Information and Policies
Introduction
Language studies is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Linguistics Department. It is designed to equip students with advanced competence in a foreign language and, at the same time, provide them with an understanding of the general nature of human language—its structure and use. The major also provides an opportunity to explore the culture or cultures connected with the language of concentration. The context electives may include courses in art, history, literature or politics. Currently, majors may choose a concentration in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish. Interested students should contact the Linguistics Department office early in their college career to obtain essential information about requirements. The requirements for the major may also be found in the Requirements and Planners section.
Students interested in spending a portion of a year or a full year studying abroad should review the UCSC Study Abroad website. A senior year abroad is approved only when all of the language proficiency requirements have been satisfied and when it is clear that any remaining courses can be satisfactorily completed abroad. Courses taken abroad may be used to satisfy major requirements only if approved by the undergraduate program director or a designated adviser. A maximum of three outside courses may be used toward the major.
Academic Advising for the Program
241 Stevenson College
(831) 459-4988
ling@ucsc.edu
Undergraduate Adviser
The undergraduate adviser can advise you about requirements for the major, about prerequisites, and about many other aspects of your academic progress. During the academic year, there are regular drop-in office hours available at current advising schedule.
If none of the drop-in office hours work for you, email the undergraduate adviser at ling@ucsc.edu for an appointment.
Transfer students, please also refer to Transfer Information and Policy.
Peer Advisers
During the academic year, the department has a peer advising program to provide an additional advising resource for undergraduate majors. The peer advisers are advanced students in linguistics or language studies who volunteer their time and expertise to provide guidance and advice to other students. They hold regular office hours and provide one-on-one advising in the Linguistics Department office at Stevenson College (245 Stevenson). Peer advisers do not have signature authority on forms (i.e., Declaration of Major Petitions and study abroad planning forms). Students must see the undergraduate adviser for any forms requiring a department signature. We encourage any prospective and current language studies majors to stop by during the peer advisers' office hours if they have questions about the program.
Faculty
You should feel free to meet with any faculty member for advising, but it may make sense to speak with the undergraduate adviser first, to find out which faculty member might be best placed to advise you about your interests or concerns.You can find the current office hours for all faculty members in the faculty directory. For issues specifically related to the undergraduate program, you can turn to the Undergraduate Program director.
Getting Started in the Major
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when embarking on your major in language studies:
- Meet with a peer adviser to create your academic plan and get questions answered about your major.
- Determine how many language courses you need and begin any necessary language instruction as soon as possible. Visit the Languages and Applied Linguistics Department to find out about language placement and course offerings. Many language placement exams take place once a year, before classes start in September.
- Prospective students should declare the major as early as possible so that they can complete the language, linguistics, and context requirements within the allowed period of enrollment. Major requirements are specified in the Requirements and Planners section.
- Students who wish to include a study abroad experience in their course of study will have to coordinate their choice of time abroad with the scheduling of UC Santa Cruz courses. Transfer students who have not made significant progress with the language requirements before entering UCSC may find it difficult to include a time abroad before completion of graduation requirements.
- Plan to complete the bulk of your general education requirements early on. The sophomore, junior, and senior years can fill up quickly with major requirements (especially if you are planning to study abroad). Also, as general education courses are often lower-division courses, it can be frustrating to have to take them in the final quarters of your career, when you would like to take more advanced courses.
Program Learning Outcomes
The program learning outcomes for this major are the following: (1) ability to write clearly and articulately; (2) understanding of the general properties of language; (3) exposure to linguistic theory and linguistic investigation; and (4) proficiency in a language other than English.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
The Linguistics Department has adopted a major qualification policy for language studies majors that is intended to encourage students to take their performance in the gateway courses seriously and to help them lay a solid foundation for further coursework in the major.
Transfer students, please also refer to Transfer Information and Policy.
In order to declare the language studies major, a student must pass each of the following two gateway courses with a grade of C+ or better:
Appeal Process
Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal the decision within 15 days from the date the notification was mailed. They should do this by submitting a formal letter, addressed to the department's undergraduate program director, to the Linguistics Department office (Stevenson 241 or 243). This letter should explain any extenuating circumstances that influenced performance in the gateway courses. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student, the student's college, and the Office of the Registrar of the decision.
