Graduate courses

SPAN 626 – Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics (II): Language in Use

Este curso se apoya en los fundamentos teóricos y prácticos del estudio de la lengua española (fonética, fonología, morfología, sintaxis y semántica) para analizar la situación lingüística en los países y regiones tradicionalmente considerados parte del “mundo hispanohablante”. Tras una introducción global al estudio del lenguaje y las lenguas humanas, la organización del curso va de lo particular a lo más general. La primera parte se centra en el análisis de los diferentes tipos de variación sociolingüística, a menudo desde unidades lingüísticas muy específicas. La segunda parte revisa los temas más destacados de la sociología del lenguaje y de los estudios acerca de lenguas en contacto (la coexistencia de lenguas y sociedades). La última parte propone algunas aplicaciones prácticas de la sociolingüística y la sociología del lenguaje en la enseñanza de lenguas, la planificación lingüística y el espacio político. El análisis de estos temas se hará desde una óptica teórica y práctica para que los participantes se puedan familiarizar con herramientas comunes en la investigación sociológica y sociolingüística. Cabe señalar que el curso no se limitará al estudio del español (la lengua “dominante”), sino que tratará también otras lenguas “minoritarias” habladas en España, Latinoamérica y EEUU.

SPAN 611 – Current trends in Hispanic Applied Linguistics

Among other possible definitions, applied linguistics may be seen as an autonomous "academic field which connects knowledge about language to decision making in the real world" (Simpson 2011: 1), that is, educational and government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and a variety of of for-profit sectors ("language industries") such as linguistic tourism, language and (inter)cultural training, translation and interpretation, instructional and information technologies, program development and management, multicultural marketing and advertising, etc. This course is designed to expose students to a sampling of the many disciplines within the broad field of applied linguistics in the Spanish-speaking world with a special focus on topics relative to teaching and learning. Because of its interdisciplinarity, it would be difficult to cover all the disciplines within the field in depth in one semester. However, an attempt will be made to help students appreciate the great variety of Hispanic applied linguistics while encouraging more detailed, individual exploration of a particular topic through a final paper. Since the majority of students are or will be professionally involved with the teaching of Spanish, applied linguistics issues related to Spanish second language acquisition (SLA), Spanish second language (L2) teaching and learning, and Spanish as a heritage language will receive greater attention in the first part of the semester. The second part will present students with a general survey of other disciplines within applied linguistics such as language program articulation and management, Spanish in professional contexts, discourse analysis, and language politics, policy and planning.

SLLC 601 – Teaching Foreign Languages in Higher Education

This course seeks to (a) provide a practical “survival” orientation to teaching a variety of second/foreign (L2) languages at the University level, (b) explore several key aspects of L2 pedagogy, and (c) help develop understanding of oneself as a teacher. The requirements are:

1. Participation: Students should come to class prepared, having completed all the assigned assignments, and to participate in class discussions.

2. Classroom activities: The activities to be included in the portfolio should be presented differently from the way they may be presented in lesson plans or on a pedagogical worksheet designed for other teachers.

3. Recorded observation: The recording will be analyzed and discussed privately. Students are required to fill out a pre-recording questionnaire and a post-recording questionnaire as well as a one-page reflection about the experience which will be included in your Teaching Portfolio.

4. Classroom observations: Specific details and a worksheet to fill out during each observation will be provided by the instructor (“Anecdotal Record”). The observations for SLLC 601 are followed by a discussion between the participants and the observer.

5. Teacher journal: An electronic journal with by-weekly entries is kept about the first semester teaching at UMD to encourage reflective teaching.

6. Teaching philosophy: 1½-2 page paper (Times New Roman 12, single space) on teaching and learning philosophy.

7. Teaching portfolio: The portfolio will consist of a variety of activities created and used for the class(es) that have been taught or new activities developed specifically for the portfolio and that may be used in a later course, a series of reflections on your development as a language teacher, and a teaching philosophy statement.

