Undergraduate Student Guide

The requirements listed below are those in effect for students entering the program after July 1, 2019.  Students enrolled prior to this date may, at their option, continue under the old regulations or may choose to work under the new regulations (in toto).

Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) Degree & Bachelors of General Studies (B.G.S.)

B.A. Language Requirement: CLAS Language Proficiency Requirement

Course Requirements (30 Credit Hours)

Introductory Linguistics (All of the following courses are required; 15 credit hours):

LING 106 Introductory Linguistics or LING 107 Introductory Linguistics, Honors

LING 110 Language and Mind or LING 111 Language and Mind, Honors

LING 305 Phonetics I

LING 312 Phonology I

LING 325 Syntax I

Acquisition (One of the following courses; 3 credit hours):

LING 415 Second Language Acquisition

LING 425 First Language Acquisition

Processing (One of the following courses; 3 credit hours):

LING 435 Psycholinguistics

LING 438 Neurolinguistics

Diversity (One of the following courses; 3 credit hours):

LING 308 Linguistic Analysis

LING 320 Language in Culture and Society or LING 321 Language in Culture and Society, Honors

LING 343 Bilingualism

LING 370 Introduction to the Languages of Africa

LING 447 North American Indian Languages

LING 570 The Structure of Japanese

LING 572 The Structure of Chinese

LING 575 The Structure of: ______

Advanced Course (One from the following courses; 3 credit hours):

LING 507 Phonetics II

LING 514 Phonology II

LING 516 Second Language Acquisition II

LING 526 Syntax II

LING 527 Morphology

LING 531 Semantics

LING 537 Psycholinguistics II

LING 539 First Language Acquisition II

LING 541 Field Methods in Linguistic Description

LING 542 Neurolinguistics II

Capstone (One of the following courses – to be taken in senior year; 3 credit hours):

LING 420 Capstone: Research in Linguistic Science

LING 421 Capstone: Typology – The Unity and Diversity of Human Language

To be considered for the B.A. degree with Honors in Linguistics, a student must fulfill all the regular course requirements for the undergraduate major with a grade point average of at least 3.5 in Linguistics. A specific additional requirement for Honors is completion of Linguistics 496 (Honors Essay in Linguistics) with a grade of B or better. Normally, the student enrolls in Ling 496 (Fall semester of senior year) under the direction of one faculty member. The Honors candidate will carry out original research and write up the results of the study in a form suitable for being kept on file in the departmental library.  The course grade for Ling 496 is determined by the supervising faculty member. Students considering going for Honors are encouraged to look at previous Honors Theses in the departmental library. A student who intends to work for Honors must file a Departmental Honors Intent Form with CLAS Student Academic Services. (No later than one semester before they graduate.) 

When the Honors Thesis is approved by the supervising faculty advisor, the advisor in consultation with the candidate will convene an honors review panel with two additional Linguistics faculty members. The panel will include the supervising faculty member. The panel reviews the student’s Honors Thesis, and reports to the departmental Honors Coordinator whether honors shall be granted. The Honors Coordinator in turn checks the GPA requirement and reports the results to CLAS Student Academic Services at the appropriate time. The department also requires the Honors candidate to present their honors research to the  Linguistics Department where other students and faculty may attend (usually at the end of the spring semester). 

For more information, contact Dr. Utako Minai, the Honors Director.

Students can graduate with one of two Linguistics minors – either the General Linguistics Minor or the Second Language Acquisition Minor.

General Linguistics Minor Course Work (18 credit hours)

LING 106 Introductory Linguistics or 107 Introductory Linguistics, Honors

LING 110 Language and Mind or 111 Language and Mind, Honors

LING 305 Phonetics I

LING 312 Phonology I

LING 325 Syntax I

One 3-hour junior/senior level (300+) Linguistics course chosen by the student in consultation with their Linguistics advisor.

Second Language Acquisition Minor Course Work (18 credit hours)

LING 110 Language and Mind or 111 Language and Mind, Honors

LING 305 Phonetics I

LING 325 Syntax I

LING 343 Bilingualism

LING 415 Second Language Acquisition

Any 3-hour Linguistics course (including LING 106 or 107), or a 3-hour course from the Advanced Language Structure list below, chosen by the student in consultation with their Linguistics Advisor.

Advanced Language Structure Courses

AAAS 470 Language and Society in Africa

EALC 570 The Structure of Japanese

EALC 572 The Structure of Chinese

FREN 310 French Phonetics

FREN 441 The Story of French

FREN 443 French Inside Out

SLAV 520 Russian Phonetics, Phonology, and Inflectional Morphology

SLAV 522 The Grammatical Categories of Russian: Linguistic Units, Functions and Meanings

SPAN 429 Spanish Phonetics

SPAN 520 Structure of Spanish

SPAN 570 Studies in Hispanic Linguistics: ______________

Overview

The Undergraduate Mind and Brain Certificate, administered by the Department of Psychology, recognizes students who complete coursework examining the mind/brain. Students take two introductory courses and two junior/senior courses. Details and course requirements can be found at Undergraduate Certificate in Mind and Brain.

