Course Descriptions

82-783 Second Language Acquisition: Theories and Research

This course reviews the field of second language acquisition (SLA) in order to provide students with an understanding of the way in which second languages are learned and acquired. The course will survey various theories of second language acquisition (e.g., Innateness and Universal Grammar, Connectionism, Input/Output, sociocultural theory), and their claims will be examined in the light of recent research findings. The course will also examine the impact of internal and external variables on second language acquisition and development. Some topics include the role of learning environment for language acquisition, explanations for differences in success among second language learners, variations in second language use, and the effect of classroom instruction on second language acquisition. The course also aims to compare methodologies, contexts, and results of the various studies, categorizing patterns and tendencies in their approaches to research, as well as the results of the research.

82-881 Research Methods in SLA

This course introduces the key concepts of research methodology and design. It also focuses on understanding the basic principles in research design; developing a range of skills to design empirical studies; developing competence in evaluating and critiquing varying types of database studies; and familiarizing students with major research paradigms used in SLA. Students will develop competencies in formulating theoretically motivated research questions, designing appropriate data collection/analysis procedures, providing a legitimate rational for the data collection and analysis procedures, reviewing database SLA studies, and postulating specific implications for their proposed research.

82-885 Introduction to Qualitative Methods

This course focuses on the theoretical and practical principles that guide qualitative inquiry in second language and multilingual contexts. The course provides students the opportunity to explore in-depth data collection and analysis tools (e.g., interviews, participant observation, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, etc.). In addition, students reflect upon the ethics and style in research reporting characteristic in this approach. The course is grounded on individual research projects conducted by students during the course of the semester.

82-780 Graduate Research Seminar

The goal of the seminar is to provide a forum to discuss ongoing research. All graduate students and faculty in the program present their ongoing projects and receive constructive feedback in a positive learning environment. Students also participate in professional development workshops to get involved in activities typical of the SLA field. This seminar meets every week during each semester and is facilitated by faculty members and a committee of graduate students who rotate each semester.

82-888 Introduction to Linguistic Data Analysis Using R

This course provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamental aspects of statistical analysis of quantitative linguistic data using the open-source statistical environment R. Students will first understand how spoken and written language can be conceptualized as data. Students will learn what this data looks like and how to think about such data from a computational perspective. Students will build a level of confidence in using R that can lead to more advanced programming and statistics classes. Students will also learn how to visualize and appropriately form specific research questions related to linguistic analysis, and how data and its presentation can be manipulated in unethical ways. Students will also examine how the same data set can tell different stories/outcomes depending on the analyses and presentation. In-class labs and homework will make use of corpus, psycholinguistic, and survey data from a variety of languages and methods. At the end of the course, students will be able to select and use appropriate quantitative methods to analyze linguistic phenomena with the help of R. More practically, students will be able to use and understand the R code provided in class and modify it for the purposes of their own research.

82-888 Bilingualism

This course discusses and analyzes research on bilingualism from social, cognitive, pedagogical, and political perspectives. This includes discussions of language policy and bilingual education, looking at research on a variety of models and contexts (both in the USA and abroad) for bilingual education. The course also covers some special categories of bilinguals such as heritage speakers, speakers of endangered languages, and deaf bilinguals. Since the goal of second language acquisition is to produce bilinguals, students engage with questions about the relationship between the fields of bilingual education and second language acquisition and reflect critically on how the paradigms discussed are related to students’ areas of research and pedagogical interest. Through fieldwork projects, students collect and analyze data on bilingual language practices related to their field(s) of interest.

82-888 Language Policy & Planning

According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, “Decisions around language policy and planning are made around the globe every day, both formally by governments and informally by scholars and community leaders. These decisions influence the right to use and maintain languages, affect language status, and determine which languages are nurtured. Language policy and planning decisions have a major impact on language vitality and, ultimately, on the rights of the individual.” In this course, students discuss the main concepts, theories, and research paradigms associated with the field of Language Policy and Planning (LPP) in multilingual educational contexts at the international, national, local, or institutional levels. Specific topics may include: official language decisions, language standardization, instructional medium choices, foreign/heritage/second language pedagogy and policy, indigenous language revitalization efforts, mother tongue instruction, language rights, and linguistic landscape. Students will analyze the impact of LPP on individuals and groups within political, cultural, educational, or socio-economic domains and will apply these principles to hands-on projects related to their areas of research interest. The course is taught in seminar/discussion-based format and does not require previous experience with LPP.

82-888 Language & Identity

In this course, students explore current debates and research in the field of second language acquisition that address language as social practice. Students examine some of the ways that language both constructs, and is constructed by, individual and group identities, with special focus on multilingual and L2 contexts. Specific topics may include: the intersection of language with social variables (gender, socioeconomic status, nationality, race and ethnicity, etc.); social relations of power; discourse and language ideology; L2 learner subjectivity;  L2 learner identity (re)construction; affective dimensions of L2 learning; the negotiation of the relationship between students and instructors; classrooms and communities and their role in L2 learner identity construction. Students  apply the principles and skills to hands-on projects related to their areas of research interest. The course is taught in a seminar/discussion-based format and does not require previous experience with course topics.