FAQ for Undergraduates in ALDS

ALDS is interested in solving everyday problems related to language. Courses in ALDS focus on language-related issues such as the following:

• Language Teaching and Learning: How are languages taught and learned? How are language curricula best developed and implemented?
• Language Assessment: How are language competencies evaluated and language tests designed?
• Writing: How is writing used in academic, workplace, and community settings to construct knowledge, accomplish learning, and perform other functions? How can writing best be taught and learned in these settings?
• Literacies: How do people use texts in their everyday activities in society? How can access to literacies be broadened?
• Discourse Analysis: How is language – both spoken and written – used in specific social contexts? And how are other symbolic systems – such as photographs and drawings – used in similar contexts?
• Language in Society: How does language influence society, and how is it influenced by society? What role does language play in creating social identities, social structures, and relations of power?
• Language and the Professions: For what purposes do professionals use language in their work? What makes professional communication in a first or a second language more effective?
• Bilingual Education: How can educational institutions support bilingual development? What makes a bilingual education program effective?
• Language Policy and Planning: How do government policies influence language practices, for instance, with measures to protect endangered languages?

ALDS and LING are two approaches that investigate how language works. They focus on different aspects of language and use different methods to investigate it. We think it is useful for you to become familiar with the basics of both approaches, so both ALDS 1001 and LING 1001 are required courses in the program. You should take both courses as early as you can and decide which field is right for you.

If you are passionate about both ALDS and LING, you may want to consider completing the B.A. with Combined Honours in Linguistics & Discourse Studies. This program includes coursework from both disciplines. You can find the requirements in the Calendar.

Here are some examples of possible careers for graduates in Applied Linguistics & Discourse Studies:

• Teaching in public and private schools at all levels of education, in community programs, and in professional organizations (often after further study in a CTESL program, in an MA program, or at teachers college)
• Writing and communications in writing-intensive positions in government (e.g. in policy units), in corporations (e.g. in communication units), as freelance professional writers, and as consultants
• Editing in the government, in corporations, in publishing houses, or as freelancers
• Translation in the public and private sectors or as freelancers (often after further study and language training)
• Assessment as specialists in language testing and test design
• Training in professional development units in private- and public-sector organizations, in writing centres and student success centres in universities and colleges, and in school boards as ESL specialists
• Educational research as research analysts, consultants, project coordinators, discourse analysts in academic and corporate settings.

You can also check out our Alumni page.

In addition to talking to the Undergraduate Advisor, you should talk to your ALDS professors. Career services can also help.

Yes. We have had ALDS majors accepted to programs in Speech Language Pathology. The most relevant courses in ALDS are:

• ALDS 2604 – Communication Differences & Disabilities I
• ALDS 3604 – Communication Differences & Disabilities II
• ALDS 2203 – Linguistic Theory and Second-Language Learning
• ALDS 4602 – Second Language Acquisition

Note that graduate programs in Speech Language Pathology typically have a number of prerequisites in other areas, including Linguistics, Psychology, and Biology. You are strongly advised to check the specific prerequisites for the schools you have in mind, and consult the undergraduate advisor for help with course planning.

SLaLS also offers an Honours B.A. in Linguistics with a concentration in Psycholinguistics and Communication Differences.

If you are considering majoring in ALDS, you can find the requirements by consulting the academic calendar.

If you are a current student in ALDS, you should consult your audit. Your audit reflects the specific requirements of your degree program, based on the calendar requirements when you joined the major.

If you are having difficulty understanding the requirements, you should contact the Undergraduate Advisor.

The audit is a document that keeps track of your progress toward your degree. It lists all the requirements of your major (as well as any minors or certificates you might be doing), and shows whether you have completed them. It also shows your grades and CGPA. You should check your audit regularly to make sure you are on track.

You can find your audit on Carleton Central. Click here for instructions on accessing and reading your audit.

The following first- and second-year ALDS courses are available without prerequisites:

• ALDS 1001 – Language Matters: Introduction to ALDS
• ALDS 2203 – Linguistic Theory and Second-Language Learning
• ALDS 2204 – Strategies for Successful Writers
• ALDS 2704 – Bilingualism
• ALDS 2705 – Language and Power

Upper-years courses are also available if you satisfy the prerequisites. For a full listing of ALDS courses, see the academic calendar.

To change your major or make adjustments to your minor, you will need to submit a Change of Program Elements in Carleton Central. You can find instructions here.

For help, you can contact either the Undergraduate Advisor or the Undergraduate Program Administrator.