Certificate Course Work (12 credit hours)

Required

LING 110 Language and Mind or LING 111 Language and Mind, Honors

Choose One (3 credit hours)

PHIL 140 Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL 150 Debates in Cognitive Science

PSYC 104 General Psychology

Choose Two (6 credit hours)

LING/ANTH 320 Language in Culture in Society

LING 435 Psycholinguistics I

LING 438 Neurolinguistics I

PHIL 386 Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant

PHIL 633 Philosophy of Social Sciences

PHIL 645 Philosophy of Mind

PSYC 318 Cognitive Psychology

PSYC 375 Cognitive Neuroscience

LING/PHIL/PSYC 418 Introduction to Cognitive Science

The Global Awareness Program (GAP) recognizes students' enhancement of their cultural knowledge, international perspectives, and cross-cultural communication skills.

Undergraduates in Linguistics can earn a global awareness certification.



Students completing this program will have their GAP experience noted on their official KU academic transcript. They will also receive a certificate from the Office of International Programs.

GAP complements the KU Common Core Goal #4.2: "Respect human diversity and expand cultural understanding and global awareness" and Learning Outcome: "Upon reaching this goal, students will be able to: Examine a variety of perspectives in the global community, distinguish one’s own cultural patterns, and respond flexibly to multiple world views."

Combining study abroad, cultural classes, and/or on-campus co-curricular activities, GAP provides students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in our globalized world. Students must complete two-out-of-three components to earn the certificate. The free KU certificate is an easy way to show future employers that you have experience with and respect for other cultures. It sets you apart in a competitive job market, enhances applications for graduate school and fellowships, and supports the development of essential skills needed for participatory citizenship in the 21 st century.

Progress to Degree

Entering Students (Major and Minor)

The Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) of the Department serves as the advisor of entering students until the student is assigned a Linguistics faculty advisor. 

Advising

Undergraduate Advisors in Linguistics have the responsibility for directing a student’s program, and maintaining an up-to-date checklist in the students file.

Any time an Undergraduate Advisor recommends a change in the requirements for a student’s

Linguistics major or minor program, the change shall be reported to the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the change will be entered in the student’s file.

If a student does not agree with a decision or interpretation of a rule given by an Undergraduate Advisor, the student may appeal the decision to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. If the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Undergraduate Advisor do not agree, the student’s appeal will go to the Department Chair, who will make the final decision.

Degree Program Changes

When requirements for a given degree program are changed, they generally become effective for students entering at the beginning of the following semester. Students already enrolled at the time of the change may choose to work under the new regulations (in toto), but may not be forced to do so.

Petitions

An undergraduate who wishes to obtain a waiver of or change in a rule should follow the procedures given in the sections on advising. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome, the student may petition the whole department by writing a letter to the Department Chair. The entire faculty will consider the petition and make a decision, which will be reported to the student in writing.

Student Files

Undergraduate student files are the joint responsibility of the Director of Undergraduate Studies (for new students), the respective advisors, and the students, although the Undergraduate Program Assistant will normally take care of keeping each file up to date.

The student files should contain the original major/minor declaration, progress-to-degree reports, official correspondence (to and from the student, letters written on the student’s behalf to other officers of the university or to scholarship agencies, etc.), current grade reports and a degree progress checklist.

Access to student files is restricted to members of the department faculty on official business and to the respective students, in accordance with the “Buckley Amendment.” The Undergraduate Program Assistant determines if an individual has the right to access.

The checklist in each student’s file is based on the set of requirements that was in effect at the time of their admission to the program unless the student has chosen to come under a new program. Students are encouraged to maintain duplicate checklists and to compare them with the official ones from time to time.

Post-graduation Plans

Students will be sent an email in the semester they are graduating with a link to the Departmental Senior Survey. This survey should be submitted before they graduate. Students are encouraged to discuss their post-graduation plans with their Linguistics Advisor.  Information concerning graduate programs in linguistics and fellowships is posted on the bulletin board and department website. Students should keep in mind that some deadlines for fellowship applications are nearly a year before the time they intend to begin graduate work.

