Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Linguistics - Linguistic Theory

at Carleton University Canada

The BA Geography program at Carleton focuses on human and environmental geography, exploring and analyzing a wide range of topics such as local food systems, urban poverty, cultural landscapes, adaptation to climate change and natural resource management. Students in the BA Geography (Honours) program may take a concentration in Physical Geography or Urban Geography. Our professors have extensive expertise in social, political and cultural geography; resource management and environmental assessment; and the study of physical processes of the Earth’s vegetation, climate, water and soil systems. Field courses, workplace opportunities (1 day a week practicum; full term co-op), and training in tools like geographic information systems, remote sensing and cartography also provide an opportunity to gain practical experience while you study. A Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography is also available.

Africa is the most culturally and geographically diverse continent on earth. The African Studies program offers you an opportunity to study the histories, cultures, languages, geographies, politics and economics of this fascinating continent. You will also learn about the aid, trade and investment, and migration flows that link Africa to the rest of the world in the era of globalization.

Students in the Combined Honours program can benefit from a work placement opportunity, a mentorship program and the chance to study in Africa through our African Studies Abroad course or by doing their third year at one of the African universities with which Carleton has exchange agreements.

The study of history allows us to recognize and understand the complex issues that shaped the contemporary world. The History Department offers courses in African, American, Asian, Canadian, Caribbean, European, Latin American and South Asian history. Some courses trace the history of social, political and cultural change of a region or period. Others are thematic and may examine women’s history, the histories of science, sexuality, food and drink, or slavery. In the Public History concentration, Honours students explore how history appears in our everyday lives, not just in museums and monuments, but also in movies, reality television, video games, music and the stories families and communities pass from one generation to the next.

In first year, history students may choose a small seminar class or a larger lecture course with a tutorial group. Both formats foster debate and discussion. All history courses encourage student research which may draw on the rich array of libraries and archives in the national capital, including Carleton’s own valuable collections and resources.

From war zones to capital cities, from courtrooms to boardrooms, and in hospitals, police stations, sports arenas and church basements, journalists rush to places where events occur. They ask questions, report what they see and hear, and offer analysis of the changes and issues that shape our society.

As key players in the workings of every democracy, journalists should be well educated, thoughtful, analytical, conscious of the responsibility that comes with their job, and equipped with a moral compass to guide their decisions.

The biomedical and mechanical engineering program integrates life sciences with the traditional mechanical engineering topics of solid mechanics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, materials, robotics and control systems to analyze and solve problems related to biomechanical engineering, biotechnology and medicine. The program provides students with a skill set that enables the development of advanced components, systems and techniques for biomechanical applications that are crucial to modern health care. The curriculum is designed with an emphasis on the development of practical and problem-solving skills based on hands-on laboratory and design work.

This stream includes courses on artificial intelligence, machine learning and neural networks. Transportation, finance, business, manufacturing and agriculture are being transformed by artificial intelligence and machine learning. LinkedIn witnessed a 190% increase from 2015 to 2017 in terms of skills required for AI-based jobs, and reports project 20 million jobs in artificial intelligence by 2023. Machine learning is also today’s highest-profile research area in computer science.

Linguistics is the scientific study of one of the most fundamental aspects of being human: using language to communicate. Linguists explore a range of fascinating ideas, including what it means to know a language, how we process and produce language, language structure, how children acquire language, variation and diversity in languages across the globe, language disorders and delays, and how languages change over time.

At Carleton, students learn to study linguistics from a dedicated faculty with a diverse set of research interests, including theoretical and experimental approaches and methods.

Students in the BA Honours can choose from two concentrations to tailor their Linguistics degree to their interests: Linguistic Theory or Psycholinguistics and Communication Disorders. Qualified students in the Psycholinguistics and Communication Disorders concentration have the opportunity to take a practicum course that provides clinical experience in speech-language pathology.

Computer game development has become a sophisticated subject, drawing on advanced knowledge in a number of areas of computer science, such as artificial intelligence and computer graphics. In this stream, you will learn about both the principles and practice of designing and developing modern computer games.

Historians of art and architecture study visual communication. In Carleton’s Art History program, we study the great monuments of Western culture—painting, sculpture and buildings—but we also study Asian and other non-Western art, North American Indigenous art, photography, printmaking and popular culture as well as the institutions of art itself: museums, galleries and exhibitions.

Our material ranges from the prehistoric to the present day. Our students come away from the program with direct experience of collections of art here in the National Capital Region and a historical framework for understanding imagery, as well as an awareness of the multiple possibilities for interpreting art, architecture and other visual phenomena.

Specifically, we examine how representations work. We analyze the products of the human imagination and the visual expressions of different societies. Such analyses produce a historical awareness as well as an understanding of modes of expression in different cultures. This knowledge provides students with the intellectual tools that allow them to function as informed and thoughtful individuals in and increasingly visual and globalized society.

Mathematics
Mathematics and statistics are driving forces behind many of today’s advancements in medicine, economics and business, and science and technology. The solid mathematical knowledge and skills you acquire at Carleton will give you a competitive edge in a wide variety of careers and prepare you to contribute to the next generation of innovations.

Physics
Physics is the study of the most basic natural phenomena—from the smallest particles to the largest structures of the universe, from the beginning to the end. Physics is also the scaffolding behind the technology found in numerous current advances such as in smart phones, self-driving cars and radiation treatment of cancer. Physicists are keen to understand the nature of the world around them, as well as to control it for the betterment of humanity. They use their creativity to solve challenging problems, whether they are creating very powerful lasers for eye surgery, colliding particles at very-high energy, or descending deep down into underground mines to investigate the most basic building blocks of matter. Physicists look for and examine patterns in nature in order to formulate natural laws. They push scientific boundaries by exploring unknown territory through theory and experimentation, often thinking about and describing our physical world in ways that we cannot yet observe in nature.