Language studies is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Linguistics Department. It is designed to equip students with competence in one or more foreign languages and, at the same time, provide an understanding of the general nature of human language—its structure and use.

Study and Research Opportunities

• B.A. with concentrations in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish; Undergraduate Minor
• In addition to the above, courses are also offered in Greek, Hindi, Latin, and Portuguese.
• Opportunities to study abroad through the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP)

LanguageStu09.pdf

High School Preparation
High school students planning to major in language studies at UC Santa Cruz need no additional background other than the courses necessary for UC admission.

Transfer Preparation
Transfer students planning to major in language studies should complete two years of intensive language study in their major language before coming to UC Santa Cruz. Those who have not fulfilled these requirements will find it difficult to
include an Education Abroad Program (EAP) year before completion of graduation requirements. In addition, they will find it helpful to have completed courses that satisfy campus general education requirements.

While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz.

Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be accessed on the ASSIST web site.

Education Abroad Program (EAP)
EAP offers undergraduate students the opportunity to study at more than 100 host universities and colleges in 34 countries as part of their regular UC academic program. Students receiving financial aid can apply their award to a program abroad.

A junior year abroad through EAP in a country appropriate to the major language is recommended. A senior year abroad is approved only when all of the language proficiency requirement has 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 language studies director or a designated adviser.

Students who wish to include an EAP experience in their course of study will have to coordinate their choice of year abroad with the scheduling of UC Santa Cruz courses. Transfer students who have not made significant progress with the language requirements before entering UC Santa Cruz may find it difficult to include an EAP year before completion of graduation requirements (see Education Abroad Program section).

Careers

Advertising
Bilingual education
Communications
Editing and publishing
Government service
International relations
Journalism
Law
Speech pathology
Teaching

These are only samples of the field’s many possibilities.

Language Component: Language studies majors (in French, German, Italian, Modern Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish) must achieve a level of competence equivalent to six quarters in the language of concentration. Note that language courses 4, 5, or 6 fulfill one of the introduction to humanities (IH) general education requirements. Majors in Chinese and Japanese must achieve a level equivalent to nine quarters of language study.

Seven foundation courses in linguistics and cultural context:
          • Linguistics 50, Introduction to Linguistics
          • Linguistics 52, Syntax I or Linguistics 55, Syntactic Structures
          • Linguistics 53, Semantics I
          • Linguistics 101, Phonology I
          • two upper-division linguistics electives
          • one upper-division course in the major language, above Level 6 (see the undergraduate handbook for language studies for details)

Five upper-division elective courses
          • Linguistics courses: any upper-division course in linguistics
          • Upper-division cultural context courses in the major language: to be selected from a variety of  disciplines including literature, history, politics, and art.

Option 1. Successful completion of a capstone course. Students may designate an appropriate upper-division course as their capstone course.

In addition to fulfilling the normal requirements for the designated course, such students concurrently enroll in the Linguistics 190 Senior Research Series (two credits, enrollment limited to 12) with the instructor, and produce a research paper or other significant project, normally related to their language of focus.

Prior to enrolling in 190, language studies majors must have completed Course 52, Syntax I or 55, Syntactic Structures; and 101, Phonology I.

Option 2. Senior thesis supervised by a faculty member.

The proposal for a senior thesis must be submitted for departmental approval at least one year prior to the quarter of graduation.

Students enroll in Linguistics 195 (Senior Thesis) with 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 sociolinguistic context.