USC: Academic Bulletins

Core Faculty

Professors
Stanley Dubinsky, Ph.D., Cornell University, 1985 (English)
Kurt Goblirsch, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1990 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
Robin K. Morris, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1990 (Psychology)

Associate Professors
Amit Almor, Ph.D., Brown University, 1995 (Psychology)
Anne Bezuidenhout, Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1990 (Philosophy)
Dorothy Disterheft, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1977 (English)
D. Eric Holt, Ph.D., Georgetown University, 1997 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures), Graduate Director
Tracey L. Weldon, Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1998 (English)

Assistant Professors
Janina Fenigsen, Ph.D., Brandeis University, 2000 (Anthropology)
Jennifer F. Reynolds, Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles, 2002 (Anthropology)
Barbara Schulz, Ph.D., University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006 (English)

Lecturer
Alexandra Rowe, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1990 (Director, English Program for Internationals)

Consulting Faculty

Professors
T. Bruce Fryer, Ph.D., University of Texas, 1970 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
Scott J. Gwara, Ph.D., Center for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, 1993 (English)

Associate Professors
Junko Baba, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, 1966 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
Elaine M. Frank, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1988 (Communication Sciences and Disorders)
Susi Long, Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1995 (Instruction and Teacher Education)
Hiram L. McDade, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1976 (Communication Sciences and Disorders)

Assistant Professors
Stella de Bode, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2001 (Communication Sciences and Disorders)
Lara Ducate, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, 2003 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
Annie P. Duménil, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1983 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
Lara L. Lomicka, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 2001 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)

Instructor
Curtis Ford, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, 2001 (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)

Overview

The linguistics program at the University of South Carolina is interdepartmental, with strong ties to anthropology; communication sciences and disorders; computer science and engineering; English language and literature; languages, literatures, and cultures; philosophy; and psychology. The program’s core faculty teach most of the courses offered and direct graduate students in the program. In addition to these core faculty, the program has the support of consulting faculty on the Columbia campus, whose areas of expertise are in or related to linguistics, and who frequently serve on thesis and doctoral committees. It also has strong ties to the English Programs for Internationals.

The graduate program in linguistics is comprehensive in its scope. Its mission is to train students to pursue research and teach in a wide range of linguistic subdisciplines. The program strives to develop students' analytical skills and to encourage creative and critical approaches to data, models, and theories. In addition to requiring all students to have a theoretical foundation in general linguistics, phonology, and syntax, the interdepartmental structure of the program affords students the opportunity to take course work and pursue specializations in a broad range of subdisciplines, including: linguistic anthropology, English/French/German/Spanish linguistics, historical linguistics, philosophy of language, phonological theory, psycholinguistics, second/foreign language acquisition, sociolinguistics, syntactic theory, and teaching English as a second/foreign language.

The program's dual emphasis on theoretical and applied aspects is regarded by students and faculty as one of its major strengths, and the great variety of research conducted by faculty and graduate students is a reflection of the intellectual diversity that characterizes the program.

In addition to offering graduate degrees to its own students, the linguistics program also provides cognate or minor field courses to graduate students in a number of other departments. Minor fields of study have been designed and approved for Ph.D. students in the following programs: linguistic anthropology, comparative literature, English composition and rhetoric, experimental psychology, French literature, German literature, medieval and early modern English literature, Hispanic Studies, and speech pathology. Other minors are currently planned.

Degrees

The program in linguistics offers work leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and a graduate certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

Admission

Students interested in linguistics come from diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, each applicant is considered on an individual basis for sufficient promise to do graduate work. The following application materials are required by the program:

1. an official application.
2. transcripts of all academic work.
3. GRE scores.
4. at least two satisfactory letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic achievement.
5. statement of purpose.
6. writing sample (Ph.D. applicants only).

The average GPAs of admitted students range from 3.00 to 4.00 for all undergraduate work and 3.50 to 4.00 for all graduate work (on a 4.00 scale). The program's admissions standards focus on the verbal and analytical sections of the GRE (although the quantitative section is not ignored). For 2007, native speakers of English admitted to the Ph.D. program averaged 695 on the verbal section and 5.5 on the analytical writing section. Native speakers of English admitted to the M.A. program averaged 610 on the verbal section and 5.0 on the analytical writing section. Average scores for those admitted to the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate program were compatible with those of successful M.A. applicants.

