SLS302 Second Language Learning

SLS302 Second Language Learning

Notes:
This introductory course provides students with a broad overview of theories and issues in the field of second language acquisition (SLA), and prepares them for more advanced courses in the undergraduate SLS curriculum. It will mainly cover (a) first language acquisition, (b) theories in SLA, (c) factors affecting SLA, (d) learner language, and (e) instructed SLA.

SLS303 Second Language Teaching

Notes:
This course surveys current theories, research, and practices in second and foreign language teaching. Through discussions, activities, and projects (e.g., classroom observation, syllabus designing, lesson planning), students will develop their ability to make informed decisions and choices in current and future instructional settings. Topics covered include institutional and curricular contexts of language teaching, the historical development of language teaching methodologies, learner and teacher roles, classroom management, syllabus and curriculum design, lesson planning, teaching materials, and the role of evaluation in language teaching and learning. Students are expected to critically draw on language learning theories and research and reflect on their own assumptions about language teaching practices. [Pre-requisite: SLS 302]

Textbooks:
Required: Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English. Essex, UK: Longman Optional: Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles. White Plains, NY: Longman.

SLS312 Techniques in Second Language Teaching: Reading & Writing

Notes:
This course provides an overview of the theoretical and practical issues involved in the teaching of second or foreign language (L2) reading and writing. The theoretical and empirical perspectives are integrated with practical experiences including classroom observation, teaching practices as well as material development and evaluation.

Textbooks:
Aebersold, J. A., & Field, M. L. (1997). From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hyland, K. (2003). Second language writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

SLS380 Bilingual Education

Notes:
This course provides a broad overview of theories and issues relevant to contemporary bilingual education. We will examine bilingualism and bilingual education from historical, political, psycholinguistic, social, cultural and pedagogical perspectives. While much of our enquiry will concern bilingual education in the United States, we will also discuss bilingualism and multilingualism in the world. In addition, we will examine in some detail particular language education issues in Hawai\'i.

SLS418 Instructional Media

Notes:
Theoretical and practical applications of using electronic and audio-visual media in second language teaching (Pre: 303 or graduate standing). The objectives of this course are to explore theoretical background for second language teaching using various media, to familiarize students with various technologies, especially electronic media (the Internet and other on-line applications) for L2 teaching, to critically evaluate the effectiveness of using technologies in L2 classrooms, and to develop students’ own plan to implement technologies for their classroom. This is a hands-on course where students will be able to explore multiple tools that they can then implement in their own (or future) teaching, while making important connections to current language learning and teaching research.

Textbooks:
Required textbook: Dudeney G., & Hockly, H. (2007), How to Teach English with Technology. Pearson Longman. Additonal readings may be required throughout the course.

SLS430 Pidgin and Creole English in Hawaii

Notes:
This course provides a understanding of the most important aspects of Hawai\'i Pidgin English (HPE) and of Hawai\'i Creole English (HCE): their sociohistorical and cultural background; the pidginization, creolization, and decreolization processes; sociolinguistic variation, language attitudes and social inequality; linguistic structure: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics; discourse processes and interactional styles; language acquisition and schooling; the use of \"Pidgin\" in the literary and performing arts. Course activities include an oral report, sociolinguistic fieldwork, transcription and analysis of authentic speech data, periodic quizzes, and a journal/term project.

SLS441 Language Concepts for Second Language Learning and Teaching

Notes:
This course is an introduction to the study of language, with particular attention to the structure of English. It will examine the component parts of language, namely, phonetics and phonology (the sound system), morphology (the internal structure of words), syntax (the structure of sentences), and semantics and pragmatics (meaning) as well as touch on other linguistic topics (e.g. language typology, native language acquisition, etc.). While emphasis will be given to the structure of English, especially its morphosyntax, data from other languages will also be looked at. The overall goals are (a) to become familiar with the key concepts and terminology needed to describe and analyze language; (b) to gain a basic understanding of the way language works; (c) to appreciate how languages differ (and how they\'re the same); and (d) to help in your reading of the primary (second language acquisition) literature. The course will be a combination of assigned readings, lectures, exercises, small group discussions and individual/group projects. No prior knowledge of linguistics or language description is assumed.

