Subject Areas of Study

I.  Theories of Second Language Acquisition and Learning:

Theories of Language Teaching and Learning, Seminar in Language Teaching and Learning, Second Language 
Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Topics in SLA, and Seminar in SLA

II.  Language Pedagogy/Methodology:

Approaches and Methods in ELT, Testing and Assessment, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Fieldwork in TESOL, Corpora in ELT, TESOL Methods (I): Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation, TESOL Methods (II): Reading, Writing and Grammar, Teaching Pre-School Age Learners, Teaching English for Young Learners, Teaching School Age Learners, Bilingual Education: Immersion Models, Topics in Pedagogy/Methodology, Seminar in Pedagogy/Methodology, Professional Development, Design and Development of Interactive Multimedia Materials, Analysis and Evaluation of Interactive Multimedia Materials, Critical Pedagogies in TESOL, Seminar in Teaching English for Specific Purposes, English for TESOL Practitioners (I), and English for TESOL Practitioners (II)

III.  Research Methodology/Materials Design:

Research Methods in ELT, Materials Development in ELT, Media in TESOL, Curriculum Development in ELT, Statistics for Language Teachers, Topics in Research Methods, Seminar in Research Methods, Topics in Materials, and Seminar in Materials

IV.  Linguistic Theories in TESOL:

Phonetics/Phonology and Teaching Pronunciation, Syntax and Teaching Grammar, Semantics and TESOL, Introduction to Linguistics for Language Teachers, Morphology and Teaching Vocabulary, English Grammar, Pragmatics and TESOL, Topics in Linguistic Theories in TESOL, and Seminar in Linguistic Theories in TESOL

V.  Language in Use:

Discourse and Language Education, Cross-Cultural Communication and TESOL, Grammar in Interaction, Contemporary Issues in the English Language, Sociolinguistics in TESOL, Current Issues in Language Analysis, Cultures in the Classroom, Topics in Language in Use, and Seminar in Language in Use

VI.  Literature in TESOL:

English Literature and TESOL, American Literature and TESOL, Topics in Literature and TESOL, and Seminar in Literature and TESOL

Course Descriptions

[Theories of Language Teaching and Learning]

This course surveys the theory and practice in the teaching of second languages, including: 1) current and historical views of second language instruction; 2) an overview of first language acquisition processes and comparison with those of second language acquisition; 3) a survey of factors which affect the second language acquisition process; and 4) presentation of language learning and teaching models.

[Second Language Acquisition]

This course examines issues in second language acquisition, focusing on the nature of the language acquisition process, and the identification and description of the factors that affect language learners. Topics include: factors affecting first and second language acquisition, the role of input and interaction in second language acquisition and learning, and the interface between SLA research and EFL teaching. Students will gather and analyze data on second language learners in limited scope research projects to begin their initiation into inquiry methods in SLA.

[Psycholinguistics]

This course introduces theoretical issues in language psychology and the neurobiological bases of language. Major areas include: language comprehension and production, language acquisition, psychological processes of brain functions, and biological aspects of language.

[Seminar in SLA]

This course is the first of a 2-part research oriented sequence. After a general introduction to the theories of second language acquisition, connections between theories, research and classroom language learning will be explored. Students will develop academic writing and research skills by carrying out a small-scale data analysis project that relates to a specific concept or theory in second language acquisition.

[Approaches and Methods in ELT]

This course aims to develop an understanding of, and practical experience with, the major traditional and contemporary approaches, methods, and techniques to learning and teaching a foreign language. In this course, students will have the opportunity to experience the approaches and to assess their applicability to English language instruction in Korea. Students are required to analyze program models and methods of instruction for English language learners; demonstrate teaching approaches based on teaching methods; and develop lesson and unit planning skills.

[Testing and Assessment]

This course is intended to provide a working knowledge of the basic principles and procedures for test construction and testing with an emphasis on the foreign language context. The course examines theoretical and practical aspects of language testing, including the purposes and types of language tests in relation to theories of language use and language teaching goals. Class discussions will also cover the educational and research uses of language assessment. This class is both theoretical and practical, as participants will construct and pilot their own tests.