How to Declare a Major
You should formally declare your major as early as possible in your academic career. Doing so will mean you get helpful advising. It will require you to plan out all the courses of the major. This means you will know you have time to meet all the necessary requirements for language studies before you graduate.
Once you have successfully completed the two gateway courses, please meet with the department adviser or a peer adviser, to complete or update your academic plan. If you are declaring a second major, please first complete an academic planning form with the adviser for your declared major.
To declare the major, you must attend one of the department’s Declaration and Orientation Meetings. These sessions are held in the first month of each quarter. Invitations to sign up for a declaration session are sent out by the first week of the quarter to all proposed majors through the Slug Success system. If you have completed the gateway courses, and you do not receive an invitation by Week 2, please contact the department adviser for assistance. Please sign up well in advance, as these meetings tend to fill quickly.
The campus undergraduate advising website has further helpful information about declaring a major.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Students planning to apply in this major are not required to complete specific major preparation courses for consideration of admission to UC Santa Cruz.
While not required for selection, transfer students are strongly encouraged to complete as much preparation as possible in the foreign language of their choosing, and to complete general education requirements. Students pursuing the concentration in Japanese or Chinese should place into Level 4 (Level 5 for students entering in the winter term) or higher when they enter UCSC, if they wish to complete the major in two years. Students in other languages may be able to complete the major in two years if they have completed general education requirements. Transfer students admitted to UC Santa Cruz for the winter term who do not place into Level 2 or higher in a language placement test when they enter UCSC may not be able to complete the major in a timely manner.
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
Consult with the undergraduate adviser before enrolling for your first term, to create a two-year plan. Some required courses are only offered once a year, and careful planning is essential. Plan to take LING 50 and LING 53 in your first quarter, along with a language course. Visit the Languages and Applied Linguistics Department to find out about language placement and course offerings. Many language placement exams take place once a year, before classes start in September. Transfer students can declare the major after completing LING 50 and LING 53 with a C+ or better.
Letter Grade Policy
The two qualifying courses for the major, LING 50 and LING 53, must be completed with a grade of C+ or better. Once you qualify, there is no requirement that courses for the major be taken for a letter grade. There is a campuswide requirement that you need to be aware of and to keep track of (no more than 25 percent of all of your UC Santa Cruz courses can be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis). Further information about campus letter grade policy is available at the website of the Office of the Registrar.
Course Substitution Policy
Students may petition the department to have elective courses offered through other institutions or other UC programs applied toward the major requirements. At most three such courses can be applied toward the major. These courses must be upper-division and clearly fit into a coherent program of study. Because language studies majors routinely take classes from other UCSC departments to fulfill their context requirements, these are not considered course substitutions. However, students may substitute an outside class for one of the two required upper-division linguistics electives. A list of these approved outside courses from other UCSC departments is available below.
Outside Courses
| ANTH139 | Language and Culture | 5 |
| APLX101 | Second-Language Acquisition | 5 |
| APLX102 | Bilingualism | 5 |
| APLX112 | Language and Gender | 5 |
| APLX113 | Inter-Cultural Communication | 5 |
| APLX115 | Language and Power | 5 |
| APLX116 | Discourse Analysis: Language Use and Context | 5 |
| APLX135 | Second Language Teaching | 5 |
| CSE103 | Computational Models | 5 |
| CSE110A | Fundamentals of Compiler Design I | 5 |
| CSE140 | Artificial Intelligence | 5 |
| CSE143 | Introduction to Natural Language Processing | 5 |
| CSE245
/LING 245/CMPM 245
| Computational Models of Discourse and Dialogue | 5 |
| FREN114 | French Phonetics | 5 |
| FREN120 | French Linguistics | 5 |
| FREN121 | History of the French Language | 5 |
| LIT102 | Translation Theory | 5 |
| PHIL117 | Non-Classical Logic | 5 |
| PHIL119 | Intermediate Logic | 5 |
| PHIL123 | Philosophy of Language | 5 |
| SOCY143 | Conversation Analysis | 5 |
| SPAN140 | Sounds of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN150 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | 5 |
| SPAN151 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Varieties of Spanish | 5 |
| SPAN152 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish in the U.S. | 5 |
| SPAN153 | Topics in Hispanic Linguistics: Spanish as a Second Language | 5 |
Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy
A student may not double major or major/minor in linguistics and language studies, as there is too much overlap between the two programs.