SLS460 English Phonology

Notes:
This course provides an introduction to the basics of English phonetics and phonology as they relate to other aspects of language and with particular emphasis on areas of interest to second/foreign language learners and teachers. The course will cover (1) the system of English consonants, vowels, and prosodic elements (2) Issues and techniques for teaching pronunciation, (3) analysis of ESL/EFL learners\' pronunciation and ways of providing negative and positive feedback, (4) the acquisition of first and second language phonology, (5) how transfer, universals, developmental processes, age, and instruction affect the acquisition process, (6) Materials used in teaching pronunciation, (7) the role of pronunciation instruction in an ESL/EFL curriculum. Classes will consist of lectures, readings, discussions, cooperative group and pair work, data analysis, exercises and materials review. Where possible, practical classroom applications will be provided and demonstrated. The course aims to provide English teachers and future SL researchers with some understanding of the English sound system and to assist in the development of a soundly based pronunciation pedagogy.

SLS490 Second Language Testing

Notes:
This course is intended to provide a working knowledge of the basic principles and procedures for test construction and testing with an emphasis on the second language context. Participants review a variety of first and second language tests including standardized tests, integrative language tests, discrete-point tests, and tests of communicative competence. Participants also construct and try out some of their own tests. No previous knowledge of statistics or higher mathematics is required. Students will learn the necessary statistical procedures to use in "testing the test" and will develop the skills needed to read test manuals with understanding.

SLS600 Introduction to Second Language Studies

Notes:
Introduction to basic professional and research issues in second language studies; integration of theory, research, and practice for prospective SLS teachers and researchers. Pre: Graduate standing. This course introduces the fundamental professional concerns and research approaches in applied linguistics for language teaching and learning. It initiates the graduate student into professional training, showing how to integrate theory, research, and practice. Basic principles of research methodology are introduced and applied to problems in the study of second language pedagogy, second language use, second language analysis, and second language learning. Key concepts and terminology are elaborated on.

SLS620 Second Language Reading

Notes:
This course is a survey of research in second language reading processes and of methodologies in its teaching. The theoretical aspects of the course will be integrated with practical concerns of classroom techniques, materials development, and evaluation. The course is organized around lectures, group discussions, practical activities and student presentations. The goals of the course are: 1. To provide students with a detailed knowledge of the theoretical issues involved in the reading process and the teaching of reading in SL/FL settings. 2. To provide students with opportunities to develop and evaluate reading materials. 3. To provide the student with experience in conducting reading research.

Textbooks:
Hudson, T. (2007). Teaching Second Language Reading. Cambridge University Press. Additonal readings may be required throughout the course.

SLS630 Second Language Program Development

Notes:
An examination of procedures used in designing, implementing and evaluating language programs. This course will survey key issues in language curriculum development, introduce students to a systems-based approach to program and curriculum development, and provide opportunities for practical experience in developing language curriculum. To those ends, we will cover: (a) the history of curriculum design in language programs, (b) the systems approach to language curriculum design, implementation, and maintenance, (c) language needs analysis, (d) goals and objectives for language programs, (e) language testing for norm-referenced and criterion-referenced purposes, (f) choosing, adapting and creating language materials for a specific program, (g) teaching in a systems approach language curriculum, (h) evaluation at the program level for improvement and maintenance of curriculum.

