GRAD > APLING
Applied Linguistics Courses
APLING 601 Linguistics +
Description:
This course introduces students to the basic linguistic concepts necessary for understanding how sounds, words, sentences, and texts are structured in English. Its main goal is to help students use these concepts to contrast the structure of English with the structure of other languages. More Info
Offered in:APLING 603 Language, Culture and Identity +
Description:
This course is designed to provide students a basis for a more comprehensive understanding of the various concepts and meanings of culture and the ways in which cultural practices help shape our identities, particularly how they are enacted and received in classrooms and second language education. The readings, discussions, and assignments are aimed toward developing potential pedagogical tools and educational programs that will be grounded in the research and concepts presented and explored in this course. The main goal is for students to develop their own personal, theoretically-grounded approach to teaching that facilitates cross-cultural communication in addressing the socially constructed notions and identifications of `race' and their ensuing identities in the multilingual classroom. Both theories and practical research from the second language classroom and other domains will be illustrated. By writing about and discussing readings drawn from a broad literature base, students will analyze how multiple phenomena of culture and identity (e.g., power, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, language, sexuality, and class, among other factors) affect schools, the classroom, teachers, and students. More Info
Offered in:APLING 605 Theories and Principles of Language Teaching +
Description:
This introductory course presents students with a theoretical background in the theory of second language development and language teaching. Concepts from the fields of applied linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education will be presented in relation to fundamental questions about language learning. The course will focus on the foundations of language acquisition to build students' understanding of the relationship between research, theory and practice in second and foreign language teaching. Contributions of major schools of thought-including Behaviorism, Innatism, Cognitivism, Interaction, and Sociocultural theory - will be examine din relation to current and historical language teaching practices and beliefs. More Info
Offered in:APLING 611 Methods and Materials in Foreign Language Instruction +
Description:
This course seeks (1) to relate methods of teaching a foreign language to current Second Language Acquisition (SLA), research and theory and evaluate these methods; (2) to discuss classroom problems in light of current SLA theory; and (3) to look critically at textbooks and create new, specific course material to be tested and shared among all class participants. The course's hands-on approach bridges the gap between theoreticians and classroom practitioners: Students are encouraged-through reading, discussion, teaching demonstrations, and classroom observations-to explore and define the language teacher's role and to question their experience as language learners and teachers. More Info
Offered in:APLING 612 Integrating Culture into the Language Curriculum +
Description:
This course takes a hands-on approach and bridges the gap between theoreticians and classroom practitioners. Participants can tie in their critical understanding of cross-cultural perspectives into numerous aspects of the language curriculum. They explore how culture has been taught traditionally and how cultural values are embodied in authentic documents. They gain awareness of potential cultural conflicts between their own culture and the culture they teach or their students' culture. Discussion and research are directed towards developing instructional units based on a large variety of authentic documents that reflect multicultural diversity and help students discover and resolve cultural conflicts. More Info
Offered in:APLING 614 Foundations of Bilingual/Multicultural Education +
Description:
This course is designed to expose students to issues pertaining to the historical, philosophical, legal, and theoretical foundations of bilingualism, and bilingual/multilingual education. Through the study of pertinent literature, students will develop a theoretical and philosophical framework that will enable them to better understand language policies and the politics of diversity and multiculturalism, and their implications for education in the United States and worldwide. More Info
Offered in:APLING 615 Dual Language Pedagogy +
Description:
This course is designed to provide systematic study of effective ways to structure learning opportunities for English Language Learners in bilingual educational settings. an understanding of the instructional needs of language minority students is developed and an awareness of bilingual programs with a focus on dual language to meet those specific needs i presented. the course is intended to engage graduate students in exploring theories of language learning, and a variety of procedures, methods, approaches and appropriate materials for use in bilingual and, in particular, dual language pedagogy. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 616 Curriculum Development in Bilingual Education +
Description:
This course is designed to expose students to issues pertaining to the historical and theoretical foundations of curriculum studies in general, and of bilingual curriculum, in particular. The course will briefly trace the history of curriculum studies and then, delve in the theory, application, design, development and implementation of bilingual curriculum. Through the study of pertinent literature, students will develop a theoretical and practical framework and become familiar with the processes involved in the bilingual education curriculum. Students will explore what schools teach to language learners, what should they teach and who should decide about it; what is the primary aim of bilingual education; and what beliefs, values, or attitudes are learned from the way bilingual classrooms are. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 618 Teaching ESL: Methods and Approaches +
Description:
This course familiarizes students with schools of thought that frame teaching English as a second language to immigrant children, youth, and adults in the US and elsewhere. Students will explore many language teaching methods and approaches with special focus placed on Sheltered English Instruction (the mandated instructional approach for ELLs in Massachusetts and in influential model world-wide). Course readings will examine psycholinguistic, sociocultural, and historical influences on ESL and Sheltered English instruction. Students' evolving understanding of teaching and learning English as second language will contribute to awareness of why and how their decisions affect a specific teaching context and will support informed pedagogical choices. More Info
Offered in:APLING 621 Psycholinguistics +
Description:
This course introduces students to contemporary issues and theories of language development and to the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). It presents an overview of the major research findings on language learning during the last forty years: e.g., universal features of the L2 learner and the L2 learning process, nature and route or acquisition, Interlanguage, cross-linguistic influences; role of the environment and environmental triggers of acquisition; cognitive contributions. Students examine a range of SLA epistemologies and theories that attempt to account for some of these research finding and the issues they have raised. They practice critically evaluation specific research studies and understanding their connections with current perspectives in the field. More Info
Offered in:APLING 623 Sociolinguistics +
Description:
This course examines language use in society in various contextual domains. It focuses on interactions in the classroom and local communities and the co-constructing and indexing of gendered, racial, and classed identities. The course addresses the latest theories and research in sociolinguistics and their implications. Topics include language and power, discourse and media representations, urban ethnographic studies, and ideologies of standardized languages. More Info
Offered in:APLING 627 Phonetics and Phonemics +
APLING 629 The Structure of the English Language +
Description:
This course covers ways of describing the structure of English, starting with traditional methods used in many textbooks and finishing with alternative methods. It will discuss teaching methodologies and sociolinguistic considerations and provide opportunities for practice in applying these theories and techniques. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 632 Forensic Linguistics +
Description:
This course explores the subject of forensic linguistics, the intersection of language and the law. Topics to be covered include: (critical) discourse analysis, linguistic structures, syntax, lexical selections, pragmatics, and conversational analysis, among other foci. Throughout the semester, students will continually apply their understanding of linguistic principles and theories to authentic criminal and civil court cases. Some of the cases and discussions will focus on non-native speakers of English in the legal system. More Info
Offered in:APLING 633 Discourse Analysis in ESL +
Description:
This course will deal with approaches to discourse analysis, which will be defined as a set of procedures for interpreting utterances in context. The course will examine different descriptive models from the disciplines of linguistics, sociology, and anthropology and apply them to a variety of texts and contexts. It will concentrate on face-to-face oral interaction, but some aspects of written or ''planned'' texts will also be discussed. The models of discourse analysis will be applied to the areas of everyday conversation, classroom interaction, and (native/non-native) interaction in interviews, classrooms, and everyday conversation. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 634 Critical Discourse Analysis +
Description:
The purpose of this course is to consider language and discourse in relation to society in general and education, in particular. Discourses are historical, ideological, as well as forms of social action. The role of language in social life is of paramount concern to researchers in the social sciences, including education. This course aims at introducing students to theories and methods of discourse analysis, and more specifically, Critical Discourse Analysis. Students will become familiar with the methods used in conversation analysis, discourse analysis, and critical discourse analysis and their theoretical underpinnings. Towards this end, the course will consider marxist, neo-marxist, postmodern, and critical theories in order to provide a theoretical framework that will enable students to understand and situation the formation of different discourses in conduction their research. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 635 Literacy & Culture +
Description:
The course will take a sociolinguistic and anthropological approach to the analysis of discourse and, in so doing, seek to clarify the distinction between ''oral style'' strategies and ''literate style'' strategies in communication. It will look at so-called ''oral cultures'' and cultures influenced by writing, as well as at cross-cultural differences in orientation toward spoken communication and language and literacy socialization practices. A great deal of emphasis in class will be placed on the analysis of ''non-literary'' texts: e.g., interactions between teachers and young children as the children tell stories during ''Show and Tell,'' interactions between writing instructor and student writers during writing conferences, narratives told by adolescents who speak Black English Vernacular, written texts produced by student writers from various non-mainstream backgrounds. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 637 Ethnography of Education: Culture, Language, & Literacy +
Description:
This course addresses the how and why of ethnographic inquiry. It introduces students to ethnographic approaches and methodologies, and, more importantly, to the kinds of questions ethnographers ask. A key emphasis is on demystifying the field of research and applying ethnographic methods and techniques suitable for the study of culture, language, and schooling. Students read and critically assess a variety of ethnographic research that addresses issues in class, ethnicity/race, culture, language, and learning. Students will also implement anthropological and sociological approaches and insights in planning for and conducting ethnographic observations and interviews. As a final assignment, students will be required to write a project proposal proposing to study and issue related to ethnicity/race, culture, language, and education. More Info
