following:
ANTHRO 317 Primate Behavior
ANTHRO 368 Old World Prehistory
ANTHRO 369 North American Archaeology
Two additional three-credit courses in Linguistics or Anthropology numbered 200 and above.
2. Linguistics and Chinese
The successful completion of four courses in Mandarin Chinese (24 credits): CHINESE 125, 246, 326, and 327, or the equivalent. At least 38 credits distributed between Linguistics and Chinese, as follows:
Linguistics courses (19-21 credits):
201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory
401 Introduction to Syntax
402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three of the following:
404 Field Methods
411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
412 Language Processing and the Brain
414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
503 Intermediate Syntax
505/CLASSICS 592A Introduction to Historical Linguistics
510 Introduction to Semantics
Chinese courses (19 credits):
375 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics
450 Elementary Classical Chinese
Three courses from the following group, at least one of which must be CHINESE 575, 576, or 577:
575 Syntactic Structures of Chinese
576 History of the Chinese Language
577 Chinese Dialectology
426 Advanced Modern Chinese I
427 Advanced Modern Chinese II
432 Media Chinese
433 Business Chinese
451 Intermediate Classical Chinese
570 Research in Chinese Source Materials
One of the following:
138 Religion in Chinese Culture
153 Literature: Poetry
154
Literature: Tales, Short Stories, Novels
241 Contemporary Chinese
Literature
HISTORY 114 Chinese Civilization: Ancient Origins
to the End of the Mongol Era
HISTORY 115 Chinese Civilization: Early Modern to the Present
Successful completion of four courses in German (12 credits): 110, 120, 230 and 240 (or equivalent). Thirty-one credits distributed between Linguistics and German, as follows.
Linguistics courses (17 credits):
201 Introduction to Linguistics Theory
401 Introduction to Syntax
402 Speech Sounds and Structure
411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
German courses (14 credits):
310 Advanced German I
320 Advanced German II
425 Advanced Composition
584 The German Language or 585 The Structure of German
Students are encouraged also to take graduate courses in the older Germanic languages for undergraduate credit (e.g., German 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 810, 811, 812). They may also opt to take courses in German literature or civilization, and courses, including language instruction, in Danish, Dutch, or Swedish.
The successful completion of four courses in Japanese (24 credits): JAPANESE 126, 246, 326 and 327 (or the equivalent). At least 37 credits distributed between Japanese and Linguistics courses, as follows:
Linguistics courses (19-20 credits):
201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory
401 Introduction to Syntax
402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three of the following:
404 Field Methods
411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
412 Language Processing and the Brain
414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
503 Intermediate Syntax
505/CLASSICS 592A Introduction to Historical Linguistics
510 Introduction to Semantics
Japanese courses (18 credits):
Three of the following:
375 Introduction to Japanese Linguistics
556 Introduction to Classical Japanese
575 Syntactic Structures of Japanese
580 Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
Six credits chosen from the following:
426 Readings in Modern Japanese I
427 Readings in Modern Japanese II
430 Scientific and Technical Japanese
498Y Practicum (1-3 credits)
532 Media Japanese I
533 Media Japanese II
536 Advanced Japanese I
537 Advanced Japanese II
One of the following:
135 Japanese Art and Culture
143 Literature: Classical and Medieval
144
Literature: Modern
560 Seminar in Japanese Literature
Some of the Japanese course requirements for this joint major are not currently being offered on a regular basis by University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty, but it is possible to arrange for coursework through the Five Colleges or by special arrangement with individual faculty, or by study abroad. For more information, contact the Undergraduate Adviser.
Two years (or equivalent) of a foreign language, to be completed before the junior year. At least 42 credits in courses distributed between Philosophy and Linguistics, including those listed below.
Required Linguistics courses (20 credits):
201 Introduction to Linguistics Theory
401 Introduction to Syntax
402 Speech Sounds and Structure
409 Formal Foundations of Linguistic Theory
411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
510 Introduction to Semantics
Required Philosophy courses (12 credits):
310 Intermediate Logic
550 Epistemology or 551 Metaphysics
One of the following:
511 Modal Logic
512 Philosophy and Logic
513 Mathematical Logic I
514 Mathematical Logic II
One of the following:
335 Contemporary Analytic Philosophy
382 Philosophical Approaches to Science
582 Philosophy of Science
584 Philosophy of Language
At the discretion of the directors of undergraduate studies in each department, other senior-level courses in Linguistics and Philosophy may be substituted for those listed.
6. Linguistics and Psychology
The courses listed below, plus an additional 18 credits in courses numbered 300 and above in Linguistics and Psychology. A senior thesis may contribute up to six credits toward this requirement.
LINGUIST 201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
One of the following:
LINGUIST 409 Formal Foundations of Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
PSYCH 100 Elementary Psychology
PSYCH 240 Statistics in Psychology
PSYCH 241 Methods of Inquiry in Psychology
Two of the following:
PSYCH 315 Cognitive Psychology
PSYCH 330 Physiological Psychology
PSYCH 350 Child Behavior and Development
One of the following:
LINGUIST 412 Language Processing and the Brain
PSYCH 318 Psychology of Language
Successful completion of four courses in Russian: RUSSIAN 110, 120, 230 and 240 (or equivalent). Thirty-two credits distributed between Linguistics and Russian, as follows:
Linguistics courses (17 credits):
201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory
401 Introduction to Syntax
402 Speech Sounds and Structure
411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
Russian courses (15 credits):*
301 Advanced Russian I
302 Advanced Russian II
560 Russian Phonetics
561 Structure of Russian
563 Contrastive Structures of Russian and English
*The Russian course requirements for this joint major are not currently being offered on a regular basis by University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty, but it may be possible to arrange for coursework through the Five Colleges or by special arrangement with individual faculty, or by study abroad. For more information, contact the Undergraduate Adviser.
Additional courses may be selected from the offerings of the Slavic languages departments in the Five Colleges.