Programs by Campus

Bloomington

Second Language Studies

Courses

Curriculum
 Courses
Faculty

  • SLST-S 511 Second Language Syntax (3 cr.)  Examination of form and acquisition of nonnative syntax. Consideration of whether nonnative grammars are “fundamentally different” than native grammars, role of the learner’s native language, initial state of nonnative syntax, and subsequent development. Comparison of child native acquisition and adult native acquisition. 
  • SLST-S 512 Second Language Phonology (3 cr.) Introduces students to second language phonological systems in light of issues in current phonological theory. Examines the acquisition of seg­ments, syllable constraints, and prosody in second languages. We discuss mechanisms that determine the role of the first lan­guage in second language development. Students will develop problem-solving skills.
  • SLST-S 531 Child Second Language Development (3 cr.) Examines issues in child second language (L2) acquisition, including the critical period hypothesis, universal grammar, and role of the native grammar in the initial state of child L2 acquisition. Child L2 acquisition of phonology, morphology, and syntax is con­trasted with adult L2 acquisition, child monolingual acquisition, and simultaneous bilingual acquisition.
  • SLST-S 532 Foundations of Second Language Acquisition (3 cr.) P: SLST T510 or S511, LING L543 or equivalent. Introduces students to second language acquisition research. Critically examines major hypotheses about the ways in which second languages develop. Discussions include a range of languages. Models include a variety of approaches: corpora-based, functionalist, generative, processing-based, sociocultural, and universals of language.
  • SLST-S 533 Second Language Acquisition Research Design (3 cr.) P: S532. Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. Examines a variety of research designs, elicitation tasks, and experimental formats in second language acquisition research appropriate to studies of production, processing, perception, structure, and pragmatics. Students will gain experience in designing and carrying out studies.
  • SLST-S 536 Research in Second Language Pedagogical Contexts (3 cr.) Surveys current issues and research areas in adult second language pedagogy. Considers social, cultural, political and lin­guistic aspects of language teaching and learning; emphasizes the substantive topics that are addressed; the range of institu­tional, national and educational contexts of research; and the theoretical lenses that frame the research.
  • SLST-S 600 Topics in Second Language Studies (3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected issues and problems in second lan­guage studies. May be taken more than once with different topics.
  • SLST-S 605 Second Language Processing (3 cr.) Investigates how second language users assign representations to utterances of the target language input. Surveys research on the human sentence processing mechanism, its relation to acquisition of grammars, and processing issues as they impact L2 acquisition. Students will become familiar with theoretical issues, empirical studies, and various research methodologies.
  • SLST-S 622 World Englishes (3 cr.) Examines standard and non-standard varieties of English in countries where English is spoken as a first language, an official language, or an influential foreign language. Selected studies of sociolinguistic variables, language change, code-switching, and universal grammar inform discussion of variation in Afro-American English, Indian English, British dialects, and English-based creoles. 
  • SLST-S 632 Current Research in Second-Language Acquisition (3 cr.) P: S532. Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. This course addresses issues in recent research in second-language acquisition. Examines selected cases illus­trating the relation of second-language acquisition studies to linguistic theory. Emphasis on the collection and analysis of acquisition data.
  • SLST-S 640 Discourse Analysis (3 cr.) Surveys theories of discourse analysis including speech acts, conversational maxims, conver­sation analysis, ethnomethodology, text analysis, and critical discourse analysis. Applications of those theories to areas of special interest to applied linguistics, including native speaker-nonnative speaker interaction, nonnative speaker conversation, classroom discourse, and analysis of language in professional settings. 
  • SLST-S 650 Design and Development of Language Assessment (3 cr.) P: SLST T550 or equivalent. Provides students with advanced conceptual structures such as the assessment-use-argument (AUA) framework to guide design, development, and use of particular language assessment instruments.  Development and design of assessment instruments will serve as demonstrations of students’ control of course material and as preparation for on-the-job development of assessments.
  • SLST-S 660 Contrastive Discourse (3 cr.) P: T532 or consent of the instructor. Considers cross-cultural text organization from the native and nonnative reader’s and writer’s viewpoints. Vari­ous aspects of text are emphasized, including coherence and cohesion, and formal and cultural schemata in genres such as expository writing, letters, news articles, and narratives. 
  • SLST-S 670 Language Typology (3 cr.) Introduction to linguistic typol­ogy, the study of how languages differ and how they are alike in terms of formal features. Focuses on a variety of syntactic and morphological features of languages including: lexical classes, word order, case and agreement systems, animacy, definite­ness, and gender; valence-changing devices; verbal categories and subordination. 
  • SLST-S 690 Independent Readings in Second Language Studies (1-4 cr.) Directed readings in research topics for second lan­guage studies.
  • SLST-S 700 Seminar in Applied Linguistics (3 cr.) This seminar will deal with major issues in applied linguistics and second lan­guage studies research and theory. The specific title will be announced well in advance of each semester.  Course may be retaken for up to 12 credit hours.
  • SLST-S 711 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition (3 cr.) Selected problems and issues in second language acquisition. Comple­tion of SLS core or permission of the instructor is required. May be repeated for credit when topic changes.
