Course Descriptions
LING F100 Language, Education, Linguistics (h)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Introduction to the field of linguistics as it pertains to the field of education.
Includes discussions of language structure, acquisition and bilingualism, and variation
and public policy. The course does not satisfy requirements for the B.A. in Linguistics.
Cross-listed with ED F100. (3+0)
LING F101 Nature of Language (h)
3 Credits
Offered Fall
The study of language: systematic analysis of human language and description of its
grammatical structure, distribution and diversity. Also available via Independent
Learning. (3+0)
LING F200 The Field of TESOL
1 Credit
Offered Fall
Introduction to the field of Teaching English as a Second Language. (1+0)
LING F216 Languages of the World (h)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
A comprehensive survey of the world's languages-- past and present. Topics include
genetic relationships among languages, linguistic change, language universals, language
classification and language families, as well as the interaction of culture and language.
(3+0)
LING F223 Fundamentals of Sociolinguistics
3 Credits
Offered Spring
This course is an introduction to the concepts and methods of linguistic anthropology
and sociolinguistics, including language variation and dialectology, language change,
social interaction, social networking and media, ways of speaking, semiotics, language
in sociocultural institutions, and ideologies of language. Prerequisites: ANTH F100X
or LING F101. Cross-listed with ANTH F223. (3+0)
LING F302 Second Language Acquisition
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Central issues in second language acquisition research. Includes a critical review
of SLA theories and research. Prerequisites: LING F101; or permission of instructor
(3+0)
LING F303 W,O Language Acquisition
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Theories of the acquisition and development of first and second languages, including
consideration of biological and sociocultural factors. Survey of traditional and contemporary
theories, and implications for pedagogy and public policy. Recommended: LING F101.
Cross-listed with ED F303. (3+0)
LING F308 W,O Language and Gender (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Examination of relationships between language and gender, drawing on both ethnographic
and linguistic sources. Topics include power, socialization and sexism. Prerequisites:
COMM F131X or COMM F141X; ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor.
Cross-listed with ANTH F308; WMS F308. (3+0)
LING F318 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology (h)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Scientific study of human speech sounds, mechanism of their production, and sound
systems of languages. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing or permission of instructor.
(3+0)
LING F320 Introduction to Morphology (h)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Study of principles and processes of word construction in language. Morphological
structure of Alaska Native languages and other non-Indo-European languages. Prerequisites:
LING F318 or permission of instructor. (3+0)
LING F410 Theory and Methods of Second Language Teaching
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Theory and practice of teaching a second language, including methodological approaches,
second language acquisition theory, materials and testing. Prerequisites: COMM F131X
or COMM F141X. (3+0)
LING F420 Semantics (h)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
A systematic exploration of the nature of meaning in human language. Focus is on historical
and contemporary approaches to understanding problems of reference, categorization
and lexical relationships in meaningful contexts. Prerequisites: LING F101 or permission
of instructor. Stacked with LING F620. (3+0)
LING F430 Historical Linguistics (h)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Introduction to comparative and historical linguistics: methods of linguistic reconstruction,
historical change, genetic relationships, dialectology. Includes Indo-European and
Alaskan languages. Prerequisites: LING F318. Stacked with LING F630. (3+0)
LING F431 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics I
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Introduction to general issues in language field work and to issues specific to working
with little studied and/or endangered languages in particular. Focus on introduction
to writing systems, making recordings, computers and transcriptions, planning consultant
sessions, working with consultants, interviewing and ethics in the field. Projects
include making transcriptions of familiar language, and later, working on an unfamiliar
language with a language consultant, selecting and carrying out a well- defined project,
resulting in a term paper. Prerequisites: LING F318, LING F320, or permission of instructor.
