The plan listed below is designed to provide suggestions for sequencing your major courses, but there are also other ways to sequence most majors. This plan is meant to provide aid in early, provisional planning. Please consult with your academic advisor to make strategic academic decisions about which courses to take each semester.
Sample Two Year Plan: Linguistics (BA/BS)
The following plan assumes that students with an Associate of Arts (AA) degree come in with all (or most) of the lower division classes complete including foreign language requirements. This also assumes students begin coursework in the Fall semester of an academic year.
FALL - Semester 1
- LING 238: Intro to Linguistics (3 cr)
- LING 398: Linguistics Mid-Majors Seminar (1 cr)
- Choose one LING elective or Sociolinguistics course (1-4 cr)**
- JINS 3XX: WE/Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar (3 cr)
- Elementary Foreign Language I (3 cr)
SPRING - Semester 2
- LING 414: Language and the Mind (4 cr)
- Choose one "Structure and History of Language" course (4 cr)*
- Choose one "Core Area Analysis" course (4 cr)*
- Elementary Foreign Language II (3 cr)***
FALL - Semester 3
- Choose one "Structure and History of Language" course (4 cr)*
- Choose one "Core Area Analysis" course (4 cr)*
- Choose one LING elective or Sociolinguistics course (1-4 cr)**
- Intermediate Foreign Language I (3 cr) (if B.A.)
- Bachelor of Science Requirement course (3 cr) (if B.S.)
SPRING - Semester 4
- LING 498: Linguistics Capstone Seminar (1 cr)
- Choose one "Structure and History of Language" course (4 cr)*
- Choose one "Core Area Analysis" course (4 cr)*
- Choose one LING elective or Sociolinguistics course (1-4 cr)**
- Intermediate Foreign Language II (3 cr) (if B.A.)
- Bachelor of Science Requirement course (3 cr) (if B.S.)
* Core Course Options
"Core Area Analysis" (must complete at least two)
- LING 430: Syntax (4 cr)
- LING 432: Phonetics and Phonology (4 cr)
- LING 433: Semantics and Pragmatics (4 cr)
"Structure and History of Language" courses (must complete at least one)
- LING 315: Structure and History of Romance Languages (4 cr)
- LING 318: Structure and History of English (4 cr)
- LING 319: Structure and History of a Language or Language Family (4 cr)
** Elective Course Options
Select additional LING courses to total at least 34 credits in the major
- LING 224: Topics in Linguistics (1-3 cr)
- LING 324: WE/Sociolinguistics (4 cr)
- LING 325: WE/Language and Gender (4 cr)
- LING 326: WE/Language and Ethnicity (4 cr)
- LING 413: Advanced Linguistics: Topics (1-4 cr)
- "Core Area Analysis" and/or "Structure and History of Language" courses not already taken to fulfill these requirements.
NOTES:
- ( * ) = Students pursing the Bachelor of Arts (BA) track will need to complete up through Intermediate Foreign Language II proficiency.
- WE = Writing Enhanced course
- Incoming students with an AA degree are allowed to waive LING 198: New Majors Seminar
- LING 414: Language and the Mind is currently offered once every three semesters.
- "Core Areas of Analysis" course options include LING 430: Syntax, LING 432: Phonetics and Phonology, and LING 433: Semantics and Pragmatics. Two of these courses are required for graduation. "Structure and History of Language" course options include LING 315: Structure and History of Romance Languages, LING 318: Structure and History of English, and LING 319: Structure and History of a Language or Language Family. One of these courses is required for graduation.
- One of the sociolinguistics family of courses – LING 324: Sociolinguistics, LING 325: Language and Gender, and LING 326: Language and Ethnicity – are not required for the Linguistics BA or BS but highly recommended and can be used as an elective.
We regularly have special courses taught by visiting Ofstad scholars. These are generally 1-2 credit hour courses on special topics that will not recur during a student's time at Truman. Incoming students should check to see if these courses have prerequisites and/or would be appropriate for a student just beginning linguistic study. - The Dialogues curriculum requires a certain number of courses/credit hours in the following Perspectives: Social, Arts and Humanities, STEM, Communications, and Statistics. The exact number of courses a student will be required to take during their undergraduate career varies individually according to the credit transferred in.
Department Chair: Please contact the Center for Academic Excellence (advise@truman.edu) with any updates to the plan above. Revised 2/20/2025
This is a sample course sequence to illustrate class offerings for this major. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for certifying completion of degree requirements based on requirements specified in Truman's Official Catalog.