Textbooks:
Brown, J.D. (1995). The elements of language curriculum: A systematic approach to program development. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

SLS631 Second Language Program Evaluation

Notes:
Program evaluation plays a variety of roles in education and society, though it is often narrowly construed as an external accountability mechanism only. In language education, as well, program evaluation has the potential to do considerable good or bad, depending on how (and in whose interests) it is designed, implemented, and utilized. Good or not, demands for language educators to engage in program evaluation are on the increase—therefore, it is essential that we be prepared to respond in ways that benefit language learners and other stakeholders, that help us to perpetuate and improve our language education efforts, and that enhance the vitality of language programs in institutions and society. In this course, participants will explore the potentials and pitfalls of evaluation, with a primary focus on language program improvement, and they will develop the basic knowledge and skills to design effective evaluations at the classroom, curricular, institutional, and societal levels. Course topics include: (a) the contribution of program evaluation in language education thus far; (b) major language program evaluation projects that have been undertaken in recent history; (c) the critical need for evaluation as a way of focusing practice-relevant L2 instructional research; (d) useful evaluation models, from program-theory to empowerment to utilization-focused; (e) standards of evaluation; (f) the paradigms debate and pragmatic resolution in contemporary practice; (g) the extensive array of epistemologies and methods available to evaluators (bridging the ‘qualitative’ to ‘quantitative’ spectrum); and (h) the importance of values and politics in language education, and how program evaluation deals with these tricky societal forces. Readings are primarily from a course text (Patton, 1997/2008) with a few additional articles. As befits a graduate course, participants will contribute extensively to class sessions, in the form of discussions, presentations, and workshops. Participants will also complete a hands-on evaluation project in association with a language education context of their choosing.

SLS640 English Syntax

Notes:
English grammar: description, acquisition, pedagogy This course covers the major areas of English syntax, in some depth. The course is primarily designed for the language teaching professional. MA students with a specialization in language teaching/ESL should find this course particularly valuable, as emphasis is placed on connections to issues of language acquisition and pedagogy. The treatment is primarily descriptive rather than theoretical. Major areas of emphasis are verbs, especially the syntax of verb complementation, modals, tense, aspect and voice, particles; noun phrase structure, including relative clauses and pre-nominal modification; the article system; compound and complex sentences; comparison; ellipsis and other understood elements.

SLS650 Second Language Acquisition

Notes:
This course provides a critical survey of research on second language acquisition (SLA) by children and adults, learning naturalistically and with the aid of formal instruction, as individuals or in groups, in second and foreign language settings. Relationships are explored between SLA research and language teaching. An empirically based research project is required.

Textbooks:
Ortega, L. (2009). Understanding Second Language Acquisition. London: Hodder Arnold. Plus a reading packet with selected journal articles and book chapters.

SLS660 Sociolinguistics and Second Languages

Notes:
(No description submitted. For information, please contact instructor.)

SLS675 Second Language Qualitative Research

Notes:
This course examines the philosophy and theories that inform second language qualitative research, and it provides students with a framework for becoming familiar with studies that demonstrate how qualitative methodologies have been used to explore various research questions relevant to SLS. Course participants will examine the following questions: 1) How do social and cultural theories inform second language qualitative studies?; 2) What are the principal methodologies used?; and 3) what are the considerations involved in writing up qualitative studies? We will read and discuss a wide range of literature concerning qualitative research, including theoretical and methodological overviews, and we will critically review studies that employ qualitative methods such as ethnography, narrative inquiry, and discourse analysis. The main objective of the course will be to provide students with an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of key qualitative theories and methods, and to apply these to their own research interests. While readings will be geared toward students’ interests, areas we will likely cover include language ideologies, language socialization, identity, hybridity, and interculturality. Students will lead small group discussions, complete several small methods assignments, and produce a final course project on a topic of their choice. A course packet will be the required text.

