Special Topics in Linguistics (ENG273)

This course explores language acquisition and multilingualism, focusing on second and third languages as well as heritage languages. Students will engage with theories and research from linguistic, educational, and cultural perspectives to understand the complexities of learning and teaching languages.

In this course, we will explore and critically evaluate the key issues in language acquisition and multilingualism research, including second and third language acquisition as well as (heritage language) bi- and multilingualism.

Students will learn about topics such as theories of how languages are learned, differences in the acquisition of first, second and third languages, the role of individual learner characteristics and learning contexts. Different types of bi- and multilingualism will be explored, as well as multilingual competence, individual and social complexity of multilingualism, the role of identity and multilingual literacies. We will also address teaching English as a second/third language in English as a foreign language classrooms.

Research from linguistic, educational, cognitive, societal, and cultural perspectives will be included.

Knowledge

The students will gain knowledge of:

• broad knowledge of approaches, theories and methods in the study of language acquisition and multilingualism
• central aspects in the field of first, second and third language acquisition
• central aspects of individual and/or societal multilingualism
• advantages and challenges of multilingualism

Skills

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• explain, evaluate and reflect on central approaches, theories and methods within the fields of language acquisition and multilingualism
• analyze and describe the differences between first, second and third language acquisition
• discuss different factors relevant in (multilingual) language acquisition
• critically evaluate the benefits of multilingualism

General competence

By the end of the course, the students:

• will have developed critical thinking and evaluation skills
• will have developed skills in oral presentation and argumentation
• will have developed their ability to cooperate with fellow students
• will have developed skills to carry out independent project work

Oral presentation/group research project

75 % seminar attendance

The group research project must be presented in class and must be passed in order to be admitted to the oral exam.