SLAA 611 – Fundamentals of Foreign Language Acquisition and Instruction

This course provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical issues relevant to foreign language (FL) teaching and learning, language acquisition, and curricular construction. Students are encouraged to analyze their assumptions about teaching effectiveness through reflective journal writing, peer observation, and critical readings of current classroom research. Through an understanding of theory and practice, we will assess the assumptions of various teaching methods, techniques, materials, and curricular objectives. By the end of this course, students should be able to (1) Discuss FL teaching methods and approaches in terms of contributions and effectiveness. (2) Describe and support a developing teaching philosophy, based on experience, theory, and an awareness of learner variables. (3) Demonstrate an ongoing curiosity in professional issues through familiarity with journals and organizations/resources for teachers. (4) Conceptualize and plan an original foreign language course beyond the intermediate level. The course is divided into three major components, reflecting the goals of the course. Each phase is subdivided, and incorporates practical assignments such as observations, journal writing and brief reports with the readings:

I: Teachers and Learners: Assumptions and Definitions for Reflective Teaching

II: Language Learning Theory and Teaching Methodologies

III: Curricular and assessment models

EDCI 788W – Latino Biculturalism & Bilingualism. Sociolinguistics issues.

Following a historical overview of Spanish in the world, the primary focus of this module is to examine the relationship between language and society in the use of Spanish, Spanglish, Ingleñol, and Portuñol within the United States. The identification of the major lexical and syntactic features of these varieties of Spanish will be followed by the analysis of a number of both micro- and macro-sociolinguistic topics, with emphasis on sociolinguistic variation and linguistic diversity. Students will have the opportunity to read essential literature in the field. Students will also get hands-on experience in collecting and analyzing naturally-occurring language data. Active participation in class discussions is both expected and encouraged.

SPAN 6796 – Enseñanza del Español como L2 (Middlebury College)

El objetivo principal de este curso es contribuir al desarrollo profesional en la enseñanza de español como L2 mediante la colaboración y la reflexión personal sobre los diversos procesos de aprendizaje y enseñanza dentro y fuera del aula. Hacia el final del curso, se espera que los alumnos (con o sin experiencia docente) hayan comprendido y puesto en práctica los principales conceptos teóricos en la metodología de la enseñanza del español. Los temas por tratar incluyen, entre otros: (1) Roles de profesores y estudiantes en el aula de español, (2) Historia de los métodos de enseñanza del español, (3) Competencia y evaluación (perspectiva estadounidense y europea), (4) Planificación de cursos y clases, (5) Destrezas culturales y lingüística, (6) Tratamiento de errores

Junto con la lectura de la bibliografía y las discusiones en clase, los estudiantes elaborarán un portafolio útil para otras situaciones profesionales. Aparte del paquete de lecturas, los alumnos podrán encontrar mayor información teórica y práctica sobre los componentes del curso en las siguientes fuentes (algunas disponibles en la biblioteca de Middlebury College y otras en la oficina del instructor):

– Bordón, T. (2006). La evaluación de la lengua en el marco de E/L2: Bases y procedimientos. Madrid: Arco Libros.

– Brandl, K. (2008). Communicative Language Teaching in Action. Putting Principles to Work. Nueva York: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

– Koike, D. y C. Klee (2003). Lingüística aplicada: Adquisición del español como segunda lengua. Nueva York: John Wiley.

– Lee, J. y B. VanPatten (2003). Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen (2a. ed.). San Francisco: McGraw Hill.

– Long, M. y C. Doughty (2009). The Handbook of Language Teaching. Londres: Blackwell.

– Omaggio-Hadley, A. (2003). Teaching Language in Context. Contextualized language instruction (3a. ed.). Boston: Heinle and Heinle.

– Pastor Cesteros, S. (2004). Aprendizaje de segundas lenguas. Lingüística aplicada a la enseñanza de idiomas. Alicante: Publicaciones de la Universidad de Alicante.

– Salaberry, R. y B. Lafford (eds.) (2006). The Art of Teaching Spanish. Second Language Acquisition from Research to Praxis. Washington: Georgetown University Press.

– Sánchez Lobato, J., e I. Santos Gargallo (eds.) (2004). Vademécum para la formación de profesores. Enseñar español como segunda lengua (L2)/lengua extranjera (LE). Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores.

– Shrum, J.L. y E.W. Glisan (2010). Teacher's Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.