SLS678 Discourse Analysis in Second Language Research

Notes:
This survey course pursues two goals. 1. Based on a broad range of theoretical and empirical discourse-analytical texts, to foster participants’ critical understanding of discourse analysis as a central, interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences; of its diverse disciplinary origins, theoretical orientations, methodological options, and relationship to historical and current intellectual paradigms. 2. To explore discourse analysis as an approach to research problems in second language studies. Participants will conduct a study on a topic in second language use, learning, or education from a discourse-analytical perspective. Work on data already collected is welcome. There will be no textbook. The required texts will be available on Laulima. Recommended texts: Fitch, K.L., & Sanders, R.E. (Eds.) (2005). Handbook of language and social interaction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Whetherell, M., Taylor, S., & Yates, S. J. (2001a). Discourse theory and practice. A reader. London: Sage. Whetherell, M., Taylor, S., & Yates, S. J. (2001b). Discourse as data. A guide for analysis. London: Sage. Pre: 660

SLS680N Second Language Analysis

Notes:
680N (2) SL Analysis (Corpus Linguistics and SLS) Second language acquisition research can profitably make use of the study of corpora. This course reviews and critiques published and unpublished research that either has used corpus linguistic data or that could be extended and strengthened by the investigation of corpora. Students will make use of corpus linguistics in small studies of their own. A previous course in corpus linguistics would be very beneficial but is not prerequisite. Basic techniques of corpus linguistics will be introduced in the course for those who need them. A research paper is required using corpus linguistics to address a problem in the field of second language acquisition or descriptive linguistics.

SLS680N Second Language Analysis

Notes:
680N (1) SL Analysis (Generative Approaches to L2 (morpho)syntax) A growing body of research ties together current linguistic theory and nonnative language (L2) acquisition. The overall goal of this type of research (in which the focus on syntax far surpasses all other domains) is to create a conceptually and empirically well-grounded theory of L2 acquisition of grammar. The aims of this course are to become familiar with some current work on theoretical approaches to L2 acquisition whose underpinnings stem from (generative) linguistic theory. We will closely examine conceptual and empirical research that speaks to issues relevant to such approaches. In general, although we will concentrate on L2 acquisition (with comparisons to native language acquisition) from within one particular theory of syntax, namely, the Principles and Parameters (P&P) framework of Universal Grammar, it is also expected that other topics on L2 acquisition of interest to the class will be touched on. The course will be a combination of lectures and student presentations of readings. While familiarity with introductory syntax is highly desirable, time will be taken in class to ensure understanding of the necessary linguistic background. A term paper will be required.

Textbooks:
1. White, Lydia. 2003. Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2. Selected readings (to be provided)

SLS680P Second Language Pedagogy

Notes:
680P (1) SL Pedagogy (L2 Program Administration) This course examines second and foreign language program administration theory and practice from the perspective of various program types, such as intensive programs, English language institutes, adult education, bilingual education, and other special programs. Topics will include: program design, development and evaluation; curriculum and materials development; faculty recruitment, supervision and development; student services, including testing and placement, admissions, and counseling; developing and managing budgets; and managing physical resources. Classes will consist of discussions, examination of real programs, case studies for related problem solving, and guest presentations by language program administrators. The primary aim of the course is to provide students with the real-world knowledge and tools necessary for effective program administration in a variety of situations.

SLS680P Second Language Pedagogy

Notes:
680P (2) SL Pedagogy (Materials Development) The goal is to provide an understanding of the theoretical and practical considerations involved in evaluating, selecting, designing, developing, and adapting second and foreign language materials. This is accomplished through three related activities. The first activity involves students becoming well versed in the focus of their materials project (e.g., oral fluency, writing). The second is an examination of theoretical beliefs and assumptions of the purposes and roles of materials in L2 teaching. In this examination, the focus is on the ways in which materials reflect beliefs concerning how second and foreign languages are taught and learned. The third activity involves practical experiences in evaluating, selecting, designing, developing and adapting materials. The focus will be on materials that will be used for the UBU-UH 690 project. Accordingly, enrollment is restricted to graduate students who will participate in the UBU-UH 690 project 2010. There is no required text. While there will be a packet of required readings, the major focus of the course is practical experiences in evaluating, selecting, designing, developing, and adapting materials for the UBU-UH 690 project..

