Linguistics Spring 2026: Intro Classes, No Prerequisites
Linguistics at the University of Minnesota
We explore the human capacity for language. We strive to expand understanding of this domain and to foster learning and research that applies this understanding to the betterment of speech communities. Our research bridges the gap between theoretical and applied linguistics in areas such as documentation and revitalization of endangered languages, the study of underrepresented languages, language and identity, and language engineering.
We welcome beginners and offer
- Courses that can launch students down multiple pathways, including computational linguistics, community-based work and language and cognition
- In person courses and remote discussion sections to increase flexibility
- Courses that meet LEs
Spring 2026 courses open to all students
LING 1701: Examine the relationships between language and social variables (age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). Discuss implications on social and societal dimensions like government policy, contact between speakers of different languages, processes of language loss and preservation, discrimination and language attitudes, and programs for social justice.
LE: Race, Power, and Justice in the United States
LING 1705: Explore the linguistic questions that arise concerning the many varieties of English that are spoken around the globe, including English-based creoles. Tackle questions like: Who is a native speaker? What is a standard? What value judgments do people ascribe to different varieties of English?
LE: Global Perspectives, Social Sciences
LING 1800: Learn what's in the words we use. Heighten your awareness of language and vocabulary. The course is intended as a counterweight to an intellectual double standard according to which it’s acceptable for even educated and sophisticated people to have no knowledge about language and to uncritically accept myths and fallacies.
LING 3001: What is language? What does it mean for a human to “know” a particular language? How do children acquire this knowledge? How do we use language to communicate? These are some of the important questions addressed by linguistics, the scientific study of the human capacity for language.
LE: Social Sciences
LING 3105: How computers are used to represent, process, and organize textual and spoken information, how this knowledge can be used to enrich our lives and its potential pitfalls. The theory and practice of human language technology, grounding abstract concepts in real-world examples and basic skills in formal and computational analysis.
LE: Technology and Society
