Penn State College of the Liberal Arts Department of Applied Linquistics

This course explores the linguistic and social changes resulting from the use of new communication and information technologies. In the first a few weeks, we will read studies examining the changing forms and use of language brought about by computer-mediated communication (CMC). We will then focus on the social changes that have occurred as a result of new communication technologies in a number of social contexts, including home, workplace, education, surveillance, entertainment, consumer, and legal settings. We will approach CMC from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including communication theory, linguistics, cultural studies, and educational theories of development as they relate to Internet communication tools, contexts, and uses.

While the course title specifies American English pronunciation, it is open to students (grads and undergrads) interested in teaching any language as an L2. The course is designed as an introductory phonetics/phonology course, with a focus on application to L2 speaking and listening skills. The first third of the course will concentrate on the sounds of human languages (i.e., the majority of the world’s languages). Students will develop a sensitivity to such issues as place and manner of articulation, voicing, vowels and diphthongs, in addition to a number of language-specific basic phonological patterns and rules. The remainder of the course will put this phonetic/phonological knowledge into practice. We will examine pronunciation of English, including regional variations (US dialects, British English, Australian English, Indian English) as well as the specific languages of interest of the class members. We will also address issues of “accent” in L2, and examine the sources of potentially difficult aspects of speech production and/or perception (e.g., subtleties in phonetic features, phonological variations, L1 sound system interference). Throughout the remainder of the course students will design and implement language-specific projects aimed at teaching and enhancing speaking and listening skills of English (and/or the particular L2(s) of students’ choice.

This course overviews various perspectives on theory, research, and pedagogical applications in second language writing, for example, the process approach, genre approaches, and literacy-based approaches. Through reading, writing, class discussions, and development of instructional practice, we will explore how research and theory, and how personal and professional factors interact, to inform your theory and practice of L2 writing. We will examine the unique nature of L2 writers, how L1 literacy practices inform L2 literacy practices, teacher response, peer review, the use of computers, and developing writer’s language awareness. We will work to articulate our developing theories, a practice that aligns with our theories, and a recognition of institutional and ideological issues that influence that theory and practice.

This course is an overview of major areas of applied linguistics: second language acquisition, language assessment, corpus linguistics, English as a Lingua Franca, and critical applied linguistics. The course introduces students to some of the key debates in applied linguistics in the different subfields of applied linguistics. In addition to being introduced to the major areas of applied linguistics, students will be expected to develop critical reading abilities, assessing the merits of different philosophical positions and the nature of the evidence in support of each position. There will be a lot of applied linguistic tasks drawn from different parts of the globe in diverse languages which will form the core component of the course.

This course focuses on the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. Specifically, the course explores the multidimensional nature of the teacher as a learner of teaching, the contexts within which teaching occurs, and the activities and content of second language teaching and learning. Throughout the semester students will engage in a range of theoretical, pedagogical, and reflective activities that will enable them to: 1) understand their own beliefs and knowledge about language learning and language teaching and become aware of the impact of such knowledge and beliefs on their classroom practices, 2) recognize the highly situated and interpretative processes involved in language teaching and be able to reflect on, critically analyze, and evaluate their own teaching practices, 3) become sensitive to the complex social, cultural, political, and institutional factors that affect language teaching and students’ language learning, 4) come to recognize students’ strengths and development as learners and language learners, 5) understand subject matter content from an instructional perspectives and learn to anticipate areas that may require additional instructional support, 6) use their knowledge of theory to inform their instructional practices, 7) participate in professional collaborations with other teachers as they learn about language teachers, language teaching, and language learning.