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the GRE and either the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam. Applicants to the M.A. and TESOL certificate programs should score at least 570 (230 computer-based score) on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS exam. Ph.D. applicants should score at least 590 (243 computer-based score) on the TOEFL or a comparable score on the IELTS exam. Non-native speakers of English admitted to the Ph.D. program in 2007 averaged 545 on the verbal section of the GRE and 4.5 on the analytical writing section. Non-native English speakers admitted to the M.A. program averaged 450 on the verbal section and 4.5 on the analytical writing section. In all cases, scores and grades are no guarantee of admission.

For more information, see application information on the linguistics program's Web page: www.cla.sc.edu/ling/grad/form.html.

Degree Requirements

The linguistics program imposes a three-C's rule on all graduate students. Students who receive grades below B on 9 or more graduate credit hours are consequently suspended from degree candidacy status in the linguistics program and are not permitted to enroll for additional courses even as nondegree students without the specific approval of the linguistics program and The Graduate School.

Master of Arts in Linguistics

Thesis Option:

Candidates must take a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work, to include:

1. LING 600, 610, 620 (9 hours);
2. two courses in an approved special field (6 hours);
3. two LING courses outside of the special field (6 hours);
4. two additional 3-hour courses approved by the student's advisor (6 hours);
5. three hours of LING 799 (3 hours).

Candidates must also pass a comprehensive examination covering general linguistics, successfully defend their thesis proposal, and complete a thesis.

No-thesis option:

Candidates must take a minimum of 36 hours of graduate work, to include:

1. LING 600, 610, 620 (9 hours);
2. three courses in an approved special field (9 hours);
3. three LING courses outside of the special field (9 hours);
4. three additional 3-hour courses approved by the student's advisor (9 hours).

Candidates must also pass a comprehensive examination covering general linguistics and their special field.

All M.A. students:

The study of languages is strongly encouraged, and candidates must demonstrate knowledge of at least one foreign language, either as a research tool or as exemplifying structures not common in modern Indo-European languages. Normally, it takes a candidate two years to complete all requirements for either option.

Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics

Candidates for the Ph.D. must take:

1. LING 600, 610, 620, 711, 721, 730, and 739;
2. at least 12 credits in a primary field (anthropological linguistics, English/French/German/Spanish linguistics, historical linguistics, philosophy of language, phonological theory, psycholinguistics, second/foreign language acquisition, sociolinguistics, syntactic theory, and teaching English as a second/foreign language);
3. twelve credits in a secondary field;
4. an additional 9 credits, approved by the program, in elective LING courses; students having a B.A. or M.A. in linguistics or applied linguistics may be exempted from this requirement;
5. and 12 hours of LING 899.

Candidates must also demonstrate knowledge of three foreign languages (for research purposes). The third will normally be a non-Indo-European language. For the third language, a student may, with approval of the graduate director, substitute a methods course or a third Indo-European language. The secondary field may consist entirely of LING-designated courses; however, it also could include both LING-designated courses and courses from other departments. A student may also choose a secondary field made up entirely of courses from a cooperating department.

Students must pass a qualifying examination as part of the procedure for admission to candidacy. Students must pass a comprehensive examination on their primary and secondary fields and defend a dissertation proposal. The candidate must prepare and defend a dissertation on an approved topic.

Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

The program in linguistics offers a graduate certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)--a six-course, 18-semester-hour program. There are two tracks, the EFL track for post-secondary ESOL and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching and the K-12 ESOL track for elementary and secondary ESOL teaching. Course requirements for each track are as follows:

A. EFL Track (primarily for post-secondary ESOL and EFL teaching)

I. Required courses (12 hours):

a. LING 600 Survey of Linguistics (3)

b. LING 790 Second Language Acquisition (3)

c. LING 795 Principles and Strategies for Teaching ESOL (3)

d. LING 698 Practicum in Teaching ESOL (3)

II. Elective courses (6 hours):

a. One of the following courses:

LING 514 Contrastive English-Spanish Phonetics ad Phonology (3)

LING 715 Applied English Phonetics (3)

LING 725 Applied English Syntax (3)

LING 791 Theory and Methodology in Second Language Acquisition (3)

LING 796 Teaching Reading and Writing to ESOL Learners: Theory and Practice (3)

LING 797 Technology in Foreign Language Education (3)

LING 890 Seminar in Language Acquisition (3)

LING 891 Seminar in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) (3)

EDTE 779 Multicultural Issues of Education (3)

EDRD 811 Cultural Perspectives on Psychological and Social Foundations of Literacy Learning (3)

EDRM 723 Classroom Assessment Methods (3)

ENGL 790 Survey of Composition Studies (3)

or any other course in English as a second language or in second language acquisition

B. K-12 ESOL Track (for elementary and secondary ESOL teaching)

I. Required courses (12 hours):

a. LING 600 Survey of Linguistics (3)

b. LING 795 Principles and Strategies for Teaching ESOL (3)

c. LING 796 Teaching Reading and Writing to ESOL Learners: Theory and Practice (3)

d. LING 698 Practicum in Teaching ESOL (3)*

*The practicum may be waived based on one year's experience teaching ESOL and replaced with an elective course.

II. Elective courses (6 hours):

A course from two of the following areas:

a. English Grammar/Structure

LING 725 Applied English Syntax (3)

b. Second Language Acquisition for Teachers of Elementary and Secondary Learners

LING 790 Second Language Acquisition

c. Cultural Diversity in Education

EDTE 779 Multicultural Issues of Education (3) or

EDRD 811 Cultural Perspectives on Psychological and Social Foundations of Literacy Learning (3)

d. Testing/Assessment for Language Minority Learners

EDRM 723 Classroom Assessment Methods (3)

It is recommended that the practicum, if waived, be replaced with one of the following courses:

LING 514 Contrastive English-Spanish Phonetics ad Phonology (3)

LING 791 Theory and Methodology in Second Language Acquisition (3)

LING 797 Technology in Foreign Language Education (3)

LING 891 Seminar in English for Speakers of Other Languages (3)

For this program no courses may be transferred from another university, although up to 9 semester hours of overlapping course work from another program at the University of South Carolina may count toward completion of the certificate. For full-time students, the certificate course work can be completed in one academic year, with the practicum extending through first summer session.

Course Descriptions (LING)