Offered in:APLING 640 French Applied Linguistics +
Description:
This course focuses on the application of selected linguistic topics to the pedagogy of French as a foreign language in the United States. Drawing on a sociolinguistically-oriented survey of the linguistic situation in various Francophone regions o the world, it explores variability in French, including social, stylistic, and geographical variation, and implications of such variability for the French as a Foreign Language classroom. The examination of French as found in multiple settings leads to exploring what it means to be a native speaker, and how and why the construct has been problematized in the applied linguistic literature. The course also discusses issues of language policy in France and the Francophone world and questions about the selection and development of language norms and pedagogical norms. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 643 Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues in Critical Pedagogy and Critical Language Education +
Description:
Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues in Critical Pedagogy is an introductory course to critical theory and the ways it has affected and shaped educational theory, pedagogy, and classroom practice. This course will draw upon the seminal work of a diverse group of theorists, including writings from the Frankfurt School (Marcuse, Adomo, Horkheimer), Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, and others. Within a historical context, the course will focus on early theories of social and cultural reproduction, theories of resistance, and the hidden curriculum. The latter part of the course will situate some of the early reform issues about schooling within a more recent context in order to illuminate how such issues resonate with current public discourses on schooling and radical pedagogy. We will examine the work of Critical Pedagogues such as Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, bell hooks, Stanley Aronowitz, Michael Apple, etc. Finally, we will look into the application of Critical Pedagogy framework to classroom practice for language teachers. Major themes of the course include: education as cultural force, hegemony and the politics of hidden curriculum, popular cultures, public pedagogy and cultural politics, capitalism, neo-liberalism and education, and the role of educators as public intellectuals. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 665 Immigration and Education +
Description:
This course familiarizes students with theory and research on the education of immigrant children, youth and adults in the US and worldwide. Students will draw on interdisciplinary lenses, including contributions from psychological, sociological, anthropological and educational research, to understand and apply current perspectives on immigration to local contexts. Students will explore the implications of the growing presence of immigrant-origin students in public schools in the US and other post-industrial societies. The course will consider the role of gender, social-economic status, race, ethnicity, undocumented status and a variety of social context factors which affect the adaptation of immigrant students and families with special focus placed on education settings. Our evolving understanding of the pathways immigrant student take as they negotiate schooling and life in a new country will contribute to informed policy, curriculum and pedagogy choices. More Info
Offered in:APLING 669 Writing Theories in Second Language Instruction +
Description:
This course will consider the key issues in writing theory, research, and pedagogy as they are specifically related to writing in a second language. It will introduce students to the existing research and developing theories on the composing process and examine, critique, and evaluate current and traditional theories and practices by exploring the ways in which theory and research can be translated into instruction. More Info
Offered in:APLING 670 Testing in the Bilingual/ESL Classroom +
Description:
Students will become familiar with language proficiency and language dominance testing and with other measurement and evaluative procedures needed in the administration and instruction of limited English proficient students in ESL and bilingual programs. More Info
Offered in:APLING 673 Reading in the Bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom +
Description:
This course is designed to expose students to current debates over various perception of what constitutes literacy, especially in regard to education English language learners (ELLs). Class participants will critically analyze reading theories and research in reference to bilingual and ESL reading practices. As part of this overview, participants will analyze a number of reading approaches and methods, including sociocultural and psycholinguistic orientations toward literacy development, bilingualism, and second language reading development. The course will also examine informal language, literacy assessment of ELLS, and current implementation of the Massachusetts state-defined English language arts framework and ESL standards. Finally, participants will study and evaluate current L2 reading instructional and informal assessment methodologies and strategies in light of current research and theory. More Info
Offered in:APLING 684 Usage Based Linguistic Analysis +
Description:
This course will familiarize students with how language corpora-large computerized databases of spoken and/or written language-are created, analyzed, and applied int he second/foreign language classroom to the teaching and learning of English or any other language. Students will read relevant literature in areas of corpus-based research, learn how to use software designed to analyze corpora, and as a final project analyze some particular area of grammar in a relevant corpus, and describe how the results of such an analysis can be applied in the language teaching classroom. More Info
