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Course Information

The Linguistics Program offers a variety of courses designed for upper division or graduate level students. Courses with 400-level designations are required for the Bachelor's degree Major and Minor programs. In some cases, these courses are set as pre-requisites for Conditionally Classified Graduate students. Courses with 500 or 600-level designations are designed for graduate students. Both the BA and the MA program require one specific course outside of Linguistics; these courses are referenced here as well. decorative element

With the exception of Linguistics 417, which is sometimes offered in the daytime, ALL courses with a LINGUISTICS prefix code are offered once a week, Mon-Thurs, during the 4:20-6:50 p.m. or the 7:00 - 9:50 p.m. time slots only. (Sections of LING 417 are offered in this configuration as well.) Students whose work schedules preclude classes in these time periods cannot complete the BA or MA program in Linguistics at CSUN. Students are also advised that no courses are offered during summer session other than Linguistics 417. There are no intersession courses.

Course List

Courses in the Linguistics Program are offered every semester, once a year, every third semester, or on an infrequent basis. Please consult the Course Rotation Schedule to check which courses are going to be offered over the next few semesters.

Introduction to Linguistics

Students who have not taken an equivalent course on another campus may choose to fulfill this requirement by taking either of the following two courses at California State University, Northridge. Multiple sections are offered every semester and one or both of these courses are sometimes offered during Summer Session as well:

ENGL 301. Language and Linguistics
Preparatory: Completion of the lower-division-writing requirement.
Introduction to linguistic science, its background, development, and relation to other fields of study; recent developments in the study of language.
ANTH 310. Language in Culture: Anthropological Linguistics
Prerequisite: Completion of the lower-division writing requirement.
Study of basic linguistic concepts in cultural contexts; an examination of language diversity and socio-cultural factors of language use.

Upper-Division Linguistics Courses

LING 402. Phonetics and Phonology
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Study of the physical and acoustical properties of sound in a variety of natural languages; phonological analysis and rule formation in phonological systems.
LING 404. Morphology and Syntax
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Analysis of morphological and syntactic structures in a variety of natural languages; an examination of major grammatical theories.
LING 407. Language Varieties
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Introduction to the study of language variation. Theoretical aspects of phonological, syntactic, and semantic variation will be considered in their geographical and social context.
LING 408. Semantics and Pragmatics
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Linguistic study of meaning and context of discourse, and the relationship of such study to grammar.
LING 417. Language Development and Acquisition
Preparatory: Upper-division standing, and an introduction to the study of language.
Introduces students to the study of language development and acquisition, including such topics as approaches to the development of children's grammars, the development of communicative competence, definitions of bi- and multi-lingualism, relationships between language development and learning to read, issues particular to the multilingual nature of California, and issues related to exceptional language development.
LING 427. Languages in Contact
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Identification and explanation of contrasts between languages including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Navaho, Punjabi, Swahili, and/or Vietnamese with English. Using current models of linguistic description, students explore the semantic, syntactic, lexical and phonological differences among languages spoken by prospective ESL populations. Such contrastive studies provide an understanding of those aspects of the languages which differ widely from English.
LING 430. A Linguistic Introduction to Cognitive Science (3)
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Survey of the fields comprising Cognitive Science: linguistics, neurology, philosophy, and psychology. Key issues addressed include the nature of symbolic representation, the ways in which we perceive and understand "input," the nature of "thinking," and the role of computational models in understanding aspects of human cognition and language.
LING 441. Sociolinguistics
Preparatory: An introduction to linguistics.
Language in society. Examines linguistic behavior patterns as determined by such factors as age, gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, region, and social context.
LING 499. Independent Study (1-3 Units)
Preparatory: Consent of instructor and Linguistics Program Coordinator/Advisor.

Graduate Linguistics Courses

LING 501. Seminar in Phonology
Prerequisites: LING 402 or equivalent.
Current issues in phonological theory.
LING 502. Seminar in Research on Second Language Acquisition
Prerequisites: LING 402, 404, or LING 417, or CHS 433.
Critical historical examination of research on 2nd-language acquisition. Study of analytical approaches such as contrastive analysis, error analysis, performance analysis, and discourse analysis, showing how different approaches reflect changing conceptions of language and the nature of language learners.
LING 503. Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics
Prerequisites: An introduction to linguistics and LING 402, 404, 408, or 441.
Examination of recent theoretical developments in linguistics from the general perspective of cognitive science. Focus on 3 major areas: cognitive grammar, semantics and pragmatic dimensions of linguistic categorization; the interface of cognition, experience, and grammar in natural discourse.
LING 505. Seminar in Discourse Analysis
Prerequisites: An introduction to linguistics and LING 407, 408, 427, or 441.
Seminar in the theoretical and methodological aspects of Discourse Analysis in a linguistic perspective.
LING 520. Issues in ESL Reading and Writing
Preparatory or Recommended Corequisite: LING 502.
Provides students with a foundation for understanding the processes of reading and writing - as well as the relationships between them - as they are experienced by adult 2nd language learners. Topics in the area of reading include skills and strategies that contribute to the 2nd language learner's ability to read and to comprehend a variety of texts, and curricular design. Topics in writing include aspects of the composing process specific to 2nd language students, the design of curriculum and assignments, and the effects of various types of responses to student writing.
LING 521. Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking
Preparatory or Recommended Corequisite: LING 502.
Provides students with a foundation for understanding the processes of listening and speaking as these are experienced by adult 2nd language learners. While the course focuses on the academic environment, it includes an examination of skills necessary for learners to comprehend a variety of speakers in a range of spoken discourse types, covering both transactional and interactional situations. Also, factors that contribute to effective participation in conversations, including fluency and pronunciation and cultural and universal rules of discourse, bringing the areas of speaking and listening together in the context of curricular design.
LING 525. English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching
Prerequisites: An introduction to linguistics and LING 404.
Provides a systematic description of the structures and usages of English grammar from the perspective of someone learning English as an additional language. Students focus on ways that such material may most effectively be presented to non-native speakers of English.
LING 599A,B,C. Independent Study (1-3 Units)
Consent of instructor and Linguistics Program Coordinator required.
LING 696A,B,C. Directed Graduate Research (1-3 Units)
Consent of Linguistics Program Coordinator required.
LING 697. Directed Comprehensive Studies (1-3)
Consent of Linguistics Program Coordinator required. Enrollment required in the semester that the Comprehensive Examination is taken.
LING 698A, B,C. Thesis (1-3 Units)
Consent of Linguistics Program Coordinator required. Maximum of 6 units of 696 and 698 allowed in program.
LING 699. Independent Study (1-3 Units)
Prerequisite: Classified graduate status required; Consent of instructor and Linguistics Program Coordinator. Maximum of 6 units of 599 and 699 allowed in a student's program.

Additional Required Course for MA in Linguistics

ENGL 610. Seminar in Syntax
Prerequisites: An introduction to linguistics. Preparatory: ENGL 302 or LING 404.
In-depth study of current approaches to syntactic analysis.