Courses
Browse Classes at WWU to view the days, times, and openings for courses during the academic year.
Browse Classes at WWU University Catalog
LING 101
Languages of the World (5 credits, ACGM GUR)
Via a broad survey of non-Western languages of the world, this course explores how languages play a central role in colonization and nation-building processes, how language policies contribute to linguistic loss and revitalization, and how communities grapple with the interactions between language and culture. While exploring non-Indo-European languages and language families, students will examine historical and current issues of multilingualism to better understand the relationship between language, identity, and social mobility..
LING 201
Introduction to Language and Linguistics (5 credits, SSC GUR)
Introduction to the scientific study of language and the various subfields of linguistics, including how language is acquired, how it varies across time and space, and how it is used in different social contexts.
LING 204
Language and Society (5 credits, SSC GUR)
A thematic approach to the study of language use in society; topics might include language and social identity, dialect variation, language contact, endangered languages, language ideology and attitudes in education and the media.
LING 207
Language and Brain (5 credits, SCI GUR)
This course will address some of the fundamental topics underlying human language including (1) how different components of language are processed by and represented in our brains; (2) how language is acquired and processed throughout the life span; (3) the relationship between language and thought; (4) the effects of music and multilingualism on language networks; and (5) how neuroimaging and computational modeling techniques are used to examine the processing, representation, and acquisition of language
LING 301
Introduction to Linguistic Science (5 credits, LSCI GUR)
Students taking this class will experience an introduction to how language is studied as a science. Core foci of the class will involve identifying and describing patterns in language, developing hypotheses to explain the observed patterns, and learning to test those hypotheses through experimentation.
LING 302
Topics in Linguistics (5 credits)
Topics in linguistics. Variable topics. Repeatable with different topics to a maximum of 10 credits, including original course, but only 5 credits can count towards major requirements.
LING 303
Word Formation (5 credits)
Analyzes how words are constructed by comparing English with many other languages. Investigates how and why languages create different grammatical forms of the same word (inflection). Understanding patterns of word formation cross-linguistically provides a solid understanding morphological theory.
LING 304
Languages in Contact (5 credits)
Exploration of the outcomes and mechanisms of language contact by surveying cases around the world from the past and the present.
LING 305
Experimental Methods in Language Sciences (5 credits)
Introduction to experimental methods and data analysis techniques commonly used in linguistics and language sciences. Basics of experimental design and statistical inference for hypothesis testing, as well as practical training on experimental paradigms used in various academic, research, and corporate fields.
LING 310
Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (5 credits)
Focused introduction to linguistic analysis in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics in English and other languages, in preparation for more in-depth courses in theory and analysis in the linguistics major.
LING 311
Phonetics (5 credits)
Exploration of the mechanisms of speech and on the production, perception and transcription of speech sounds used in various languages.
LING 312
Phonology (5 credits)
Exploration of the sound systems of the world’s languages; development of an understanding of and ability to do phonological analysis within the framework of generative grammar.
LING 315
Cognitive Neuroscience of Language (5 credits)
An introduction to the science of the mind via exploration of language, as well as visual perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving, and consciousness.
LING 321
Syntax (5 credits)
Exploration of basic syntactic structures and operations across languages and the theoretical principles proposed to explain them.
LING 331
Semantics and Pragmatics (5 credits)
Exploration of semantics and pragmatics across languages and the theoretical principles proposed to explain them.
LING 332
Formal Semantics (5 credits)
Introduces students to the formal tools of semantics, including set theory, logic, and lambda calculus.
LING 336
The Structure of English (5 credits)
Introduction to English sentence structure. Topics include clause structure, modification, complementation, and syntactic principles such as movement, coordinating and pronominalization.
LING 370
Linguistics, Education, and Social Justice (5 credits)
Exploration of systemic discriminatory practices in education based on language: what they are, how they came to be, and why they continue. Investigation of a diverse range of research and practice on enacting change in teaching about language to promote equity and inclusion.
LING 402
Advanced Topics in Linguistics (5 credits)
Advanced topics in linguistics. Repeatable with different topics up to a maximum of 15 credits, including original course.
LING 403
Historical Linguistics (5 credits)
Investigates how phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics evolve over time, revealing universal tendencies in language change as well as unique features in the history of individual families. Surveys the currently accepted genealogical classification of languages and explores how natural processes of linguistic change reflect the inborn human language ability.
LING 404
Sociolinguistic Fieldwork (5 credits)
This course provides practical instruction in the methods employed in sociolinguistic research and the theoretical background associated with specific approaches. Possible topics for discussion include language variation and change, bi-/multilingualism, language attitudes and ideologies, age, social class, and gender.
LING 411
Topics in Phonetics and Phonology (5 credits)
Advanced exploration of phonetic and/or phonological phenomena across languages.
LING 415
Neurophysiology of Language (5 credits)
Provides students with the structural components and organization of the central and peripheral nervous systems and their conduction pathways and functions, with specific emphasis on those structures that subserve normal speech, language and hearing processes.
LING 421
Topics in Morphology and Syntax (5 credits)
Advanced exploration of morphological and/or syntactic phenomena across languages.
LING 431
Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics (5 credits)
Advanced exploration of semantics and pragmatics across languages.
LING 441
Field Methods (5 credits)
Development of skills in linguistic fieldwork, including eliciting, recording, transcribing and analyzing data by working with a native speaker of a language unfamiliar to the students.
LING 445
Second Language Research and Teaching (5 credits)
Application of linguistic theory and principles in the second language learning, teaching, and research classroom.
Additional 300- and 400-Level Linguistics Electives
Under advisement, select courses from other departments can also count towards the linguistics major (up to 10 credits.) Students must have the appropriate prerequisites. See Additional 300- and 400-Level Linguistics Electives for more detail.