[Fieldwork in TESOL]

This course is oriented to both the theoretical concerns regarding second language teaching and the practical issues instructors face in the language classroom. This course is divided into two components: 1) field experience, in which students will make on-site observations in English classrooms in Korea, and 2) actual teaching demonstration with their group members based on their own teaching principles and the site visits.

[TESOL Methods (I): Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation]

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the integrated classroom practices for teaching these three skills (listening, speaking, and pronunciation) in the EFL classroom. The course will include microteaching, lectures, class projects and demonstration of a variety of teaching and learning techniques.

[TESOL Methods (II): Reading, Writing and Grammar]

This course is designed to help students be prepared for teaching effective reading and writing skills to students of EFL by practicing specific techniques and strategies. An additional goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive grasp of theoretical issues related to reading and writing skills. Major topics include: models of reading, schema theory, realization of rhetorical patterns, reading strategies, peer review, portfolio assessment, techniques in teaching reading and writing. Students analyze writing samples by second language learners and critically examine writing curricula for EFL programs. It also attempts to explore a pedagogical approach to teaching English grammar in an EFL situation. The relevance of contemporary corpus-based findings will be presented.

[Teaching Pre-School Age Learners]

This course is designed to equip the prospective EFL teachers with a thorough understanding of pre-school age EFL learners, focusing on the special needs of the learners at this age and the skills to effectively deal with them in an EFL educational setting.

[Teaching School Age Learners]

This course recognizes that different aged learners present different learning needs. Teachers of all school-aged learners need specific skills. In this course the characteristics of school-aged children will be addressed and practical approaches to these characteristics will be offered. Some of the characteristics of school-aged learners include: attention span, intellectual ability, ego states and sensory input.

[Bilingual Education: Immersion Models]

This course will explore mainly content-based and immersion models for second and foreign language teaching. The rationale for integrated language and content instruction as well as detailed descriptions of program models will be examined with two primary foci: 1) language acquisition theories underlying various bilingual education models; and 2) educational and socio-political aspects related to the establishment of bilingual education programs in various countries around the world. Specific topics that will be dealt with include: bilingual education approaches and models, bilingualism and cognition, teaching and learning multilingualism, language planning and language policies, current Korean bilingual and immersion models.

[Computer-Assisted Language Learning]

This course aims to introduce students to the key concepts and the major recent developments in CALL or MALL (Multimedia Assisted Language Learning) and its practical application in a diverse range of classrooms. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand and use the following knowledge and skills: the concepts of media technology and CALL; a close relationship between language teaching methods, second language acquisition theories and the development of media technology; the advantages and limitations of multimedia for language teaching and learning; the roles of multimedia, teachers, and students; interaction patterns in CALL; multimedia and language skills development; exploring the examples of good practice in the use of multimedia; introduction to MALL contents evaluation; designing and producing simple MALL materials; and discussion about future developments in hardware, software and methodology in FLT/L

[Professional Development]

This course is designed to help prospective EFL teachers be prepared as a teaching professional. It has four major components: 1) ongoing self-assessment; 2) teachers as agents of change; 3) ongoing professional development; and 4) public speaking skills. The course, therefore, will include practice in oral skills that prepare nonnative speakers of English to present their ideas extemporaneously, to give lectures or speeches before large audiences, and to respond to questions posed by audience members. Class activities include leading and participating in seminar-type discussions, making oral presentations, speaking in impromptu situations, participating in debates. The class is also devoted to high-level problems of formal presentations. 

[Design and Development of Interactive Multimedia Materials]

This course aims to help students write sophisticated MALL (Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning) contents using hypertext software, based on the theories and practices of developing multimedia materials. Lectures and workshops deal with the following kinds of topics: issues in design and use of multimedia materials using graphic and audiovisual editing programs; producing multimedia materials using multimedia authoring tools and web editing programs developing a model of instruction and lesson plans for the effective use of multimedia materials in the language classroom; developing teaching methodologies and strategies for applying the materials to the classroom context and producing program documentation.

