2017-2018 Graduate Course Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Linguistic Studies, MA


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Director

Gerald Greenberg
441 Hall of Languages
315-443-2875

Faculty

Tej K. Bhatia, Amanda Brown, Richard W. Buttny, Kevan Edwards, Gerald R. Greenberg, Jaklin Kornfilt, Elizabeth D. Liddy, Linda Milosky, Robert Van Gulick, Susan S. Wadley, Bei Yu

This program provides the student with intensive and advanced education in linguistics and language-related study. The student works with the concentration advisor in one of six concentration areas:

Information Representation and Retrieval;

Language Acquisition;

Language, Culture, and Society;

Linguistic Theory;

Logic and Language; and

Teaching languages (English Language Teaching/Foreign Language Teaching)

Student Learning Outcomes


1. Create claims about human communication and about the innate language competence in humans

2. Create claims about specific languages and the universal principles that underlie the knowledge of all languages

3. Create claims about social, psychological and biological aspects of language including language and thought, language acquisition, the representation of language in the human nervous system, disordered language, speech production

4. Create claims about the role of language in culture and society

5. Analyze, evaluate, and create claims about the history and structure of one or more particular languages; conduct an in-depth structural analysis of a non-Western language, or of a Western language (depending on the course)

6. Analyze, evaluate, and create claims about the relevance of all of the above to the practice of language pedagogy

Program Requirements


The M.A. degree requires 30 credits of graduate coursework. 12 credits come from the following Core courses: LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis , LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis , LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , LIN 571 - Topics in Sociolinguistics . The remaining 18 credits come from one of the six concentration areas with the approval of the advisor for that concentration area. All four Core courses and all required courses within a student’s concentration area must be completed with a grade of B or better; all other courses must be completed with a grade of B- or better. A thesis may be substituted for 6 credits of course work subject to the approval of the concentration advisor. All students must successfully complete three comprehensive examinations; one in Syntax, one in Phonology, and one in Sociolinguistics. All students must also either successfully complete a comprehensive examination in their concentration area, or successfully write and defend a thesis in their concentration area.

The student works with the concentration advisor in one of six concentration areas:

1. Information Representation and Retrieval:


Concentration Advisor
Nancy McCracken
Research Associate Professor
Office: 3220 Hinds Hall
Tel: 315-443-3955
Email: njmccrac@syr.edu

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , and CSD 616 - Introduction to Applied Phonetics  must be taken before CSD 638 - Clinical Phonology .

Concentration Area Required Courses (6 Credits)


Concentration Area Elective Courses (12 Credits)


Select four courses from the list below in consultation with your advisor.

2. Language Acquisition:


Concentration Advisor
Linda Milosky
Associate Professor
Office: 621 Skytop Suite 1200
Tel: 315-443-9620
Email: milosky@syr.edu

 

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , and CSD 616 - Introduction to Applied Phonetics  must be taken before CSD 638 - Clinical Phonology .

Concentration Area Required Courses (12 Credits)


Note:

* A course in phonetics or permission of the instructor is required prior to taking these courses.

Concentration Area Elective Courses (6 Credits)


Select two courses from the list in consultation with your concentration advisor.

3. Language, Culture, and Society:


Concentration Advisor
Susan Wadley
Professor
Office: 209 Maxwell Hall
Tel: 315-443-1011
Email: sswadley@syr.edu

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , and CSD 616 - Introduction to Applied Phonetics  must be taken before CSD 638 - Clinical Phonology .

Concentration Area Required Courses (3 Credits)


Concentration Area Elective Courses (9 Credits)


Select 3 courses from the list in consultation with the concentration advisor.

Foreign Language Requirement (6 Credits)


The student must have the equivalent of advanced language competency in a European language or one year of non-Western language. If language competency is already achieved, you may take 2 additional elective courses.

 

Thesis Option: In substitution for six of the elective credits, the student may prepare a thesis under the supervision of the concentration advisor and other faculty participating in the Program and on a topic approved by the Program.

4. Linguistic Theory:


Concentration Advisor
Jaklin Kornfilt
Professor
Office: 305 HBC
Tel: 315-443-5375
Email: kornfilt@syr.edu

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , and CSD 616 - Introduction to Applied Phonetics  must be taken before CSD 638 - Clinical Phonology .

Concentration Area Required Courses (6 Credits)


Select 2 courses from the list below in consultation with your advisor.

Note:

*Given that LIN 741  is offered in the Fall, LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken in the Spring semester.

*LIN 741  is a required course in this concentration (unless it is not offered in the student’s second year).

Foreign Language Requirements (3 Credits) or LIN 606 Field Methods in Linguistics(3 Credits)


To fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement, a student in the Linguistic Theory concentration must enroll in a language class other than her/his native language or English designated as [LANGUAGE DESIGNATION] 620. The language must be selected in consultation with the Concentration Advisor and cannot be a language the student has significant familiarity with. The student must fulfill all the requirements of the course, will receive a grade in that course, and will earn 3 credits toward her/his degree. In addition, to complete the requirement, the student must write two papers (of approximately 15 pages each) one on the phonology and one on the syntax of the particular language. These papers are graded by the Concentration Advisor or other faculty to be designated by the Concentration Advisor. Successful completion of the language course and the two papers completes the foreign language requirement. The student will enroll in the relevant language course by her/his third semester in the MA program.

With the permission of the Concentration Advisor, this requirement can also be fulfilled by taking LIN 606 Field Methods in Linguistics, when offered.

Thesis Option: In substitution for six of the elective credits, the student may prepare a thesis under the supervision of the concentration advisor and other faculty participating in the Program and on a topic approved by the Program.

Degree Total: 30 Credits

5. Logic and Language


Concentration Advisor
Michael Rieppel
Assistant Professor
Office: 523 Hall of Languages
Tel: 315-443-5821
Email: morieppe@syr.edu

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , and CSD 616 - Introduction to Applied Phonetics  must be taken before CSD 638 - Clinical Phonology .

Concentration Area Required Courses (6 Credits)


Required:

Formal Languages. Choose one of the following:

Concentration Area Elective Courses (6-12 Credits)


a. Additional Courses from list of Formal Languages

b. Any concentration-advisor-approved graduate linguistic (LIN) course

c. Any concentration-advisor-approved philosophy (PHI) course numbered 700 or above

Foreign Language Requirement (0-6 Credits)


Up to 6 credits of study in a single foreign language. One year of a non-Western language is strongly recommended.

 

Thesis Option: In substitution for six of the elective credits, the student may prepare a thesis under the supervision of the concentration advisor and other faculty participating in the Program and on a topic approved by the Program.

6. Teaching languages (English Language Teaching/Foreign Language Teaching):


Concentration Advisor
Amanda Brown
Associate Professor
Office: 323C HBC
Tel: 315-443-2244
Email: abrown08@syr.edu

Equivalent or alternative courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed below by approval of the program. Be aware that certain courses may have prerequisites, e.g., LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 741 - Advanced Syntax , LIN 601 - Introductory Linguistic Analysis  must be taken before LIN 631 - Phonological Analysis  or LIN 641 - Syntactic Analysis , LIN 621 - Introduction to Methodology of Teaching Languages: English/Foreign Language Teaching  must be taken before LIN 622 - Advanced Methods of Teaching Languages: English/Foreign Language Teaching .

Concentration Area Elective Courses (12 Credits)


A. Select 2 of the following courses in consultation with the concentration advisor:

B. Select 2 of the following courses in consultation with the concentration advisor:


Language Structure

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