Stacked with ANTH F632; LING F631. (3+0)
LING F434 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics II
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Second semester of Field Methods sequence. Plan linguistic field project, including
field trip, caring for equipment, data handling, community contacts, intellectual
property, and repatriation. Course work includes lectures and group elicitation with
a speaker of a non-Indo-European language. Projects may involve either the traditional
field work involving finding and working with a consultant, or work involving research
of archival materials on languages no longer spoken. Prerequisites: ANTH F432 or LING
F431. Stacked with ANTH F634; LING F634. (3+0)
LING F435 Political Media and Discourses of the American Right (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years or As Demand Warrants
This class uses "hands-on" discourse analytic techniques of student-collected media
data in order to examine whether or not there is a unified rhetorical style associated
with the American Right; the nature of the relationship between a message, its form
and persuasion; and how moral stance are taken in political contexts. Evaluation of
the veracity, ethical or historical merits of conservative political stances is not
part of the scope of this course. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X; ENGL F111X;
ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X. (3+0)
LING F440 W Aspects of Bilingualism (h)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Cognitive, linguistic, sociopolitical and educational aspects of bilingualism at both
the individual and societal levels, including factors contributing to language maintenance
and language shift. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X; LING F101;
or permission of instructor. (3+0)
LING F441 Topics in Linguistics (h)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An elective course in linguistics for majors. Content will vary from year to year
and may be drawn from many areas of linguistics to include current research and methodologies.
Course may be repeated two times for credit when content varies. Prerequistes: LING
F101, LING F318 and LING F320 or permission of instructor. (3+0)
LING F450 O Language Policy and Planning (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Consideration of minority languages, including Alaskan Native Languages, in light
of their histories, current status and factors affecting future maintenance. Prerequisites:
COMM F131X or COMM F141X. Stacked with LING F650. (3+0)
LING F482 Seminar in Linguistics
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Current issues in various subfields of linguistics including semantics and pragmatics,
discourse analysis, bilingualism, lexicography, language philosophy and issues within
a particular language or language group, e.g. Eskimo phonology, Athabaskan morphology.
May be repeated once. (3+0)
LING F600 Research Methods for Applied Linguistics
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Review of quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, data gathering techniques
and analytical tools (questionnaires, surveys, observations, testing) used in the
study of applied linguistics. Topics will include ethical issues in human subjects
research, how to conduct a literature review, how to conduct classroom-based research.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. (3+0)
LING F601 Principles of Linguistic Analysis
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Provides experience in working with various languages to determine systematic principles
of transcribing and organizing sounds; isolating morphemes; categorizing words into
semantic categories; and understanding narrative and other rhetorical structures.
For students whose specialty is other than linguistics who could benefit from a graduate-level
introduction to linguistic methods. (3+0)
LING F602 Second Language Acquisition
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Central issues in second language acquisition research. Includes a critical review
of SLA theories and research. Prerequisites: LING F101 or LING F601; graduate standing;
or permission of instructor. (3+0)
LING F603 Phonetics and Phonology
3 Credits
Scientific approach to the study of human speech sounds and the mechanism of their
production (phonetics), as well as the exploration of the fundamental concepts of
the sound systems of languages (phonology) and theories which allow for the analysis
of real language data. (3+0)
LING F604 Morphology and Syntax
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
The study of how meaning is encoded in words in languages of the world. Morphological
and morphophonemic processes, lexical categories, derivation and inflection, productivity,
tense, aspect, mode, case, concord, valence changes, morphological typologies. Similarities
and differences among languages in the grammatical devices used to signal relations
between nouns and verbs, negation, comparison, attribution. Prerequisites: LING F101
or LING F601; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (3+0)
LING F610 Theory and Methods of Second Language Teaching
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Theory and practice of teaching a second language, including methodological approaches,
second language acquisition theory, materials, and testing. (3+0)
LING F611 Second Language Curriculum and Materials Development
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Exploration/discussion of theoretical perspectives in Second Language curriculum and
