Welcome to Linguistics/TESL
The Department of Linguistics/TESL at California State University, Northridge, is an interdisciplinary department in the College of Humanities. In addition to full-time, tenure-line faculty, the department's teaching and advisory faculty include lecturing faculty as well as tenure-line faculty housed in related departments. At the undergraduate level, the department offers a major in Linguistics, and minors in Linguistics and TESL. At the graduate level, the department offers an M.A. in Linguistics, an M.A. in TESL and a TESL Certificate.
Mission Statement
The Department of Linguistics/TESL is committed to student success, with a focus on equity and inclusion. Students in the department engage with the study of human language from a broad spectrum of perspectives. These perspectives include formal, cognitive, and social approaches to linguistics, as well as the theory and practice of language teaching and learning. Courses in linguistics seek to illustrate the importance of language across social interactions, focusing on both language knowledge and use. Many of our courses discuss the ways in which language is a site for social oppression and self-expression. Courses in TESL are oriented towards the application of linguistic and educational research on language teaching, assessment, and curriculum development. The department fosters an appreciation of the diversity of language learners and the variety of educational settings. The faculty of the department is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service, with the knowledge that an appreciation of linguistic and cultural diversity is a crucial aspect of an inclusive society.
LING/TESL’s Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
The Department of Linguistics/TESL stands in solidarity with people and organizations calling for an end to systemic, anti-Black racism. We condemn the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and many other Black lives at the hands of police officers. Police violence disproportionately affects Black communities and we support those who are protesting and demanding systemic changes be made to policing in the U.S. to ensure safety, freedom, and justice for Black lives. We join people around the world in affirming without qualification that all Black lives matter!
We recognize that a statement of solidarity is only a starting point. We must take meaningful action. In order to begin to dismantle institutionalized anti-Blackness and other forms of systemic racism, we must look inward and critically examine how our own discipline and practices have participated in and reinforced these unjust systems. We agree with the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) in their Statement on Race that there is “no linguistic justice without racial justice.” We are inspired by suggestions the LSA gives us in their blueprint for racial inclusion and will consider them carefully, as well as suggestions made by the California Faculty Association, as we develop our own plan of action as a department.
To the students, faculty, and staff at CSUN, we promise to do our part as a department to promote equity, inclusion, and justice. Know that we are committed to completing an anti-racism action plan as a department in a timely manner and promise to share it with our students and the broader CSUN community as soon as possible.
—In Solidarity,
The Department of Linguistics/TESL
