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Second Language Studies/ESL
Graduate Courses
The Second Language Studies/ESL program offers the following courses on a regular basis. Clicking on the course will direct you to a typical course syllabi. For an ESL reading list, click here. For a list of ESL Research tools, click here.
English 51600:
Teaching ESL: Theoretical Foundations
Survey of theories of learning and teaching English as a second/foreign/international language. Focus is on current theories and their implications for practice.
English 51800:
Teaching ESL: Principles and Practices
Study of issues and principles in ESL program development. Emphasis is on practical application of theory in a variety of English learning and teaching contexts in the United States and abroad.
English 56500:
Sociolinguistics
An introduction to language in its social context, focusing on uses and users of language. Topics include: social class, ethnic group, gender, language attitudes, bilingualism, language contact, and dialects.
English 61700:
Contemporary English
This course focuses on the formal and functional elements of contemporary English language texts. It is designed to provide the conceptual tools necessary to describe and analyze texts produced by student (first of second language, beginning or experienced, undergraduate or graduate) and professional writers. Class time is divided between presentations of relevant material and the analysis of texts from a variety of genres. The course is appropriate for anyone who feels the need to respond to contemporary English texts in an informed and systematic manner.
English 61800:
Quantitative Research Design
An introductory survey of the research methods and designs associated with language-related questions.
English 61900:
Qualitative Research Design
This course introduces doctoral students to the theoretical concepts and practical research tools associated with situated qualitative research traditions. Students will learn not only where situated qualitative research comes from, historically and philosophically, and what its distinctive characteristics are, but also how to apply it in various settings. The main assignments in this class are three linked assignments requiring you to: 1) observe; 2) interview; and 3) analyze the resulting data from a particular "social scene" you have chosen in consultation with the professor.
English 63000:
Seminar in Second Language Writing
An overview and examination of major issues in the theory, research, and practice of writing in a second language.
English 63100: Seminar in World Englishes
A seminar addressing the global impact of World Englishes as a linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pedagogical phenomenon. Readings, discussions, and projects examine second, foreign, and international contexts of English and theoretical and practical issues associated with its spread as a world language.
English 67400:
Seminar in Language Testing
An examination of language testing and evaluation with an emphasis on ESL/EFL/SLC contexts. Seminar topics will include classical test theory, validity, reliability, standardized exams, norm- and criterion-referenced tests, test bias, alternative assessment, and computer-based testing.
