The Minor in Linguistics at California State University, Bakersfield consists of 20 upper division units (four five-unit courses). As displayed in the table below, students may choose their four courses from a list of 11, with the stipulation that one of the four courses must be English/Linguistics 415. A complete description of all the linguistic courses is available.
| Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|---|
English is the most taught second language in the world, and institutions of higher education in the United States and most foreign countries are constantly advertising for well prepared instructors, usually those with a Master's Degree in linguistics or English as a second language (ESL). A minor in linguistics enables students to more easily enter such graduate programs because appropriate courses in the minor can fulfill most if not all of the prerequisites for admissions. For example, English/linguistics 319, 415, 418, and 420 fulfill all of the prerequistes to enter the graduate programs in linguistics and ESL at California State University, Fresno.
In California, community college instructors can teach ESL even without an MA in linguistics or ESL provided
they have an MA in a cognate field such as English or foreign languages and a certificate in ESL or its evaluated equivalent. If students take English/linguistics 319, 415, 418 and 420, they will fulfill two-thirds of the state recognized certificate requirements.
Finally, the minor in linguitics is also useful for instructors at the primary and secondary levels of education.
Most teachers in California, even those who do not specifically teach in bilingual programs or teach ESL as a subject, will have language minority students in their classrooms. The minor in linguistics will enable teachers to better understand why those students speak with an accent and produce certain types of morphological and syntactic structures. Teachers will also better understand the process of second language acquisition and the relationship between language and academic achievement which will make them more sensitive to the educational needs of their students.
Students can learn more about the minor in linguitics by contacting one of the three instructors of linguitics listed below. Biographical information on each instructor is also available
If you would like to learn more about linguistics, you can find many useful and interesting sites at The Human-Languages Page.