<p>So I’ll be at Barnard this fall as a freshman and for over a year now I’ve wanted to major in linguistics and have been in contact with many professors and a few students in the linguistics field at Barnard. However, I haven’t gotten any clear cut answers about creating/petitioning for the linguistics major.</p>
<p>Has anyone done this? Any advice? How many courses did you take for your major? 12+?
Did you like the “department” over all?
I’ve researched the “department” extensively but have gotten no definite answers.
Help would be appreciated! Thanks</p>
<p>My advice is that you simply mention your interest in linguistics to your advisor and take the course --- and for now think about the 9 ways of knowing requirements. It is an intense course -- my daughter had a tough time with it, ended up with an A, but also ended up deciding that she wasn't interested in linguistics after all. So based on her experience, I don't think any one should decide they want to be a linguistics major until after finishing that course -- you may find that you absolutely love linguistics, but you might also find that it isn't at all what you expected and you want to branch out into something else. </p>
<p>Barnard is going to assign you a faculty adviser who can begin to answer question for you about majors, but given the fact that linguistics is a special concentration & not a major, coupled with the need to fill all those course distribution requirements, there is no need for you to worry about these details your first semester. I mean, at least without a structured linguistics department or major, there are no "must have" courses that you need to take freshman year in order to be assured of getting everything you need. Obviously "Intro to Linguistics" is the foundational course and you are off to a fine start if you are taking that first semester.</p>
<p>Hey, I'll also be a freshman and I plan on minoring in linguistics at Barnard. You CAN petition to major/minor in it, there's a form on Barnard's website. I also found the following on the linguistics website:
For more advice on pursuing a major or minor in Linguistics at Barnard, see Professor Paul Kockelman (Anthropology) or Professor Robert Remez (Psychology).</p>
<p>I'll see you in the intro to linguistics class!</p>