Study Abroad
Students majoring in language studies often spend at least one quarter studying abroad in the course of their degree program. Studying abroad is a good way to cultivate and enhance your language skills, as well as to gain rich life experiences. There are programs available for students of all levels of language ability, from language and culture programs for beginning or intermediate speakers, to full immersion programs for students with advanced language skills.
Study abroad does require careful planning, especially for those who wish to pursue a yearlong program, or who wish to study abroad during the senior year. Meeting with your major adviser early and often throughout the Study Abroad planning process will help to mitigate lengthening time to degree. Before being approved for UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), you must declare your major. Also, majors must complete Linguistics 101, and either 111 or 112, before they leave for any EAP programs during the academic year. The department does not place any restrictions on summer study abroad.
If you plan to study abroad during your senior year, and do not plan to return to UC Santa Cruz before graduating, your plan will be approved only when all major requirements have been completed prior to departure, and/or when it is clear that any remaining requirements can be satisfactorily completed abroad. Please consult with the department adviser before the end of your sophomore year if you are considering this option.
Language studies majors can satisfy certain major requirements in the course of study abroad; for instance, some of the context elective course requirements. No more than three elective course requirements can be satisfied abroad. Students can also make progress in the language component of the language studies major while studying abroad; in order to determine the level of proficiency achieved, they must take a placement exam upon return. Whether a given course requirement in linguistics can be satisfied abroad depends on the course and the study site.
Most importantly: Students who wish to have a study-abroad course count toward the major must bring back syllabi, completed papers, and course evaluations to the department, so that the department can make a decision about whether the course satisfies a major requirement. Ideally, students should have courses pre-approved for the major before they go abroad. Students can visit the UCSC Campus Credit Abroad database to find pre-approved courses. Remember that a maximum of three outside courses may be used toward the major.
Students who are interested in studying abroad should contact the Study Abroad Office (105 Classroom Unit, 459-2858). Study Abroad staff can provide detailed information concerning EAP selection criteria and application procedures.
Honors
Students who wish to be considered for honors should meet the deadline posted by the Office of the Registrar for declaring the intent to graduate. Determination of honors is based on the student’s grades for all courses relevant to the major and other factors relevant to an assessment of academic excellence, such as research papers of professional quality. Generally, honors in the major are awarded only to the top 10 percent of those graduating in the major. Only those students whose performance in coursework is excellent will qualify. Highest honors are rarely awarded, and then only to students whose performance in coursework is outstanding and who have completed an outstanding senior thesis.
Preparation for the UCSC Master’s Degree
Every year, UC Santa Cruz undergraduates in the final year of their language studies major can apply to be admitted into the graduate program to pursue the M.A. in theoretical linguistics. Interested students should discuss the possibility with one or more faculty members and formally apply online to the graduate program during the fall quarter of the senior year. For up-to-date information about the application process, consult the Linguistics Department’s website; and see the graduate coordinator. The combined B.A./M.A. program provides another pathway to the M.A. program.
Information About Linguistics Courses
The 80-level courses have no prerequisites, although most will fulfill a general education requirement. They do not fulfill any requirements for the major. They are intended to introduce the concepts of linguistics through their relation to other areas of general interest.
LING 50, Introduction to Linguistics, introduces the subfields of the discipline. LING 53, Semantics 1; LING 101, Phonology 1; and LING 111, Syntactic Structures or LING 112, Syntax 1, serve as entry courses to the specialized upper-division sequences. Upper-division courses generally have at least two of these courses as a prerequisite.
A variety of upper-division elective courses are offered each quarter. For a list of the current offerings, please see the department website.
To enroll in the graduate (200-level) courses, undergraduates need special permission from the instructor. Permission is usually granted only to especially motivated undergraduates who have completed all the named requirements for the major with excellent performance.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
Language studies majors must satisfy course requirements in languages and linguistics, and complete elective coursework in linguistics and/or the cultural context of the language of concentration.
Lower-Division
Lower-Division Language Requirements
Language studies majors must achieve a level equivalent to six quarters in the language of concentration.