The Undergraduate Advisor’s main job is to answer questions about the program, to help you with your course planning, and to advise about academic matters in general. When you ask the Advisor for help, it is useful if you come prepared – look at your audit beforehand, and perhaps draw up a course plan for the coming year.

The advisor does not routinely check the audits of all the students in the program, or monitor individual progress; the advisor only acts if asked by the student. That being said, the advisor is happy to go over your audit with you to explain anything that may be confusing, and to give suggestions about courses you can take in the following year.

The Program Administrator handles the administrative side of advising and can help you with course registration, make adjustments to your audit, and answer questions about the requirements and the scheduling of courses.

You can find the contact information for the Undergraduate Advisor and Program Administrator at the top of this page.

If a course required by your audit is full, you should submit an override request. If you are an ALDS major, you will most likely be allowed into a closed course as long as you meet the prerequisites and there are not other options available to you. It will take a few days to process your request. If you don’t see any response in Carleton Central, feel free to alert the Program Administrator. Once a space is created for you, you still need to register by using the CRN for the course. Carleton Central may give you a deadline to do so.

We do not offer every course every year, so if a course required by your audit is not available on the schedule, normally you should plan to take it in a subsequent year. If you are entering your final year of study and a required course is not available, you should contact the Undergraduate Advisor to discuss options.

For information on the B.A. breadth requirement, refer to the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

Each student has a slightly different case, so there’s no single answer to this question.

You should definitely take ALDS 1001 as soon as possible, since it is a prerequisite for several other ALDS courses especially ALDS 2201 and ALDS 2202. You should also take LING 1001 in your first year. You can fill out the rest of your first-year schedule with electives, keeping in mind the breadth requirements (see above) and the language proficiency requirement (see below).

In subsequent years you should take courses as needed to fulfill the requirements given in your audit, bearing in mind that some courses have prerequisites or year-standing requirements.

You can find sample schedules in the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

You may take any course at any time, as long as you meet the prerequisites. Note, though, that some courses may require a particular year standing; check the description in the calendar. Also, keep in mind that you are required to take a certain number of courses at or above each level, as detailed in your audit.

Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions.

No. Core courses are normally offered every year, but other courses may not be. Don’t assume that a course listed in the Calendar will be taught in a particular semester. Next year’s course schedule is usually published in May.

For more information on course scheduling, see the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

ALDS courses are generally not offered in the summer. There are sometimes exceptions; you can consult the public class schedule to see what is currently available.

Electives are courses that do not count directly toward your major – i.e., non-ALDS courses. They can include courses that count toward the B.A. breadth requirement or the language proficiency requirement. As an ALDS major, LING courses (other than LING 1001) also count as electives in your program.

For more information, see the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

Special Topics courses are developed by professors to reflect their particular research interests. More so than other courses, they focus on current research and they often give you an opportunity to pursue your own research project. The information on next year’s Special Topics courses is typically available in early summer.

You can take ALDS 3903 and ALDS 4906 more than once, provided that the topic is different each time. If you have trouble registering for more than one section of these courses, file a course registration error override request in Carleton Central.

You can satisfy this requirement in one of two ways.

• You can take 1.0 cr of a language other than English at Carleton – Spanish, French, ASL, etc. The full 1.0 cr must be in the same language.
• You can provide evidence of pre-existing proficiency in a language other than English with a diploma or language placement test. Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you would like to pursue this option.

For more information, see the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

No, but the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences recommends that you take a FYSM during your first year. Check out the FYSM website for more information.

Yes. You may earn a concurrent CTESL as part of an Honours B.A. in ALDS, or as part of a Combined Honours B.A. in Linguistics and Discourse Studies, or as part of an Honours degree in another discipline.

For more information, consult the CTESL webpage.

Independent studies are just like other courses except you are the only student, working closely with the instructor. Usually, an independent study results in a term paper.

An Honours Project is a more extensive project completed over the course of two terms. While it can take other forms, it most commonly takes the form of an Honours thesis.

For more information on Independent studies and Honours projects, see the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet.

You can also consult the ALDS Honours Project Guidelines.

See the LING & ALDS Undergraduate Info Packet for information on requirements. Once you have secured a supervisor, you will need to complete the Course approval form and submit an override request.

Not necessarily. Different graduate programs expect different kinds of writing samples, but in most cases, you need to show that you can conduct research independently and that you write well. An Honours Project is a logical way to produce such a writing sample, and it might otherwise strengthen your application and give you useful research experience, but it is not strictly necessary. Many students have been successful without writing one.

Yes! There is an active undergraduate society for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies students called CATL (Carleton Applied and Theoretical Linguistics). You can find more information about them here.

This varies from year to year. Sometimes there are excellent opportunities. Ask your professors.