Reed College
Reed College

Linguistics Department

Minoring in Linguistics

The goal of the Linguistics minor is to allow non-majors to demonstrate their interest in Linguistics, recognizing any student who has gone above and beyond what is needed to apply Linguistics towards the Group II requirement. The structure of the minor is simple: any five courses in Linguistics, with at least one course from our introductory series (211, 212).

Some possible tracks

Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the multiple ways in which the scientific study of human language interfaces with other disciplines offered at Reed, students can pursue endless possible concentrations within Linguistics according to their interests. Just to provide some inspiration, some potential ‘tracks’ within the minor could include:

  • Sounds: 211, 320 (Phonetics), 321 (Phonological Theory), 322 (Research Topics in Phonetics and Phonology), 352 (Intonation), 412 (Research Topics in Sociolinguistics)
  • Structure: 211, 321 (Phonological Theory), 323 (Intro Syntax), 324 (Research Topics in Syntax), 328 (Morphosyntactic Typology), 341 (Semantics), 348 (Structure of Austronesian Languages), 350 (Languages of South Asia)
  • Sociolinguistics: 212, 220 (Language and Discrimination in the US), 330 (Contact Languages), 332 (Dialects of English), 335 (Language and Gender), 412 (Research Topics in Sociolinguistics) 
  • Showcasing diversity: 211, 212, 220 (Language and Discrimination in the US), 328 (Morphosyntactic Typology), 330 (Contact Languages), 332 (Dialects of English), 348 (Structure of Austronesian Languages), 350 (Languages of South Asia)
  • Research methods: 211, 212, 322 (Research Topics in Phonetics and Phonology), 324 (Research Topics in Syntax), 336 (Linguistic Field Methods), 337 (Methods of Design and Analysis), 412 (Research Topics in Sociolinguistics)

Remember that there is no expectation that a student pursuing a minor need to follow any particular ‘track’ at all; these are just ideas! Contact any member of the Linguistics department for more information.

Requirements for the Minor

See the college catalog for the most updates Linguistics minor requirements.