Linguistics in Clinical Research
The Department of English Literature and Linguistics at Bar-Ilan University offers a unique M.A. program in Linguistics in Clinical Research, intended for outstanding students with a B.A. in Communication Disorders, Psychology, Brain Sciences, Special Education or similar fields, who are interested in getting a deeper understanding of the linguistic basis of their field. The studies greatly deepen the students’ understanding of how language works and deal with issues important to Israeli society, including first and second language acquisition, the cognitive and neural basis of reading acquisition and dyslexia, language assessment in multilingual societies, linguistics characteristics of psychiatric disorders, sign language linguistics, and more.
The program of studies includes courses in general linguistics meant to provide the student with a solid foundation in areas such as phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics and psycholinguistics; as well as advanced courses and seminars in specific research areas, such as the acquisition of morphology, syntax and semantics, language and schizophrenia, language and autism, language and reading disorders, specific language impairment, and bilingualism. Students who are interested in performing independent research may choose research topics that integrate their previous knowledge with the linguistic knowledge that they acquire, making use of the areas of expertise of the faculty members in the department. Some of the topics of research of our former students: linguistic characteristics of stories told by bilingual children with developmental language impairments, understanding logical relations and questions in autism, the acquisition of reading and vocabulary in Arabic, Russian-Hebrew bilinguals' syntactic understanding in Russian, and more.
The language of instruction in the department is English; courses in adjunct departments (Brain Sciences, Psychology, Education) are in Hebrew. Students who do not have full control of academic English are encouraged to apply. Our faculty all do advising in Hebrew, and students' research has dealt with English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and other languages.
Degrees Offered in this Program:
M.A. with thesis (track A)
For research-oriented students who may want to continue to Ph.D.
Courses:
- Two required seminars: Psycholinguistics and Research Methods (37-922) and Introduction to Syntax and Semantics (37-987)
- Five seminars with research papers
- Guided reading (37-868)
The full requirements for track A are listed in here
M.A. without thesis (track B)
For students who want to deepen their understanding of language and language processing as they pertain to clinical issues.
Courses:
- Two required seminars: Psycholinguistics and Research Methods (37-922) and Introduction to Syntax and Semantics (37-987)
- Nine seminars with research papers in 3 of them.
- Guided reading (37-868)
The full requirements for track B are listed in here
Ph.D.
For outstanding students who develop research projects within the areas of interest of the graduate faculty.
Courses beyond the M.A.: 6 seminars with research papers in 2 of them.
Applications
Important Notice: Before your application can go to the Bar-Ilan University MA committee, it must first be approved by the Department of English Literature and Linguistics. Those who register through the university first who are later rejected by the department will not be refunded the initial registration fee. As such, please be sure to contact us first before applying through the university's general online system.
Please follow the following steps to apply to the program:
1. Step One: Please send your application to Prof. Natalia Meir via email at natalia.meir@gmail.com, with a copy to the Graduate Registrar, Judie Liri at Judie.Liri@biu.ac.il
Be sure to include in your email which track you are applying for, as well as the following documents:
- Up-to-date CV
- Scanned formal transcripts of prior studies (all of them), including all the course names, instructors and grades
- Scanned diploma(s)
2. Step Two: Should you receive a notice from the Department of English Literature and Linguistics recommending your acceptance (via email from Prof. Meir), you must then apply though the university's general online system
NOTE : Under the section called "Maslul Limudim", be sure to fill in the appropriate track- this is the track that you were accepted to via email by Dr. Natalia Meir.
Registration for the 2024-5 Academic year begins: February 11, 2024
Last day to apply through the department: October 15, 2024
Contacts
For academic questions contact:
Prof. Natalia Meir