Undergraduate students are eligible to serve as representatives. The number of student representatives is equal to 10% of the number of faculty voting members in the Department. These students, elected by their peers, can participate in meetings of the Department and have voting privileges, subject to the following conditions:

• Students participate in discussion of departmental policies and planning (e.g., proposals for new courses and revisions of existing courses, formulation of degree requirements, processing reports and requests for information, and recruitment of new faculty).
• Students do not participate in discussion of matters pertaining to personnel and evaluations (e.g., selection and appointment of faculty committees or representatives, graduate admissions, student evaluation, recommendations for student awards and fellowships, budget matters), and other related matters as determined by the Chair.
• Student opinion is solicited on such matters as promotion and tenure recommendations, and preparation of class schedules, but only faculty vote on them.

Student representatives will have the same responsibility as faculty members to attend and participate in meetings regularly. They are expected to be representatives of the students of Linguistics.

The Linguistics Undergraduate Club of Kansas (L.U.C.K.) consists of all undergraduate majors and minors in Linguistics. It is the recognized organization, which maintains communication between faculty and undergraduate students, as well as hosting a number of events and gatherings

Grading

A grade of D- or higher must be achieved for a course to count toward a degree in the Linguistics undergraduate program. Students should carefully review the University’s grading policy, found under Grading in the University Policies and Degree Requirements section of this handbook. In order to graduate with a major or minor in Linguistics, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all Linguistic courses and an overall KU GPA of 2.0.

Academic Integrity & Misconduct

In the Department of Linguistics, we consider academic integrity essential to our work and we expect students to adhere to its principles in conducting research. This means students acknowledge the sources they use in their academic work and cite them fully and correctly; not acknowledging a source constitutes plagiarism.

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s words or work as your own. Plagiarism applies to material taken from a book, an article, the internet, or from another person without properly citing your sources. Paraphrasing another writer, substituting words, or rearranging sentences from the work of another also constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is easily detected with database and search engines. Students should consult with faculty well before paper due dates if they are not sure about how to handle a source. The KU Writing Center also provides guidance on incorporating and properly citing reference sources, and how to avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism is academic misconduct and is a violation of rules and regulations of the University of Kansas. Penalties for academic misconduct range from failure of the assignment to expulsion from the University.

Academic integrity is a central value in higher education. It rests on two principles: first, that academic work is represented truthfully as to its source and its accuracy, and second, that academic results are obtained by fair and authorized means. "Academic misconduct" occurs when these values are not respected. Academic misconduct at KU is defined in the University Senate Rules and Regulations. A good rule of thumb is "if you have to ask if this is cheating, it probably is. Students are subject to sanctions by the University for Academic Misconduct if they violate these principles. Additional information and definitions are provided in the University Senate Rules and Regulations.

Grievance Procedures

The Linguistics Department advises undergraduate students to first attempt to resolve issues directly with the party involved. If a complaint or grievance arises that cannot be resolved directly, or if the student does not feel comfortable attempting to resolve the issue, the Department Chair or any neutral party may be used to seek a conciliatory solution. If no mutually satisfactory resolution can be arrived at, the student should then follow the department’s official grievance procedure, which has been approved by the University.

Research

The unique strength of the Linguistics department is the pairing of theoretical and experimental investigations of language. As such, both our teaching and research focus on language as a cognitive system. We study the underlying rule system inherent in complex phonological, morphological, and grammatical structures of language. We also explore what it means to know a language both as an innate system in the human mind and the maturation of that system within the mind of the individual speaker, exploring similarities and differences in how children and adults acquire linguistic knowledge.  The formal study of phonology, morphology, and syntax, for example, provides insight into the structure of language. Phonetic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic research in turn explores how underlying structures influence the actual production and comprehension of language. Our experimental orientation distinguishes us from Linguistics departments with a sole emphasis on theoretical linguistics. Moreover, our curriculum emphasizes linguistic diversity as a reflection of human diversity: We teach a variety of “The Structure of ____” courses (recent examples include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Kaqchikel, Kiche, Kiowa, and Quechua). We also offer a Field Methods course, always centered around a native speaker of a language unfamiliar to the students (recent examples include Kaqchikel, Marathi, Quechua, and Vietnamese).

Facilities

The department currently houses 6 research/teaching laboratories. These 6 labs employ a vast array of methods for the collection and analysis of a wide range of linguistic data.

The Phonetics and Psycholinguistics Laboratory, focuses on acoustic, aerodynamic, and perceptual measurements for the experimental study of speech and language, including its production, perception,and acquisition. Location: Blake Hall room 15.

The Second Language Acquisition Laboratory, explores the nature of acquisition and processing in adult second language learners, using interpretation, self-paced reading, and speeded grammaticality judgment tasks. Location: Dole Human Development Center room 4035.

The Mayan Language Acquisition Laboratory archives video and audio recordings of children acquiring four Mayan languages: Ch’ol, Mam, K’iche’ and Q’anjob’al. Location: Dole Human Development Center room 4045.

