Applications for MA Program in Cognitive Linguistics, Case Western Reserve University

Now taking applications for 2015-2016 academic year

MA in Cognitive Linguistics

The Cognitive Science Department at Case is unique in the nation for its focus on higher order cognition as it relates to culture, creativity, and design. The MA program in Cognitive Linguistics, one of two in the world and the only one in the United States, offers students from various backgrounds the opportunity to pursue research interests in these domains as they are manifested in grammar, conceptualization, discourse, and thought.

Cognitive linguistics, which has arisen during the last thirty years, is a central component of cognitive science and a widely recognized and practiced area of research which interacts with many other disciplines: computer science, cognitive neuroscience, anthropology, psychology, and semiotics. Cognitive linguistics views language as an aspect of cognition and inseparable as a cognitive system from conceptual structure; it approaches language as a behavior integrated with other higher-order human behaviors such as gesture, signing, joint attention, collective intention, and social interaction.

The M.A. in Cognitive Linguistics at Case Western Reserve University is designed to be distinctive in its methodology and its pedagogy. Above all, it will integrate across disciplines traditionally partitioned. The tailor-made program of study is from the principal instruments of instruction: a year-long course in Theory, a coordinate yearlong Workshop, several elective topics courses, and a substantial thesis. The Theory, Workshop, Electives, and Thesis courses will provide instruction in the principal areas needed for the cognitive scientific study of language. This Case M.A. program follows a model according to which learning is combined with doing research, on the view that much of what one learns, and learns best, is actually acquired not in the abstract but in attempts at application.

A master’s degree in Cognitive Linguistics can be the basis for many different kinds of academic and non-academic careers. The demand for those with a formation in cognitive science runs across industry, government, and educational and cultural institutions. Fields that show a growing interest in job candidates with expertise in cognitive studies include the technology sector, particularly in natural language processing and human interface design; education and related institutions, such as museums; human factors engineering; organizational behavior in management; marketing; and politics.

For additional information, contact Professor Per Aage Brandt and Professor Todd Oakley, co-directors of admission, at coglingadmission@case.edu, or visit our Web site at http://www.case.edu/artsci/cogs/MAinCognitiveLinguistics.html

Priority attention will be given to applicants who submit all materials (including the online application form, statement of purpose, writing sample, transcripts, and GRE scores) by 1 may 2015.

Program Faculty

  •    William Deal, Professor of Cognitive Science
  •     Todd Oakley, Professor of Cognitive Science,
  •     Fey Parrill, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science
  •     Vera Tobin, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science
  •     Mark Turner, Institute Professor and Chair of Cognitive Science

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