Lower-Division Linguistics Requirements
Upper-Division
Upper-Division Language Requirements
One advanced language course after level 6 is required for students concentrating in French, German, Italian, or Spanish. Majors in Chinese and Japanese must take two advanced language courses after level 6, the second of which (and any subsequent) counts toward the cultural context course requirement.
Upper-Division Linguistics Requirements
One of the following upper-division courses:
Plus two additional upper-division linguistics courses:
Upper-division linguistics electives for the language studies major include any upper-division course offered by the Linguistics Department (except courses LING 101, LING 111 and LING 112). See Course Substitution Policy in the Information and Policies section for information on substituting courses outside the department to meet this requirement. Only one such substitution may be made.
Electives
The major also requires five upper-division elective courses in linguistics or the cultural context of the language of concentration. Linguistics elective courses include any upper-division course offered by the Linguistics Department (except LING 101, LING 111, and LING 112). Cultural context courses are to be selected from among those approved by the department, and include disciplines such as literature, history, and politics. A list of approved cultural context courses is available, and a list of those available within the current or upcoming quarters is also available on the Linguistics Department’s Language Studies Major Requirements website.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement in language studies is satisfied by completing:
Plus one of the following courses:
Comprehensive Requirement
Senior exit requirement. In their senior year, language studies majors must satisfy the senior exit requirement in one of two ways:
Option 1. Successful completion of a capstone course. In order to satisfy the senior exit requirement, students must have senior standing and must have completed LING 53, Semantics 1; LING 101, Phonology 1; and either LING 111, Syntactic Structures; or LING 112, Syntax 1. Under these conditions, any upper-division linguistics elective course will satisfy the senior exit requirement; upper-division linguistics electives include any upper-division course offered by the Linguistics Department (except LING 101, LING 102, LING 111, LING 112, LING 113, and LING 116) This course can be one of the two linguistics electives required for the major.
Option 2. Senior thesis supervised by a faculty member. The proposal for a senior thesis must be submitted for the approval of the department faculty at least three quarters prior to the quarter of graduation. Students enroll in LING 195, Senior Thesis, with the approval of the faculty adviser. The senior thesis is an original investigation of the major language in some relevant way, such as the linguistic structure or history of the language or its historical, literary, cultural, sociological, ethnographic, or political context.
Planners
The following is a recommended academic plan for four-year students who wish to pursue the language studies major.
Four-Year Students
| |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| 2nd (soph) |
LING 50
|
LING 53
|
LING 101 |
| |
|
|
| Foreign language level 1 |
Foreign language level 2 |
Foreign language level 3 |
| 3rd (junior) |
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
LING 111 or LING 112 |
| Foreign language level 4 |
Foreign language level 5 |
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
| |
|
Foreign language level 6 |
| 4th (senior) |
LING 1XX upper-division elective |
LING 1XX upper-division elective |
|
| Context 1XX upper-division elective |
Context 1XX upper-division elective
or
Foreign language 1XX upper-division language |
|
| Foreign language 1XX upper-division language |
|
|
The second upper-division foreign language course is required only for students with a concentration in Chinese or Japanese. In addition to the specific courses shown in these planners, a student must complete courses satisfying the general education (GE) requirements.
The following is a recommended academic plan for junior transfer students who wish to pursue the language studies major.
Junior Transfer Students, Language Studies
| |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| 1st (junior) |
LING 50
|
LING 101 |
LING 111 or LING 112 |
|
LING 53
|
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
| Foreign language level 4 |
Foreign language level 5 |
Foreign language level 6 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| 2nd (senior) |
LING 1XX upper-division elective |
LING 1XX upper-division elective |
|
| Context 1XX upper-division elective |
Context 1XX upper-division elective |
|
| Foreign language 1XX upper-division language |
Context 1XX upper-division elective
or
Foreign language 1XX upper-division language |
|
Note: this major planner presumes that the student enters UC Santa Cruz having already completed three quarters of foreign language or having equivalent proficiency. The second upper-division foreign language course is required only for students with a concentration in Chinese or Japanese. This planner also assumes that a student has completed any required GE courses — including UCSC or community college GE requirements—before coming to UCSC.
Additional planning templates are available on the department website.