The Neurolinguistics and Language Processing Laboratory, investigates the cortical representation of language and uses ERP (event-related potentials) as well as lexical decision and priming paradigms. Location: Dole Human Development Center room 4037.

The Developmental Psycholinguistics Laboratory investigates how preschool-age children acquire and use the knowledge of meaning in their first language, utilizing linguistic comprehension tasks and the visual-world eye-tracking paradigm. Location: Dole Human Development Center rooms 4062 & 4064.

The Second Language Processing and Eye-tracking Lab explores how non-native speakers process phonetic, phonological, and morphosyntactic aspects of a second/foreign language. Location: Dole Human Development Center rooms 4066 & 4068.

The Linguistics Library (418 Blake Hall) and the Ingemann Library (304 Blake Hall) have books, periodicals, dissertations, and theses. Students are urged to use the materials in the library, and may check out items by signing them out with the Office Manager.

Equipment

Digital Recorders

Students may borrow recorders to complete class assignments. See the Office Manager for current procedures and time limits.

Computers

Computers in the Department Computer lab (426 Blake Hall) are for Linguistics students, faculty, and staff engaged in linguistics-related coursework, research, and study. All other uses of the equipment in the lab have lower priority. Personal files are not to be stored on lab computers and will be deleted regularly. A key deposit may be charged for after-hours access to the computer lab.

Colloquy

Students and faculty meet regularly to hear talks and discuss linguistic topics at the "Linguistics Colloquy". All Linguistics Undergraduate students are encouraged to attend the Linguistics Colloquy series as part of their training.

The Colloquy Committee is normally elected for each academic year at the start of the fall semester and it is in charge of setting up the program. Both students and faculty may serve on the Colloquy Committee. The Chair of the Department is an ex-officio member of the Committee. The Department supports the Colloquy with secretarial help and publicity expenses. Following the Colloquy, there is usually an informal reception for further discussion.

Frances Ingemann Lecture

Each year, the Department invites a renowned scholar to give the annual Frances Ingemann Lecture. All Linguistics Undergraduate students are encouraged to attend the Frances Ingemann Lecture as part of their training. Speakers are selected with input from both faculty and students. Care is taken to balance the different areas within Linguistics. This lecture series is supported in part by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in recognition of Prof. Ingemann’s significant contributions to the department and the University at large. Following the lecture, there is a dinner party for further informal interactions.

Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA)

This program is administered through the Center for Undergraduate Research and is open to all degree-seeking, full-time undergraduate students. Each year, awards are made to support undergraduate researchers and to defray their research expenses. Students interested in applying should discuss the possibility with the faculty member under whom they would like to do research. Application require both Student Application Materials and Mentor Reference Materials. Awards are granted for up to $1000. Applications are due in the fall for spring funding and in the spring for summer and fall funding. Deadlines will be posted on their Undergraduate Research Award website along with additional information regarding eligibility, selection criteria, award dispersal, application process and deadlines, and FAQs.

University Scholars Program

This program is administered through the University Honors Program and is open to all outstanding sophomores with a GPA of 3.75 or higher. Applications are accepted in the fall. Selected students receive $250 each semester for five semesters, complete a 3-hour interdisciplinary seminar course and are paired with a faculty mentor.

Honors Opportunity Awards

Students in the Honors Program are eligible for these awards, which allow students to make use of opportunities for intellectual and academic growth. Study Abroad, conference attendance, internships, and service work are examples of potential activities funded through the program. Awards are typically between $250-$1500.  The Honors Opportunity Awards website will provide more information regarding award periods, application process, review committee considerations, and FAQs.

Programs for Minority Students

There are a number of different programs for minority students interested in pursuing research. Applications are typically accepted once per year for each program, and there is often a preference for enrolling students in the program early in their college careers. Students are typically eligible to apply in their freshman or sophomore years. Students are encouraged to contact the Office for Diversity in Science Training for further information. The programs include the Haskell Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement and the Haskell BRIDGE Program.

All eligible students are automatically considered for the Department of Linguistics awards by the Fellowships and Awards Committee in the spring semester for the coming year.

Outstanding Senior Majors

These awards recognize undergraduate students majoring in Linguistics at the senior level, who have demonstrated academic excellence and scholarship in Linguistics.

Outstanding Senior Minors

These awards recognize undergraduate students minoring in Linguistics at the senior level, who have demonstrated academic excellence in Linguistics.

Outstanding Junior Majors

These awards recognize undergraduate students majoring in Linguistics at the junior level, who have demonstrated academic excellence and shown promise and potential as a linguist.

Outstanding Student Service Awards

These awards recognize exceptional service. Students who receive this award have contributed to the broader goals of strengthening the department.