[Analysis and Evaluation of Interactive Multimedia Materials]

This course aims to help students analyze and evaluate commercial and non-commercial MALL (Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning) contents in order to examine their applicability and practicalities. The course focuses on the theories and practices of MALL courseware evaluation. Lectures and workshops deal with the following kinds of topics: the theoretical framework for CALL software evaluation; devising software evaluation criteria and checklists for integrated MALL courseware implementing CALL software evaluation and evaluating critically the courseware in relation to course objectives and language learning theories and practice

[Critical Pedagogies in TESOL]

This course seeks to introduce students to critical approaches to second language teaching, i.e., to consider how practice might be modified, changed, developed, or abandoned in efforts to support learners, learning, and social change. Lectures deal with the following kinds of topics: reconceptualizing second language education; relationships between language teaching and learning and social change; challenging identities; researching critical practices; and educating teachers for change.

[Seminar in Teaching English for Specific Purposes]

This course aims to help student have an understanding of some of the key issues and up-to-date knowledge of current developments in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Seminars are based on discussions of the following kinds of topics: a definition and classification of ESP; a historical perspective on ESP; language issues in ESP; four language skills in ESP; needs analysis, course design, teaching and learning, and evaluation in ESP; and ESP classroom practice and research.

[English for TESOL Practitioners (I)]

This course focuses on skills and activities that aim to improve TESOL students' ability to use English in a classroom environment as teachers as well as giving instruction on useful methodology and lesson plans that they can use.

[English for TESOL Practitioners (II)]

This course focuses on skills and activities that aim to improve TESOL students' ability to use English in a classroom environment as teachers as well as giving instruction on useful methodology and lesson plans that they can use.

[Research Methods in ELT]

This course introduces the students to current thinking on syllabus and materials design and adaptation. The various approaches to syllabus design will be described and emphasis on vocabulary in materials will be introduced. Topics will include: design of tasks based on spoken English; design of tasks based on written English; focusing on language (e.g. grammar, lexis and content); authenticity of language samples; exploiting a text for language study; and adapting a text to different levels of learners.

[Media in TESOL]

The objectives of this course are to familiarize students with the use of audio-visual and especially electronic media (internet and other on-line applications) for second language teaching and learning. This is a project-based course, which will examine the pedagogical theories which support the use of technology in the teaching of second languages while focusing on the creation of a final product. This course will also provide students with experience in the use of media-based instructional materials in the language classroom. Emphasis will be placed on the pedagogic rationale for the use of the selected materials, and on the appropriateness of their use with specific groups of learners

[Curriculum Development in ELT]

This course provides theories of curriculum organization and a survey of curriculum research, focusing on historical patterns of curriculum development and current curriculum trends, and exploring the theoretical underpinnings of various curriculum and instruction models. It also focuses on the need to align curriculum models to contemporary EFL programs.

[Statistics for Language Teachers]

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data, concentrating on specific statistical techniques used in social sciences research, particularly in TESOL. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes: 1) exploring data; 2) sampling and experimentation; 3) anticipating patterns; and 4) statistical inference. The course topics include hypothesis testing and estimation. It also covers confidence intervals, chi-square tests, non-parametric statistics, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation. The rationale of this course is to help students be better equipped to critique and apply quantitative research methods.

[Seminar in Materials]

This course presents recent theories or research trends relating to developing teaching materials in EFL education. Students will design and produce materials appropriate to the EFL in Korean situation (or other specific language learning context).

[Phonetics/Phonology and Teaching Pronunciation]

This course will focus on helping TESOL students to understand: 1) what are research issues in English phonetics; 2) how phonetic investigation can be performed; and 3) what it is to conduct phonetic experiment. Fundamental theories will be taught by the instructor but students are encouraged to read relevant papers and articles and conduct active discussion during the course.

[Syntax and Teaching Grammar]

This course is designed to help students thoroughly understand theoretical aspects of the modern English language relating to its syntactic structure so that EFL teachers can teach grammar in an effective and theoretically sound way

[Introduction to Linguistics for Language Teachers]

This class introduces the core fields and concepts of linguistics. It is designed to develop students' awareness of the components of language. In becoming familiar with key concepts from some of the core areas of linguistics such as syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, phonology, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis, students will learn characteristics of many specific languages as well as of language in general. By looking at sociolinguistic issues such as regional and social variation, language contact and multilingualism, students will also develop an awareness of the role language plays in society.