502 -- French Linguistics. {=FREN 517} (3) (Prereq: FREN 515) The structure, morphology, and syntax of modern French.
503 -- Introduction to German Linguistics. {=GERM 515} (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Structural and descriptive linguistics applied to the German language.
504 -- Introduction to Spanish Linguistics. {=SPAN 515} (3) Phonology, morphology, and syntax of modern Spanish.
505 -- Interdisciplinary Topics in Linguistics. (3) Topics selected by the instructor for specialized study. Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of classes by suffix and title. May be repeated with different suffix.
512 -- French Phonology. {=FREN 516} (3) The sound system and its functioning in the morphological system of French from the point of view of current phonological theory.
514 -- Contrastive English-Spanish Phonetics and Phonology. {=SPAN 517} (3) Introduction to the study of phonetics and phonology and their application to the sounds and sound systems of English and Spanish. Includes transcription practice and discussion of relevance to teaching.
530 -- Language Change. (3) Major ways in which phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, and semantics change through language history; social factors which promote innovation.
540 -- Topics in Language and Culture. (3) Introduction to sociolinguistic issues, focusing on a single language. Course content varies and will be announced by suffix and title. May be repeated twice as topics vary.
541 -- Language and Gender. {=ANTH 555, WOST 555} (3) Approaches to gender and language emphasizing the social grounding of both; how language reflects sociocultural values and is a tool for constructing different types of social organization.
542 -- Language and Colonialism. (3) Anthropological approach to issues of language and colonialism in comparative perspective. Linguistic consequences of colonialism under consideration include communicative patterns, linguistic change, and the linguistic choices of post-colonial writers.
543 -- Discourse, Gender, and Politics of Emotion. (3) Anthropological approach to issues of discourse, gender, and emotion. Issues under consideration include the social control, force, and forms of emotional discourse and the relationship between emotion and culture from gender-oriented perspectives.
565 -- Philosophy of Language. {=PHIL 517} (3) (Prereq: PHIL 202 or consent of the instructor) An examination of concepts and problems such as meaning, reference, analyticity, definition, and the relation between logic and philosophy.
567 -- Psychology of Language. {=PSYC 506} (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Theories of speech perception, lingustic theories of syntax and semantics, the brain mechanisms underlying language, the development of language in children, and the role of language in thought.
570 -- Introduction to Language Development. {=COMD 570} (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) The language acquisition process in normal children, including the development of semantics, morphology, syntax, phonology, and pragmatics; American dialects and bilingualism.
600 -- Survey of Linguistics. {=ENGL 680} (3) Major approaches to language study and linguistics related to other disciplines; required as first course for any program of study in linguistics.
610 -- Introduction to Phonology. (4) (Prereq: LING 300, 301, or 600 or permission of instructor) The phonetic basis of phonology; phonological structure; lexical representation; cross-linguistic survey of major types of phonological processes; emphasis on data analysis.
620 -- Introduction to Syntax. (4) (Prereq: LING 300, 301, or 600 or permission of instructor) Foundations of generative grammar, focusing on the syntax of English; universal principles of basic clause structure and derived constructions; emphasis on syntactic argumentation and cross-linguistic generalization.
627 -- Introduction to Semantics. (3) (Prereq: LING 300, 301, or 600) Introduction to the study of linguistic meaning, including the following topics: meaning, reference, and truth; the connections among language, thought, and reality; word meaning and sentence meaning; possible worlds and modality; thematic roles; meaning and context; presupposition and implicature; speech acts; formal semantics; and cognitive semantics.
650 -- Introduction to Morphology. (3) (Prereq: LING 300, 301, or 600) Foundations of generative morphology, focusing on morphological data collection and analysis; the structure of the lexicon; and the interfaces between morphology and phonology, semantics, and syntax.
698 -- Practicum in Teaching ESOL. (3) (Prereq: LING 600, 795) Observation and supervised teaching of English to speakers of other languages in an individually designed classroom setting. May not be taken by M.A. or Ph.D. students as part of their required courses.
711 -- Phonological Theory. (3) (Prereq: LING 600 and 610) Advanced study of theoretical issues in phonology.
715 -- Applied English Phonetics. (3) Introduction to the study of English phonetics. Covers basic concepts of acoustic phonetics, properties of English speech sounds, and their acoustic variability in varying types of linguistic context.
721 -- Syntactic Theory. (3) (Prereq: LING 600 and 620) Advanced exploration of a principled model of the syntactic component of universal grammar and the interface between this module and semantic interpretations and lexical information. Competing hypotheses are compared.
725 -- Applied English Syntax. {=ENGL 783} (3) Practical survey of the syntactic structures of English; usage, social and regional variation emphasis on data.
728 -- Formal Semantics. (3) (Prereq: LING 600 or 627) The formal study of linguistic meaning, including the following topics: Fregean truth-conditional semantics; lexical decomposition; predication, modification, and definite descriptions; generalized quantification; intentional and extensional contexts; tense, aspect, and modality; propositional attitudes; and indexicality, deixis, presupposition, speech acts, and implicature.
