The Linguistics & Languages Department at McMaster offers undergraduate students a wide variety of quality, in-depth and hands-on programming.
The Linguistics & Languages programs train students to understand the study of human language: its structure, origin, evolution and its uses in society through multidisciplinary different approaches, as well as its ability to help students better understand better the world in which we live.
At McMaster, the study of language and the study of cognitive science come together to form two unique undergraduate experiences. The Linguistics program studies language in all of its forms, including natural language development, organization and language use. Our Cognitive Science program, an area of psychology, examines the mind and its functions, including emotion, memory, creativity and language, and combines it with the study of language in all of its forms.
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Cognitive Science of Language Learn more
Our program combines the examination of mind, memory, emotion and creativity with the study of language in all of its forms to create a unique undergraduate program.
Linguistics Learn more
Designed for students who are concentrating on the scientific study of language including phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.
Highlighted undergraduate courses
LINGUIST 3LA3 – Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
The course introduces the students to major theories in second language acquisition through readings and problem-based assignments. The objective is to learn about theories as well as practise using them as a basis for generating ideas for both practical applications and research.
GERMAN 2KK3 –Postmodern Alienation and Anxieties - Kafka for the Twenty-First Century
This course is forward-looking to disasters of the 20th and 21st centuries, to Kafkaesque, postmodern anxieties and alienation, links between terror and technology, arbitrary legal systems and abuses of power in literature, film, and popular culture.(Taught in English)
Thinking about studying Humanities?
As a student in our programs, you’ll be challenged, inspired and engaged with the world around you. This is where you start.