SLS730 Seminar in Second Language Education

Notes:
730 (1) Seminar in SL Education (Investigating Constructs in Lg Teaching, Learning, & Assessment) Constructs are generally understood to be idealized and unobservable concepts, or groups of inter-related concepts (often referred to as models), used to explain particularly important phenomena in various domains of scientific inquiry like psychology, sociology, and educational measurement. We are all familiar with commonly assumed constructs from these domains such as “intelligence”, “motivation”, “culture shock”, “proficiency”, and others. Within language education as well, constructs are important for inquiry and practice in language teaching, learning, and assessment, in that they provide the basic elements underlying theories of how languages are, or should be, taught, learned, and assessed. “Focus-on-Form”, “sociopragmatic competence”, “implicit linguistic knowledge”, “academic speaking ability”, and “the ZPD” are examples of the many kinds of constructs that play a role in guiding how we think and talk about language education. However, while familiar, constructs are also tricky--they emerge out of particular intellectual milieus for particular reasons, they are themselves socially constructed in a variety of ways, and they may be co-constructed and de-constructed by those who put them to use (intentionally or unintentionally). In this seminar, participants will explore the roles played by constructs in theories and practices of language teaching, learning, and assessment. We will begin by reviewing (a) frameworks for situating constructs from a philosophy of science perspective, (b) the historical emergence of education-related constructs, and (c) the kinds of constructs that have influenced L2 education. We will then consider how L2 educational constructs can be investigated and understood, as they are created, developed, and put into practice by individuals as well as research and professional communities. Participants will devote a substantial portion of the semester to analyzing specific constructs of interest to their own work, addressing why such constructs are needed, what role(s) they play in L2 educational practice, and how research can be used to ‘test’ their validity, reality, or value. Through course projects, students will be encouraged to pursue writing that is tailored to their scholarly work. Readings will take the form of a collection of articles, and students will also contribute readings based on their interests.

SLS750 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition

Notes:
750 (1) Seminar in SL Acquisition (Bilingualism, Language, & Cognition) Facts and myths surround bilingualism and multilingualism. As more families and individuals grow up and/or live in bi/multilingual settings some questions have become pressing. For example, what language strategies are more effective for raising bilingual children? Are there cognitive advantages or disadvantages to speaking more than one language? Are there social advantages? What are the factors affecting language loss in adopted children? Can we devise experimental simulations to test practices of language revitalization? Moreover, it is often discussed that the language we speak influences not only the way we see the world around us, but also the way we see and think about ourselves, our self-perception, identity, autobiographical life narrative. What is the relation between thought and language, and memory and language? The course will review a selection of recent research studies that have begun to provide partial scientific answers to such questions. At the same time, a fuller understanding of multilingualism will require more concerted research efforts across disciplines, like the integration of qualitative and quantitative traditions, and the investigation of how social and cognitive factors interact in language learning. The course is thus aimed at paving the way for new collaborative methodological advances in the study of bi/multilingualism.

SLS750 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition

Notes:
750 (2) Seminar in SL Acquisition (Research Synthesis & Meta-Analysis in Applied Linguistics) The goal of this seminar is to learn to conduct research on learner language drawing on existing second language corpora and exploiting CHILDES (MacWhinney, 2000), as a resource for the analysis of second language development. This system can help address language development questions from a variety of theoretical perspectives and offers analytical tools to study a wide range of developmental areas, including phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, narrative, early literacy, and discourse. CHILDES is widely used for the analysis of child language development but its enormous possibilities for the analysis of linguistic development by second language learners have not been sufficiently explored by the SLA community. Seminar participants will design and conduct a study that applies CHILDES tools to an existing L2 corpus in order to investigate some question about second language development. Projects will be encouraged in English as well as other second languages and on questions derived from different SLA theoretical approaches, such as functional theories of interlanguage, generative SLA, and Conversation Analysis for SLA. Venues for the eventual completion and publication of the research projects produced in this seminar will be sought. Materials: The CHILDES software and manual (both of which can be downloaded from the CHILDES website at no cost: http://childes.psy.cmu.edu/); a packet of empirical and theoretical readings about learner language; and a textbook: Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Analyzing learner language. New York: Oxford University Press. Pre: 650 or instructor’s consent

Textbooks:
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Analyzing learner language. New York: Oxford University Press.

