Sociolinguistics | Bachelor’s Degree

Description

Sociolinguistics is about how language is used in society and how social factors affect the way we speak. At Bennington, students studying sociolinguistics explore how language shapes our identities and how social status and power influence those identities. They examine how people adapt their language during conversations and how it reflects things like gender, sexuality, group membership, and social status. They ask questions about not only what is said, but also how it is said, who says it, and why. Students also learn about the cognitive and structural aspects of language as a system and how it's influenced by different contexts. They use both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze language, and they evaluate different approaches to this important human topic.

At Bennington, you design your own course of study and work, taking full advantage of the College’s resources both inside and outside the classroom. This process goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major. You identify one or more areas of interest that spark your intellectual curiosity and provide a foundation for your academic work and fieldwork, and you pursue that work with ongoing guidance from your faculty. This is your Plan.