Applied Linguistics Minor

About the Minor

The minor in Applied Linguistics emphasizes language acquisition and language use in foreign and second-language settings. Applied Linguistics is concerned with increasing the understanding of the role of language in human affairs and thereby with providing the knowledge necessary for those who are responsible for making language-related decisions, whether the need arises in the healthcare setting, courtroom, classroom, or laboratory. Students learn to evaluate theory and research in different areas of the field, including second-language studies and sociolinguistics. Required introductory courses provide the necessary foundation for advanced classes. Courses at all levels include the critical analysis of different theories, conceptual models, and research methodologies. Students of Applied Linguistics may engage in international or domestic studies that involve research projects with faculty members from Public Health, Global Studies, Law, Business, Anthropology, Education and Engineering. 

Specifically, the minor in Applied Linguistics at Washington University meets the increasing domestic and international demand for positions that involve linguistically and culturally diverse people in the United States and around the world. The minor is suitable for students who wish to pursue graduate studies or advanced degrees in Public Health, Medicine, Law, Business, Engineering, Applied Linguistics, Global Studies, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Education, and more.

 

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Minor Requirements and Courses

Units required: 15

All students participating in the minor must have a declared primary major. 

Minors must receive a grade of C+ or higher in all Applied Linguistics courses; all courses taken for APL credit must be taken for a letter grade, including language courses.

Required courses (courses taught in English unless otherwise indicated); 6 credits total:

Linguistics and Language Learning (APL 4111)
Introduction to Linguistics (Ling 170D) OR Ampersand: Global Population on the Move: Refugees, Resettlement, Education, and Advocacy (FYP 117)

Courses on language acquisition (choose one); 3 credits:  

Second Language Acquisition & Technology (APL 4023)
Reading Across Languages and Cultures: Theory, Research and Practice (APL 4692)
Global Health and Language (GS 3006)
Second-Language Acquisition (Ling 466)
Debating Cultures. How Spanish Works (Span 3202)
Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics (course taught in Spanish) (Span 370)
Advanced Grammar and Syntax (Span 411) [taught in Spanish]
Grammar and Vocabulary Acquisition (Span 467)

Courses on language use (choose one); 3 credits:

The Linguistic Legacy of the African Slave Trade in Interdisciplinary Perspective (AFAS 210)
Emerging Africa: Language, Identity and Social Change (AFAS 368)
Language, Culture and Society (Anthro 3386)
World-wide Translation: Language, Culture, Technology (Comp Lit 394)
Global Health and Language (GS 3006)
Intercultural Communication (GS 3248)
Children of Immigrants: Identity and Acculturation (GS 4036)
Linguistics for Legal Purposes(Ling 263)
Introduction to Sociolinguistics (Ling 339)
Linguistic Diversity in the United States (Ling 341)

Electives (choose one. Courses may be taken from above lists or from the list below); 3 credits:

Independent Research Study (APL 300)
Independent Research Study (APL 400)
Educational Psychology (Educ 304)
History of Education in the United States (Educ 481W)
Old English, Introductory (E Lit 407)
History of the English Language (E Lit 472)
"Model Minority": The Asian American Experience (GS 3512)
Introduction to Semantics (Ling 311)
Phonetics (Ling 312)
Introduction to Computational Linguistics (Ling 317)
Introduction to Social Psychology (Psych 315)
Language Acquisition (Psych 358)
Cognitive Psychology Applied to Education (Psych 4302)
Psychology of Language (Psych 433)
The Development of Social Cognition (Psych 4591)
Spanish Phonetics, Phonology and Dialectology (Span 417)

**Under certain circumstances, students may count toward their minor a limited number of relevant classes not listed above. Such circumstances include study abroad. Students are required to complete both Linguistics 170 and APL 4111 prior to applying for study abroad. Select study abroad programs are approved for the APL minor. A specific plan of study must be worked out in advance with the advisor in the Applied Linguistics program.

Use the WORKSHEET to track your progress!

I graduated in 2018 with dual degrees in Applied Linguistics and Spanish, and was also pre-med. I will spend the next year as an English Teaching Assistant in Aguascalientes, AGS, Mexico through the Fulbright-García Robles Fellowship Program. My academic background has helped me develop a practical understanding of how language and culture affect relationships, which will be an invaluable asset to me in my future career as a physician.

―Stephanie Peres-da-SilvaAB '18