Location

York, England

Program Description

Linguistics UK is an immersive study of language in the diverse linguistic environment of York, England.

Each student will take a Linguistics course (CSD 490) team-taught by Dr. DePaolis and a local linguist affiliated with the University of York’s Department of Language and Linguistics. There are two sections of the course; one section for 3 credits, and the second section for 1 credit.

Guest lectures will be given on topics ranging from conversational analysis (the study of how conversation is a dance between the speakers), clinical phonology, and morphology of languages like Hebrew or Arabic.

Students will engage in the classroom with some of the foremost teachers and scholars in the three areas of linguistics. In addition, guest lecturers will be given by facuty demonstrating how the concepts explored in the classroom are used to benefit society. Finally, students will be asked to engage with the community and journal about their experiences, applying classroom knowledge to the language they encounter in their everday activities.

Location Description

York is a historic city founded in 71 AD by the Romans. It became an important cultural and religious center of England in the middle ages, and retains much of its history in the form of intact medieval city walls, a Norman castle, and a beautiful cathedral.

The city is walkable and safe for locals and tourists alike. Most walks thru the city centre involve pleasant surprises such as Holy Trinity Church, circa 12th century, a church I accidentally stumbled upon while meandering down a city alleyway. There are pubs in buildings as old as the 15th century, with slanted floors and traditional British pub fare.

The people are very friendly and there is a rich schedule of things to do in the summer, including theater (i.e Shakespeare) and music. In fact, the program is likely to coincide with the early music festival which celebrates the British tradition of music through concerts in the cathedral and local churches. York is also a major hub for the British Rail and students will find it easy to visit places such as Manchester, Edinburgh, and London. Our time in York will include a guided tour through the medieval streets and historic buildings, pub dinners, and a visit to the Minster Cathedral.

Director

Rory DePaolis | depaolra@jmu.edu | Communication Sciences and Disorders

Accommodations

Students accomodation will be in a residence hall and each student will have a private room with a bathroom. There will also be a communal room with a kitchen available for use. The residence is a short bus ride to downtown York and is within walking distance of a pub, convenience store, and mulitiple cafes. A full breakfast will be included with the accomodation.

Students will be allocated a weekly meal stipend that will cover lunch and dinner. Breakfast will be supplied by the residence hall.

Additional Items to Consider

Most phone plans can be adapted to work in the UK. Check with your provider. 

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors in all majors.

A course in phonetics and speech science is recommended. It is possible to be succesful in this course without this background, but please talk to the director before applying.