  • SLST-S 800 Dissertation Research in Second Language Studies (1-12 cr.) Dissertation research. Arranged. Permission of in­structor willing to supervise research is required.
  • SLST-T 501 Academic English for International Graduate Students (2-3 cr.) Designed to improve spoken or written skills for gradu­ate school. Sections on academic writing (research papers, ref­erences, reviews, and critical syntheses) and academic speaking (presentations, discussions, and group work) address a range of academic writing and speaking styles. May be taken more than once if topic is different. Credit hours, though counting toward full-time student status, do not accrue toward the total number required for a graduate degree.
  • SLST-T 500 Topics in TESOL/Applied Linguistics (3 cr.) Selected topics, issues, and problems in TESOL and Applied Linguistics.  Topics in this course are of particular interest to the second-language practitioner.
  • SLST-T 502 Communication Skills for International Associate Instructors (3 cr.) P: Completion of all SLST T101 courses assigned by the English Language Improvement Program (SLS) and a score of NC4 or C3 on the TEPAIC. The primary objective of this course is to help international students become effective teachers in the US classroom. This course addresses the communication, teaching, and cultural issues that international students are likely to confront as an associate instructor at Indiana University. This course carries credit as a graduate elective.
  • SLST-T 510 Modern English Grammar (3 cr.) P: Completion of all SLST T101 courses assigned by the English Language Improvement Program (SLS) and a score of NC4 or C3 on the TEPAIC. An examination of the principal features of the grammar of English. The course draws upon traditional, structural, functional, and transformational accounts of the structure of English, with an emphasis on the pedagogical application of these accounts in the teaching of English as a second language. 
  • SLST-T 514 English Phonology for Language Learning and Teaching (3 cr.) Introduction to phonology as it applies to the learning and teaching of second languages. Does not satisfy the phonol­ogy requirement for the Ph.D. in linguistics.
  • SLST-T 522 Survey of Applied Linguistics (3 cr.) Intensive readings on selected topics relevant to the acquisition of second languages, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, testing, and research directions. Readings will, for the most part, be current and subject to change as the course is offered.
  • SLST-T 534 Methods in Teaching ESL/EFL to Adults (TESOL) (3 cr.) P:  S532 Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. Analyzes and critiques approaches and methods in teaching ESL/EFL to adults, including research and experiential perspec­tives on practice and theory. Surveys traditional and innovative approaches in language teaching, analyzes language classroom interaction, and sets language teaching in cultural and socio­political context. To be taken concurrently with T535 TESOL Practicum. 
  • SLST-T 535 TESOL Practicum (3 cr.) P: S532 Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. Under supervision, students teach English as a second language to adult learners. The course provides experience in testing, placement, and materials preparation. Classroom lectures focus on issues related to the art and profession of language teaching. To be taken concurrently with SLST T534, Methods in Teaching ESL/EFL to Adults.
  • SLST-T 538 Reading and Writing (3 cr.) Examines the relationship of second-language read­ing and writing development to second-language acquisition, composition theory, reading and writing research, and second-language teaching. Topics include theories of second-language composition, second-language writing processes, reading as input for writing, academic literacy development, learning envi­ronments, and individual differences.
  • SLST-T 539 Pragmatics and Second-language Learning (3 cr.) P: S532 Foundations of Second Language Acquisition. This course familiarizes students with principles and issues in pragmatics and cross-cultural pragmatics. Students will learn appropriate data collection techniques and will collect primary data, learn to analyze spoken and written data, and discuss the application of pragmatics to language learning and teaching, cross-cultural research, and international communication. 
  • SLST-T 550 Language Testing (3 cr.) P: L503 or equivalent. Consider­ation of theory of assessing competence in second languages. Preparation and administration of various language testing in­struments. Primary emphasis on English as a second language. 
  • SLST-T 556 Language Learning Technology (3 cr.) Examines the theo­ries of language learning underlying language learning technol­ogy. Examines current language learning technology for second and foreign language learning, teaching, testing, and research, and considers its demonstrable efficacy. Identifies and explores specific areas in need of further research and development.
  • SLST-T 560 American Culture (3 cr.) P: For international students only. A survey of issues related to the culture and character of the people of the United States. Topics include the national, social, and linguistic origins of the American people, political and social institutions, and the arts. 
  • SLST-T 622 World Englishes (3 cr.) P: For international students only. Investigation of the basic features of varieties of English as formally structured systems. Attitudes toward speech and the relationship of language differences to the attainment of social and educational goals.
  • SLST-T 690 Advanced Readings in TESOL and Applied Linguistics (1-4 cr.)
  • SLST-G 901 Advanced Research (1-4 cr.) P: Completed 90 graduate credits. Requires permission of Department, see SLST Graduate Secretary, 855-7951 in Memorial Hall 315 for class authorization to register. 
  • SLST-S 604 Language Revitalization (3 cr.) Half of the 6,000 languages spoken today are endangered. This course explores why languages are at risk and investigates how minority and indigenous languages can be revitalized. Case studies highlight practical solutions currently being tried out in diverse communities. Students choose a particular endangered language as their focus of study.

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