Offered in:APLING 685 Bilingual/ESL Classroom +
Description:
This course is designed to address the need for the integration of the Internet in the language classroom, whether in the form of web-enhanced or web-based lessons. Special focus is placed on the ways the Internet can be used to enrich, enhance, and deliver lesson plans that successfully address language goals and the needs of second language learners. Students taking this course gain competence in effectively browsing the web, integrating Web resources for educational resources, and thoughtfully using technology and the Internet to plan classroom activities. Issues such as the digital divide, acceptable use policies, copyright, quality assurance, and content validity are addressed with the aim of developing a theoretical framework and thinking about the Internet critically. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 688 English as a Second Language Licensure Pre-Practicum +
Description:
This one-credit course meets the pre-practicum requirement for students seeking ESL Licensure in Massachusetts (Levels: PK-6; 5-12). Students complete 75-hours of supervised observation in a public-school classroom in Massachusetts. They also teach one lesson at their pre-practicum site; this lesson is observed and evaluated by their Supervising Practitioner and the UMass course instructor. More Info
Offered in:APLING 690 Field Experience +
Description:
This course grounds students' academic work in the practical realities of the classroom and student learning. Each student will design a semester-long field experience in coordination with the course instructor based in action research or student teaching in which they respond to the specific needs and questions of their teaching or research context. The seminar community and readings will support students in developing reflexivity in their teaching and research practice and in linking practice to theory and policy. More Info
Offered in:APLING 696 Independent Study +
Description:
This course will provide opportunities for students to work independently in one of the following areas: Applied Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Second Language and Bilingual Methodology, and Cross-Cultural Studies. Students who wish to do an independent study should submit a study plan, including: a brief description of their area of interest and an outline of the topic they plan to research in terms of content, time, and the structure of their project. More Info
Offered in:APLING 697 Special Topics in Applied Linguistics +
Description:
An advanced course, offering intensive study of selected topics in bilingual/ESL/foreign language pedagogy studies. Course content varies according to the topic and will be announced prior to registration. More Info
Offered in:APLING 698 Practicum/Field Experience +
Description:
This course is designed for teacher candidates who are in the process of earning their English as a second language (ESL) license, and should be taken concurrently with the student teaching practicum. It brings together theory and practice of language education and invites teacher candidates to systematically share and reflect on their practicum and interpret it through the lens of current research in applied linguistics and language pedagogy. This seminar also provides an overview of relevant Massachusetts state policies and guidance for working with multilingual learners and has a strong focus on preparing to be an engaged member of the ESL teaching profession and multilingual learner education community. More Info
Offered in:APLING 700 Issues in Applied Linguistics +
Description:
This course consists of an overview of the field of applied linguistics. Student will explore the application of linguistic knowledge to the resolution of language-related issues facing multiingual societies (e.g., second language acquisition and ultimate attainment, literacy, language assessment, bilingualism, Heritage and Indigenous languages, language attitudes, language planning and policy, language and politics, world Englishes). More Info
Offered in:APLING 701 Issues in Second Language Acquisition +
Description:
This doctoral level seminar examines in depth the theory and research in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). It builds upon the information and concepts presented in introductory SLA theory courses allowing students to more deeply and carefully explore selected topics such as the explicit/implicit debate; role of consciousness; interface of cognitive and social processes; working memory; interaction; feedback; age; aptitude; transfer; and attention. We will cover both traditional and alternative theories in SLA (including sociocultural theory, socio-cognitive theory, conversation analysis, identify theory, socialization theory, complexity/dynamic systems theory, and cognitive linguistics). In addition, the course addresses theory building and two critical questions: (1) can/should the field tolerate multiple theories? (2) if it cannot/should not, how do we decide which theory to support and which theories to disallow? Students will practice evaluation the goals, strengths, and limitations of various perspectives as well as look at the implications for L2 learning, teaching, and research in light of the reading on SLA theories. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 702 Issues in Sociolinguistics +
Description:
This is an advanced course to the large body of research that deals with the intersection between language and society. Reading some canonical sociolinguistics works, we will explore how social and cultural categories, such as race/ethnicity, gender, and nationality, as well as institutions, including schools and governments, are created through and affected by language. We will also look at various contextual factors - social, cultural, geographical, political, ideological - that impact language use and variation. More Info
Offered in:APLING 703 Applied Linguistics Research Methods +
Description:
This course is designed to expose students to research in applied linguistics, first and second language acquisition, and language acquisition in bilingual contexts. Students are expected to engage with major research perspectives in first and second language acquisition fields and to critically evaluation the relevance of multiple research models and their application to languages in contact, bilingualism, language policy, and classroom language use. More Info