SLS760 Seminar in Second Language Use

Notes:
760 (1) Seminar in SL Use (Intercultural Communication) This seminar provides students with a deep understanding of how intercultural communication has been conceptualized and analyzed in the interrelated fields of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. The course focuses on how the constructs of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural difference’ are enacted by speakers of more than one language in conversational interactions. The course will emphasize the perspective that culture and cultural difference are social constructs that cannot be presumed, but rather are the result of active processes in interaction among conversational participants, processes which sometimes point to the relevance of cultural models, interpretive schemas, discourses, and ideologies. In this regard, the course will examine both ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ levels of interculturality. The course will also provide students with a strong foundation in interactional sociolinguistics, one of the most commonly used methodological frameworks for analyzing intercultural differences in face-to-face interaction (cf. Gumperz, 1982; Rampton, 1995). Participants will read research on the social construction of culture and interculturality from the interrelated fields of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis that examine 1) miscommunication in cross-cultural interactions; 2) the discursive construction of culture and cultural difference; and, 3) research methods for analyzing intercultural interactions. We will examine seminal work in the field, starting with cross-cultural communication studies, followed by an examination of the developments in the field that have led to the reconceptualization of this area of inquiry as intercultural communication. Following a seminar format, students will regularly lead discussions of readings and present data for analysis in workshop format twice during the semester. A final term paper of 20-25 pages (with deadlines for proposal, working bibliography, and first draft) will also be required for the course. A course packet is the required text.

SLS760 Seminar in Second Language Use

Notes:
In Western philosophy and science, cognition and emotion have traditionally been understood as mental phenomena located in individuals. The intrapsychological view dominates contemporary cognitive science and SLA, although alternative proposals are gaining ground. The seminar examines cognition and emotion from a discursive perspective. Starting with the observation that “psychological” states and processes are on constant display in talk and other conduct in interaction, we will set aside the ontological question of what cognition and emotion “are”. Instead, we will examine how participants display and construct psychological objects (understanding, remembering and forgetting, epistemic and affective states and stances, attributions and inferences, agency and motivation) as socially constituted, occasioned through talk, and deployed for practical purposes. In particular, we will in examine how cognition and emotion talk does rhetorical and categorial work in social actions, story telling, and constructing identities in ordinary conversation and institutional settings. Participants will read key texts in ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, and discursive psychology that approach cognition and emotion in talk as participant concerns and empirically available objects for analysis. Based on this foundation, we will review how cognition has been addressed in the fast growing conversation-analytic literature on L2 interaction and learning. The section on emotion will start from recent work on emotion in the discourse of multilingual speakers (e.g., Pavlenko, 2005). Because the published literature on emotion talk in L2 interaction is limited, one goal of the seminar is to develop a research agenda on this topic, based on records of L2 interaction. Coursework will include reviews of the required texts, data sessions, and a research paper on the seminar topic. As always, students are welcome to work with video or audio recorded (L2) interactions they have already collected and to continue their studies in progress. Participants will typically have taken at least one prior course in conversation analysis, discursive practices, or a similar topic. Further information available on request.

Textbooks:
Molder, H. t., & Potter, J. (Eds.) (2005). Conversation and cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Recommended: Edwards, D. (1997). Discourse and cognition. London: Sage. NB No textbook orders at the UHM Bookstore. Please order your own copies (free shipping from amazon.com).