730 -- Historical Linguistics. (3) (Prereq: LING 600 and 610) Innovation in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics; evidence from texts, social and regional dialects; emphasis on theories of language change.
731 -- History of English Language. {=ENGL 781} (3) The historical background of Modern English with attention to the major linguistic and cultural developments which distinguish English from other related languages. No prior knowledge of Old English or Middle English is required.
732 -- History of the French Language. {=FREN 715} (3) Development of the French language from its origins to 1600.
733 -- History of the German Language. {=GERM 705} (3) Relationship of German to the other Germanic languages. Phonological and morphological development of German. Attention also to syntax, vocabulary, and dialects.
734 -- History of the Spanish Language. {=SPAN 715} (3) Development of the language from its origins to the present day.
739 -- History and Methodology of Linguistics. (3) (Prereq: LING 600, 610, 620) Introduces basic resources of discipline and focuses on the development of linguistics in terms of dominant issues and analytical methodology with emphasis on paradigm shifts.
740 -- Introduction to Sociolinguistics. (3) (Prereq or coreq: LING 600) An examination of choices speakers in the same community make between styles, dialects, and languages; their association with social group memberships; speakers' perceptions of interpersonal relationships.
742 -- Analysis of Conversation. {=ANTH 756} (3) Types of interactive organization found within conversation and the methods and procedures used by participants to achieve order.
744 -- Language Contact Phenomena. (3) (Prereq: LING 600) The structural effects of contact between speakers of more than one language on the language involved. Borrowing, code-switching, convergence, language death, development of pidgins and creoles.
745 -- Varieties of American English. {=ENGL 782} (3) Social and regional variation in American English since the colonial period.
747 -- Language as Social Action. {=ANTH 747} (3) Examines language as a social, cultural, and political matrix. Topics include ideology, gender, race, power, agency, and resistance. Students will apply linguistic theories in their own analyses of everyday speech.
765 -- Studies in Philosophy of Language. {=PHIL 718} (3) Examination of concepts such as meaning, reference, analyticity, and translational indeterminacy; evaluation of accounts of speech acts, the semantics of propositional attitudes, and metaphor and other pragmatic phenomena.
772 -- Technology in Foreign Language Education. {=EDTE 772, FORL 772} (3) Introduction to technology in language teaching and the connection between language acquisition and the implementation of Internet and multimedia technology.
780 -- Discourse Analysis. (3) (Prereq: LING 600) Underlying principles of how phonological, syntactic, and lexical features are organized above the sentence level; alternative choices of these features and how they contribute to the speaker's/writer's goals.
781 -- Stylistics. {=ENGL 788} (3) Linguistic analysis of literary texts. Linguistic definition of style; stylistic choices as the author's voice.
790 -- Second Language Acquisition. (3) (Prereq or coreq: LING 600) Study of current theory and research in second language acquisition and exploration of relationships between such work and classroom second language learning and teaching. Examination of research techniques used in applied linguistics.
791 -- Theory and Methodology in Second Language Acquisition. (3) (Prereq: LING 600, 790) Current issues and research in adult second language acquisition, with special attention to developments in theory and to methodological issues and considerations.
795 -- Principles and Strategies for Teaching ESOL. (3) Survey of teaching ESOL, including theoretical principles and practical strategies for approaches, methods, techniques, and materials as they concern elementary, secondary, and postsecondary learners.
796 -- Teaching Reading and Writing to ESOL Learners: Theory and Practice. {=EDRD 796} (3) This course surveys research on the mental processes and linguistic contexts involved in reading and writing in a second language. Pedagogical implications for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary learners are discussed.
797 -- Technology in Foreign Language Education. {=FORL 772} (3) Introduction to technology in language teaching and the connection between language acquisition and the application of Internet and multimedia technologies.
799 -- Thesis Preparation. (1-9)
805 -- Topics in Linguistics. (3) Topics selected by the instructor for specialized study. May be repeated with different suffix.
806 -- Directed Reading and Research. (1-3)
820 -- Seminar in Syntax. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Advanced exploration in syntactic theory, involving either cross-theoretical examination of specific linguistic phenomena or in-depth study of a particular theoretical model.
830 -- Seminar in Historical Linguistics. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Special topics in historical and comparative linguistics, such as historical phonology or syntax, Indo-European linguistics, and comparative Germanic or Romance linguistics.
840 -- Seminar in Language Variation. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Current theories relevant to specialized consideration of the social functions of linguistic choices at any level of analysis; variation as a reflection of region and social group membership or interpersonal relationships.
890 -- Seminar in Language Acquisition. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Special topics in the acquisition of language such as first language acquisition of English or other languages, cross-linguistic effects on acquisition, or issues in acquisition theory.
891 -- Seminar in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Special topics in teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), such as materials design, program design and evaluation, or teaching a particular language skill.
899 -- Dissertation Preparation. (1-12)

Return to College of Arts and Sciences