Offered in:APLING 704 Advanced Discourse Analysis +
Description:
The purpose of this course is to consider language, literacy, and discourse in relation to education, society, and culture. More specifically, we will discuss how literacy as the mastery of the language of secondary discourses informs understandings of the ways in which the world is read in particular times, places, and circumstances. We will begin with the assumption that language functions to scaffold both action and human affiliation in cultures, social groups, and institutions. As such, experiences and perspectives area created and assumed in the process of becoming literate. Towards this end, we will consider postmodern and critical theories of discourse and ideology to better understand such notions of multiple and situated literacies as social practices positioned in relation to the social institutions and power relations which sustain them. We will use Critical discourse analysis as a tool for exploring questions about the relationship between language, society, politics and ideology and as a resource for a social analysis of education. Discourses will be viewed as historical, doing ideological work but also as forms of social action. More Info
Offered in:APLING 705 Advanced Ethnography +
Description:
This course combines critical policy analysis, theory, and research methodology. We will examine language policy as a sociocultural process in which both official and tacit social practices normalize some languages and varieties and marginalize others. Using ethnographically informed case studies, we will analyze the following language policy issues: Indigenous/heritage language loss, revitalization, and maintenance; English-only and bilingual education; linguistic human rights; ''race,'' class/caste, and linguistic difference; home, community, and school literacy practices and policies; and the impacts of standardization and globalization on cultural and linguistic diversity. The course also provides the opportunity to explore these research methods: critical-ethnographic case studies, oral history, classroom ethnography, interviews, narrative, and critical document analysis. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
APLING 707 Current Research on Language and Pedagogy +
Description:
Research in language pedagogy in the last 10 years has been marked by an emphasis on considering the context in which second language instruction takes place. Following this perspective, this course presents issues related to second language instruction in different contexts and for specific learners inside and outside institutional settings. The semester is broken into three distinct but interrelated areas: the first part consists of an overview of current theoretical issues and key concepts in the field (learner identities, communicative competence; situated research bridging cognitive and sociocultural approaches) and of current research methodology in language pedagogy research: the second part focuses on specific learners (adult: adolescents: children): and the third part examines learning contexts beyond classrooms. Participants practice reading research studies critically and writing a literature review on a topic of their choice. More Info
Offered in:APLING 709 Language Policy +
Description:
This course examines and analyzes contemporary and historical language policies at the state level in Massachusetts, at the national level, and in international contexts. Throughout the course, theoretical and methodological issues in language planning and policy (LPP) are highlighted. In true comparative stance, special emphasis will be placed on comparing U.S. experiences with those of other nations. As well, the relationship between language attitudes and educational policy formation will be studied. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate understanding of main issues in language policy and planning, and will articulate understanding of the complex factors that inform language planning decisions at local, state, and national levels. Finally, students are expected to leave the course well equipped with the core analytical skills needed to engage in research on LPP, including data collection, analysis, and presentation. More Info
Offered in:APLING 890 Graduate Colloquium in Applied Linguistics +
Description:
APLING 890 is a 1-credit course designed to engage participants in critical reading, analysis, and discussion of topics related to the theory, research and practice in Applied Linguistics. The applied Linguistics graduate colloquium is designed to expose graduate/doctoral students to include invited talks by established scholars in the field; workshops of dissertation chapters, prospectuses, or article drafts; discussions of recent publications in the field; or professionalization workshops. It is an elective course for the MA and the PhD in Applied Linguistics. The Colloquium brings in scholars from around the world to give an academic paper and discuss with students. Colloquia provide PhD students an opportunity to interact with world-class scholars with a variety of research interests and expertise and to build community among them. More Info
Offered in:APLING 891 Qualifying Paper Seminar +
Description:
This required 3-credit course supports students in the development of the Qualifying Paper, a required element in the APLING program. It considers common issues such as finding a researchable question, designing and conduction a literature review, beginning a conceptual framework, and making a timeline for work on the QP. Some classes will be structured More Info
Offered in:APLING 892 Dissertation Proposal Writing Seminar +
Description:
This course will provide structured support on whole group and individual bases for APLING students who are working on their dissertation proposals. The Seminar compliments students' work with their dissertation chairs and committees. Students who attend all classes, come prepared, participate in a spirit of professional critique and academic integrity, and develop and present a 50-60 page dissertation proposal will pass the course. More Info
Offered in:APLING 899 Dissertation Research +
Description:
Research conducted under supervision of the doctoral committee leading to the presentation of a doctoral dissertation. More Info
Offered in: