Bachelor's Degrees in English as a Second Language (ESL)

The Interdisciplinary Studies Program (a special program in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences) allows qualified undergraduate students to devise baccalaureate degrees tailored to their individual interests and needs. The Department of SLS cooperates with this program and offers two such undergraduate degrees, the BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (IS)—ESL, and —ESL and Bilingual Studies. These programs are dedicated to exemplary undergraduate education. Students normally declare their major (in Interdisciplinary Studies this is called a “major equivalent”) at the beginning of their junior year.

Interdisciplinary Studies ESL majors have two faculty advisors, one in the Interdisciplinary Studies program and one in the Department of SLS. Both advisors help students to plan the best possible major for their needs and interests. In addition to their first two years of "core" courses, Interdisciplinary Studies-ESL majors take a minimum of 36 credits of courses which constitute their "major equivalent," plus other "elective" courses to make up the 124 credits required for a B.A. degree. The Interdisciplinary Studies program requires that the 36 credits of "major equivalent" courses must be in a minimum of three different departments.

BA Program Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes

IS – ESL

Students who complete the BA in ESL will gain the following.

• Theories of learning. Students will attain an overview of current second language pedagogical theories and practices. With the goal of balancing theory and practice, graduates will gain a grounding in learning theories and their emphases.
• Second language acquisition. The program provides students with the experience of observing the second language acquisition process both in and out of the classroom. With the goal of gaining an insight into the language learning process, graduates are encouraged to self-reflect and investigate the learning experiences of others.
• Practice teaching. Courses include opportunities for students to experience a variety of second language classroom settings. Graduates are encouraged to examine approaches to lesson development and classroom dynamics.
• Professional practice. Throughout the program, students are provided an opportunity to reflect on the interaction of theory and practice in the teaching of English as a second or foreign language. Students are encouraged to involve themselves in Hawaii's active language professional organizations and conferences.
• Place. An understanding of pidgin and Creole issues, particularly as they reflect Hawai’i and the Pacific. Graduates are guided in seeing the rich linguistic fabric within Hawai'i and its Asia and Pacific roots.

IS —ESL and Bilingual Studies

Student learning outcomes for the BA in ESL and Bilingual Studies. Students who complete the BA in ESL and Bilingual Studies will achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Academic skills in a heritage/foreign language. In collaboration with departments offering East Asian, Hawaiian & Indo Pacific, and Europe & the Americas language training, our graduates will develop academic heritage/foreign language and literacies abilities through upper division courses. With the aim of further cultivating multilingualism, they will acquire metalinguistic and critical skills for examining and constructing multiple/hybrid identities and exploring cultural diversity through language learning and use.
• Academic skills in English. Through DSLS courses, graduates will become familiar with the expectations, conventions, and skills needed for engaging in academic English language and literacies discourses. Through critical analysis of college-level written, oral, visual, electronic, and other modes of expression, they will develop practical and metacognitive abilities for successful appropriation of academic discourses at the college level.
• Professional educational expertise in second language teaching and learning. Graduates will prepare for careers in K-16 ESL and Heritage/Foreign Language teaching in DSLS courses designed for this purpose. They will acquire lifelong learning skills for ongoing professional development through a theory into practice approach to teaching. These skills include second language and literacy materials development, assessment, and teaching approaches. Graduates will acquire a broad knowledge base of the cognitive, social, and political aspects of language and literacy teaching across diverse geographic, linguistic, ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and age populations.

Programs of Study - IS —ESL AND ESL AND BILINGUAL STUDIES

IS - ESL

For a degree in ESL, a minimum of six courses must be taken from the Department of SLS as follows:
Both of:
     SLS 302 Second Language Learning
     SLS 303 Second Language Teaching
Plus at least one of:
     SLS 312 Techniques in Second Language Teaching: Reading & Writing
     SLS 313 Techniques in Second Language Teaching: Listening & Speaking
And the remainder from:
     SLS 380 Bilingual Education
     SLS 418 Instructional Media
     SLS 430 Pidgin and Creole English in Hawai`i
     SLS 441 Language Concepts for Second Language Learning and Teaching
     SLS 460 English Phonology
     SLS 490 Second Language Testing
(SLS 302 is prerequisite to all subsequent SLS courses. It can be taken concurrently with, but not after, other SLS courses.)

For the remaining six courses, students can choose from any 300- or 400-level courses in the university, as long as some of the courses come from at least two departments besides SLS (some students choose to include 7 or 8 SLS courses as part of their major), and as long as the courses are relevant to the major and future plans of the students. These additional major courses are most often selected from departments such as Linguistics, Communication, Speech, Psychology, Anthropology, East Asian Languages, American Studies, and Education, but students are encouraged to thoroughly review the entire university catalog (and use their imaginations)to find a combination of courses that will be the most relevant and stimulating to their individual interests.

If students would like to take additional SLS courses (beyond those included in the major), they can take them as electives. ESL majors are encouraged to take as many SLS courses as they are interested in, to give them the fullest possible knowledge of the field. In addition to their first two years of “core” courses, the IS majors take a minimum of 36 credits of upper division courses that constitute their “major equivalent,” plus other courses to make up the 124 credits required for the BA.

IS—ESL and Bilingual Studies:

Courses in SLS

All of:
     SLS 302 Second Language Learning
     SLS 312 Techniques in SL Teaching; Reading & Writing
     SLS380 Bilingual Education (Intro)
     SLS 430 Pidgin & Creole English in Hawaii
     SLS 480(P) Bilingual Studies Curriculum & Teaching Practice
One of:
     SLS 303 Second Language Teaching
     SLS 313 Techniques in SL Teaching: Speaking
     SLS 418 Instructional Media
     SLS 441 Language Concepts in SL Learning & Teaching
     SLS 460 English Phonology

Example BA programs for Ilokano or Samoan:

Courses in the Department of Hawaiian & Indo-Pacific Languages & Literatures. Three courses in the language of emphasis, either Ilokano or Samoan:
     ILO 301/302 Third-level Ilokano
     ILO 401/402 Fourth-level Ilokano
     ILO 451 Structure of Ilokano
     ILO 424 Intro to Ilokano for Interpreters
     IP 499 Directed Studies (Variable)
     SAM 421/422 Samoan Ceremonial Speech; SAM 431/432 Samoan Oral Traditions;
     SAM 452 Structure of Samoan; SAM 461 Traditional Samoan Literature
     IP 499 - Directed Studies (Variable)

Elective Courses: 9
Graduates of this program are competitive in whatever next steps they take -- some go overseas to teach English, others earn state teaching certification, while others are admitted into top graduate programs, such as UH-Manoa's own internationally renowned Master's in ESL and PhD in Second Language Acquisition (For more information about either of these graduate programs, visit the Department of Second Language Studies website).

For more information, contact:
     Dr. Robert Gibson
     Undergraduate Advisor
     Department of Second Language Studies
     1890 East-West Road
     Honolulu, HI 96822
     Phone: (808) 956-2800
     Email: rgibson@hawaii.edu