[Morphology and Teaching Vocabulary]

This course is designed to help students thoroughly understand theoretical aspects of the English language relating to its morphological structure so that EFL teachers can teach vocabulary in an effective and theoretically sound way.

[English Grammar]

This course is designed to help students understand the prescriptive grammar of English. This course will help EFL teachers teach English structure focusing on the accuracy of the linguistic production, with the help from the traditional pedagogically oriented English grammar.

[Semantics and TESOL]

This course is designed to help students thoroughly understand theoretical aspects of English semantics so that EFL teachers can teach various semantic elements in English in an effective and theoretically sound way.

[Pragmatics and TESOL]

This course is designed to help students thoroughly understand theoretical aspects of English pragmatics so that EFL teachers can teach various pragmatic elements in English in an effective and theoretically sound way.

[Discourse and Language Education]

This course is designed as a survey course covering language teaching and discourse analysis: how a discourse perspective can enhance the teaching of traditional areas of linguistic knowledge (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary) and the teaching of language processing skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

[Cross-Cultural Communication and TESOL]

This course provides the systematic examination of structural, behavioral and cultural aspects of communication across cultures, focusing on components of communication process, factors affecting communication, description and analysis of culture-specific styles of communication and cultural diversity that affect language learning.

[Contemporary Issues in the English Language]

This course covers basic concepts and issues in sociolinguistics and the sociology of language, particularly as they relate to the study of English as a language of international communication. This course challenges students to consider language in its broad social and political context. Course readings and class discussions will cover issues such as language change, language contact, language planning, language variation, and varieties of English.

[Sociolinguistics in TESOL]

This course addresses general issues in sociolinguistics such as social dialects, social stratification, acculturation, language maintenance, standardization, language planning, and language change. These topics are addressed with special reference to language education.

[Grammar in Interaction]

This course intends to help students understand the nature of human communication and its influence on grammar. It covers such topics as communication, the self, perception and listening, verbal and nonverbal messages, self-disclosure and conflict resolution. It also presents models and principles of interpersonal communication, studying theory and practice of communication skills which affect day-to-day interactions with others, and explores the consequences in language with special reference to their implications in EFL instruction.

[Cultures in the Classroom]

This course is designed to increase cultural awareness of the students, so that they in turn can enrich their classroom teaching skills. Students will define 'culture', and explore its characteristics and origins. Key components of the course will include examining the role of culture in understanding authentic texts, cultural values and beliefs, barriers to cross-cultural communication and exploring the relationship between language and culture. Special attention will be paid to the challenge of facilitating effective cross-cultural communication.

[Topics in Language in Use]

This course covers basic concepts and issues in sociolinguistics and the sociology of language, particularly as they relate to the study of English as a language of international communication. This course challenges students to consider language in its broad social and political context. Course readings and class discussions will cover issues in language variation, language contact, language change, and language planning. Specific topics covered will vary from year to year.

[Seminar in Language in Use]

The seminar will pursue three goals: 1) foster students' understanding of discourse analysis as a central, interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences; 2) introduce students to the various theoretical orientations and methodological options within the field of discourse analysis; and 3) explore discourse analysis as a central approach to research on L2 classroom learning.

[English Literature and TESOL]

This course presents an introduction to English literature of diverse genres and explores the ways to effectively use English literary works in EFL instruction.

[American Literature and TESOL]

This course presents an introduction to American literature of diverse genres and explores the ways to effectively use American literary works in EFL teaching.

Other courses are also available such as: Topics in SLA, Topics in Pedagogy/Methodology, Topics in Research Methods, Seminar in Research Methods, Topics in Materials, Topics in Linguistic Theories in TESOL, Seminar in Linguistic Theories in TESOL, Current Issues in Language Analysis, Topics in Literature and TESOL, and Seminar in Literature and TESOL.