This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed to prepare individuals as health care interpreters. Students in this course will learn how medical interpreters mediate bilingual health care communication between English speaking clinicians and patients who are speakers of other languages. Students will learn skills and strategies needed for excellence in interpreting and will consider issues of professionalism, standards of practice and ethics. Students will acquire contextualized medical terminology and develop the cognitive processing skills necessary for fluid alternation between languages. The course will also consider broader aspects of interpreting in face-to-face health care communication at the following levels: interpersonal (the complexities of the interpreter’s role), intercultural (how members of different communities may structure communication differently) and institutional (how society and organizations can affect individual behavior). Prerequisite: Proficiency in English and another language.

This course is designed to provide a theoretical and methodological introduction to concepts and methods associated with multilingualism and medical research and clinical practice. Topics covered in course readings and activities include cross-linguistic renditions of symptom and diagnostic vocabularies, the translation and adaptation of health related scales and instruments, bilingual interpreting in research and clinical settings, multilingualism and health literacy, and practices of national and international organizations (e.g. the US Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières) that address multilingual populations. The course provides researchers who work with limited English proficiency individuals in the US, or with speakers of languages other than English in international settings, the necessary tools for designing and conducting valid multicultural or cross-cultural research.

The goal of this seminar is to develop a critical awareness of the processes of language teaching and learning materials development. We will consider a range of commercially developed materials designed for what is commonly called an FL setting, both past and present, from the perspectives of the author, instructor, and learner in terms of their stated goals, organizational framework, and the nature of the activities or experiences they provide. Theoretical discussions of various approaches to curriculum design and materials development will provide a basis for analysis. These will include structural, notional-functional and situational frameworks along with so-called “content-based” and “task-based” approaches. The cultural values implicit in the materials will be given particular focus. Is there representation of a Second Language culture or cultures? If so, how can it be characterized in terms of breadth and balance? How are learners expected to react vis-a-vis this representation?

This course is designed to provide an overview of the various theories of and approaches to the analysis of spoken and written discourse, e.g., speech act theory, conversation analysis, pragmatics, contextual analysis, functional/cognitive grammar, grammar and interaction, critical discourse analysis. These and other approaches are intended to serve as analytic tools and frameworks for students to ultimately design and carry out their own preliminary research projects within the course of the semester. Research projects may focus on any aspect of language use, such as language and grammar, language and interaction, language and culture, language socialization, language and cognition; projects may center on some phenomenon of English or may involve other languages, as long as the student is capable of conducting an in-depth analysis of the particular phenomenon under investigation in that language.

Internship (1-18) Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.

The aim of this course is to prepare students for professional roles in language program direction by promoting informed reflection on issues of program design and oversight. Reading, discussion, and hands-on projects will focus on the creation of syllabi and the articulation of courses within language curricula; the choice and development of teaching materials; and the role of the supervisor in promoting and enhancing teacher education. In addition to examining the published literature in these domains, and in order to gain insight into the social and institutional forces shaping language programs, students will be invited to interview working program directors and to share their findings with the class. Final projects for the course may be proposals for innovative curricula or materials, case studies of language programs, or critical reviews of the literature on a particular theme related to the course topic.

In the social sciences, there is a long tradition of building inferences and developing theories based on the observation of cases. In applied linguistics research, case studies both illustrate and occasionally challenge received wisdom through rich and detailed portrayal of individual learners, teachers, classrooms, or communities. In this course, students will examine the history of case study research in applied linguistics, read and critique contemporary case studies, and receive guidance on design, data collection, analysis, and writing as they carry out their own original project.

The course focuses on the analysis of syntax, morphology, phonology, the lexicon and metaphor/metonymy from the perspective of cognitive linguistic theory. Students will complete extensive problem sets in each of these areas. We will not limit our analyses to English but will include a wide array of languages.

This seminar aims to prepare participants for future in-depth study and research in a variety of language related areas. An overview of the history and discursive construction of modern (20th century) linguistics will be followed by attention to functional lineages of linguistic theory, contextual traditions of language analysis, and specific language research frameworks and methodologies, including an overview of semiotic theories, conversation and discourse analysis, cognitive linguistics and metaphor theory, and usage-based and systemic functional approaches.