materials development. Emphasis on the interconnectivity of materials, syllabus, curriculum
and learning. As a result of this course, students will be able to choose, adapt and
construct a variety of language teaching materials and understand the ramifications
of syllabus and curriculum design. Recommended: LING F601. (3+0)
LING F612 Assessment for the Second Language Classroom
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Exploration/discussion of theoretical perspectives in second language assessment,
practical considerations in creating language tests, and statistical methods used
for analyzing test data. As a result of this course, students will be able to choose,
adapt and construct a variety of language assessments for classroom and institutional
purposes as well as evaluate the validity of existing assessments. Recommended: LING
F601. (3+0)
LING F620 Semantics
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
A systematic exploration of the nature of meaning in human language. Focus is on historical
and contemporary approaches to understanding problems of reference, categorization
and lexical relationships in meaningful contexts. Prerequisites: Graduate standing
or permission of instructor. Stacked with LING F420. (3+0)
LING F621 Cultural Aspects of Language Acquisition
3 Credits
An expended view of the ways in which individuals become socialized into particular
patterns of first and second language and literacy. The ongoing acquisition of both
oral and written language(s) from early childhood through adult life. Topics will
include the cultural dimensions of language development, the relationship between
communication and culture, bilingualism and the role of language in the transmission
of sociocultural knowledge. Cross-listed with ED F621. (3+0)
LING F627 Introduction to Linguistic Description and Documentation
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
General introduction to lexicography, field phonetics, grammatical documentation,
investigation of narrative, other levels of linguistic documentation, the distinction
between description and documentation, and differences in structure and method between
pedagogical and academic materials resulting from field work. Prerequisites: LING
F601 or equivalent, and demonstrated background in phonology and morphology, or permission
of instructor. (3+0)
LING F630 Historical Linguistics
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
Introduction to comparative and historical linguistics: methods of linguistic reconstruction,
historical change, genetic relationships, dialectology. Includes Indo-European and
Alaskan languages. Prerequisites: LING F318. Stacked with LING F430. (3+0)
LING F631 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics I
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Introduction to general issues in language field work and to issues specific to working
with little studied and/or endangered languages in particular. Focus on introduction
to writing systems, making recordings, computers and transcriptions, planning consultant
sessions, working with consultants, interviewing, and ethics in the field. Projects
include making transcriptions of familiar language, and later, working on an unfamiliar
language with a language consultant, selecting and carrying out a well- defined project,
resulting in a term paper. Prerequisites: LING F627 or permission of instructor. Stacked
with ANTH F432; LING F431. (3+0)
LING F634 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics II
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Second semester of Field Methods sequence. Plan linguistic field project, including
field trip, caring for equipment, data handling, community contacts, intellectual
property and repatriation. Course work includes lectures and group elicitation with
a speaker of a non-Indo-European language. Projects may involve either traditional
field work involving finding and working with a consultant, or work involving research
of archival materials on languages no longer spoken. Prerequisites: ANTH F632 or LING
F631. Stacked with ANTH F434; LING F434. (3+0)
LING F650 Language Policy and Planning
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Consideration of minority languages, including Alaska Native Languages, in light of
their histories, current status, and factors affecting future maintenance. Stacked
with LING F450. (3+0)
LING F651 Topics in Athabascan Linguisitics
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Graduate level introduction to important topics in Athabascan linguistics, including
both foundational literature and current research. Topics may include laryngeal features;
tonogenesis; syntax-morphology interface; argument structure; lexical semantics; and
discourse. Course may be repeated once. Recommended: LING F603; LING F604. Cross-listed
with ANL F651. (3+0)
LING F652 Linguistics Applications
3 Credits
In-depth investigation of linguistic problems in selected languages. Includes phonological,
morphological, syntactic and semantic issues. Students will produce a grammatical
sketch of a chosen language. Prerequisites: LING F318; LING F320; LING F601; or relevant
course work. (3+0)
LING F660 Internship
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Student works as an apprentice to a language teacher or a linguist doing fieldwork.
Maintain a log and a portfolio of work. If teaching, goal would be to develop appropriate
lesson plans and do mentored teaching. If doing fieldwork, goal would be to develop
appropriate materials for teaching. Prerequisites: LING F603; LING F604; ANTH F632
or LING F610. (3+0)