The Acquisition of English in Multilingual Contexts
Code: 106308 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 3 | 1 |
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 4 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Montserrat Capdevila Batet
- Email:
- montserrat.capdevila@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.
Prerequisites
A C2 level of English (proficiency) of the Common Euroean Framework of Reference for Languages is needed.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of this course is to give students an insight into theories of second and third language acquisition, to appreciate the evolution in this field over recent years and to recognise the implications of research findings for classroom practice. By the end of the course students will be familiar with the major theoretical proposals in the field of second language acquisition, will be able to follow the discussion of current topics in research journals and will have a critical position from which to evaluate methodological proposals for classroom practice.
Competences
- English Studies
- Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
- Apply the concepts, resources and methods acquired to the study of the English language in a global and multilingual social context of language learning and teaching.
- Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
- Distinguish and contrast the distinct paradigms and methodologies applied to the study of English.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Understand and produce written and spoken academic texts in English at advanced higher-proficient-user level (C2).
- Use written and spoken English for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, the philosophy of language, history, English culture and literature.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse learning situations, identify areas for improvement and propose new methods or alternative solutions.
- Analyse, interpret and evaluate theories of first-, second- and third-language acquisition in distinct contexts of acquisition.
- Express oneself in English orally and in writing in an academic register and using appropriate terminology in relation to the study of language acquisition and teaching.
- Identify and understand distinct theories of first-, second- and third-language acquisition.
- In an effective manner, organise the autonomous component to learning.
- Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
- Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
- Produce academic written and oral texts at a higher-proficient-user level (C2) on the concepts and skills relevant to the study of English language acquisition, learning and teaching.
- Understand specialised academic texts on research in English language acquisition, learning and teaching.
Content
1. Basic concepts in the field of Second Language Acquisition
2. Theories of Second Language Acquisition
3. Theories of Third Language Acquisition
4. Individual differences in the acquisition of languages
5. Data analysis in language acquisition
Methodology
Directed activities:
Lectures with IT support and group debate.
Supervised activities:
Exercises.
Back-up tutorials to help in the realisation of exercises.
Autonomous activities:
Reading of manuals, textbooks and handouts.
Elaboration of study diagrams, summaries and texts.
Practical exercises (individual and in group).
Use of the Virtual Campus (Moodle).
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Classes teòriques | 25 | 1 | 1, 9, 3, 4, 5, 7 |
| Discussió d'exercicis | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 4, 5, 7 |
| Discussió de textos acadèmics | 10 | 0.4 | 2, 6, 5, 7 |
| Lectura de textos acadèmics | 15 | 0.6 | 1, 2, 9, 4, 8 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Feedback individualitzat dels exercicis | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 5, 7, 8 |
| Resolució de dubtes | 15 | 0.6 | 3, 4, 6, 5 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Estudi | 20 | 0.8 | 9, 3, 5 |
| Resolució d'exercicis | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 5, 7, 8 |
Assessment
Assessment
- This course is assessed through 2 partial exams (40% Test 1 and 40% Test 2) and an assignment (20%).
- The dates of tests and submissions are specified in the course calendar, published in Moodle at the beginning of the semester. Any change will be duly announced.
- Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 35% of the assessment items.
- In case of absence on the day of an exam (e.g. due to illness) students must provide a certificate to justify their absence to gain the right to re-assessment.
- In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Review of assessment items:
On carrying out each assessment activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
SINGLE ASSESSMENT
This subject allows single assessment, which consists in the following items:
1. Theoretical exam (1 hour and a half/40%)
2. Practical exam (1 hour and a half/40%)
3. Assignment (handed in on the day of the exam/20%)
Re-assessment:
Re-assessment for this course will involve a final summative test (date and time to be announced by the Faculty) which will cover all course content with the following conditions:
- The student must have obtained a minimum course mark of 3.5/10.
- The student must have taken/submitted all assessment items.
- The student must have passed at least 35% of the course.
- The final course mark if the student passes the re-assessment test is 5. Students cannot re-assess to improve their course mark.
VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiarism of any of the exercises will automatically be considered "fail" (0) for the plagiarised exercise. If plagiarism occurs for a second time, the entire course will be failed. PLAGIARISM is copying one or more sentences from unidentified sources, presenting it as original work (THIS INCLUDES COPYING PHRASES OR FRAGMENTS FROM THE INTERNET AND ADDING THEM WITHOUT MODIFICATION TO A TEXT WHICH IS PRESENTED AS ORIGINAL). Plagiarism is a serious offense. Students must learn to respect the intellectual property of others, identifying any source they may use, and take responsibility for the originality and authenticity of the texts they produce.
Those evaluation items with irregularities (copy, misuse of AI, etc...) cannot be reassessed.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | 20 | 7 | 0.28 | 1, 2, 9, 3, 4, 6, 5, 7, 8 |
| Midterm 1 | 40 | 9 | 0.36 | 2, 9, 3, 6, 5, 8 |
| Midterm 2 | 40 | 9 | 0.36 | 1, 2, 3, 6, 5 |
Bibliography
Archibald, John (ed) (2000) Second Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory, Oxford: Blackwell.
Cattel, Ray. (2000) Children’s Language: Consensus and Controversy, London: Cassell.
Corder, Pit. (1967) The Significance of Learner's Errors. De Gruyter Mouton.
Crain, Stephen. & Diane Lillo-Martin (1999) An Introduction to Linguistic Theory and Language Acquistion, Oxford: Backwell.
Ellis, Rod. (2004) Individual Differences in Second Language Learning.The Handbook of Applied Linguistics.
Guasti, Maria Teresa (2002) Language Acquisition. The Growth of Grammar, Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Hawkins, Roger (ed) (2001) Second Language Syntax. A Generative Introduction, Oxford: Blackwell.
Radford, Andrew (2004) Minimalist Syntax. Exploring the Structure of English, Cambridge, C.U.P
Slabakova, Roumyana (2016) Second Language Acquisition, Oxford: O.U.P.
White, Lydia (2003) Second language acquisition and Universal Grammar. (2nd edition) Cambridge: CUP.
Software
Doesn't apply.