Recent technological innovations are having a major impact on language. It is important for all students 鈥� whatever their field of study and future professional life 鈥� to understand these impacts and how to manage them and explain these impacts to others. The knowledge gained from this certificate would benefit graduates entering into any number of fields.
Language and Technology Certificate
The Language and Technology Certificate explores the interaction of language and technology. Language has been constantly shaped by changing technologies 鈥� from the media used to convey texts in various writing systems to the invention of the printing press, movable type and portable books. And from the recording and broadcasting of speech to the ultimate portability of language 鈥� the smart phone, AI-driven speech recognition, and human voice simulation.
Such changes give rise to such questions as:
- How has the human invention of reading changed our brains and our ability to think?
- Is the development of digital literacy still further impacting the plasticity of human cognition?
- Does the use of online grammar and spelling checkers ultimately lead to the standardization and homogenization of written language?
- Likewise, does the growth of voice recognition devices and speech simulation inevitably lead to a standardization of speech forms and accents? And on the flipside, does the internet offer tools for preserving endangered languages and dialects?
- Is texting a new language system complete with its own grammar and syntax and the use of symbols to reflect the pragmatic meanings conveyed by speech?
- Does the emergence of AI-driven voice chatbots augur the demise of the human language teacher?
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Admission to the Certificate
Any undergraduate student in good standing enrolled in any college or major is eligible to enroll in the certificate program. Students should consult with the certificate director, Dr. David Bell before registering for the certificate program.
To apply, use the form on this page: Declaring & Changing Majors & Minors in Arts & Sciences
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Courses & Curriculum
The Language and Technology Certificate requires a minimum of 15 hours, including these core courses:
- COMS 3200 - Communication and New Technology
- LING 2860 - Introduction to Language and Technology
- LING 4941 - Directed Research in Linguistics
- CS 1400 - Fundamentals of Computing or CS 2300 - Computer Programming in JAVA or CS 2400 - Introduction to Computer Science I
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like more information about the Language and Technology Certificate, contact Dr. David Bell.
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