Undergraduate Minor
The freestanding undergraduate Minor in English as a Second Language educates University of Minnesota students about the process of second language learning and teaching, and prepares them to provide English language skills to immigrants. By introducing undergraduates to the language teaching profession, and giving them hands-on experience teaching English to adult immigrants in the community through its service learning component, the undergraduate Minor in English as a Second Language better prepares them to take active roles in a multiracial and multicultural world. It also provides an excellent foundation for further graduate level work in the area of second language learning and teaching.
Rationale
In order to tutor or teach English as a second language, one must gain a broad understanding of several different areas: the nature of language and culture, factors underlying successful second language learning, principles of effective teaching methodology, and the structure of the English language itself. Hands-on teaching experience is also essential. The minor provides a basic level of preparation in each of these areas, better equipping students to be more effective ESL tutors, and providing a foundation for further professional preparation at the graduate level.
Course Requirements
The following courses are required:
LING 3001/5001 -- Introduction to Linguistics (4 cr) – taught Fall, Spring, and Summer. This course is a general introduction to the various subfields of linguistics, the discipline devoted to the nature of human language, its basis in cognition, and its role in human affairs. The main emphasis in the course will be on the structural components of language: syntax (phrase and sentence structure), morphology (word structure), phonology (sound structure), and semantics/pragmatics (meaning). Students will learn about how human languages can differ from one another and how they are alike; they will also learn basic techniques for describing and analyzing linguistic data through working on examples taken from various languages of the world. An understanding of structural components of language will also serve as the basis for an introduction to subfields of linguistics concerned with how languages change over time (historical linguistics, the nature and cause of regional and social variation and diversity within a given language (sociolinguistics), how languages are learned by children and by adults learning a second language (language acquisition), and the biological basis of language in the brain (neurolinguistics). The course will be conducted through lectures and discussions. Course requirements include regular assignments, a midterm and a final. Target audience is anyone with an interest in the nature of human language.
TESL/SLS 3001W --Basics in Teaching English as a Second Language (4 cr) – taught Fall and Spring semesters. This writing-intensive course deals with issues of language and culture that influence local adult ESL students. Participants will become familiar with options for how to meet the learning needs of diverse learners, and will learn about techniques for creating and managing classroom dynamics to enhance student learning. Participants will develop tools to elicit student feedback about their teaching and student learning. They will come to see how elements in their educational autobiography influence their current attitudes about teaching and learning. The course provides an opportunity to gain experience teaching ESL in a service learning context, and to access resources for continuing self-development as an ESL tutor.
TESL/SLS 3501 -- Practical Language Learning for International Communication (3 cr) – taught Fall semester only. No matter what career you end up choosing, your opportunities for employment and advancement will be enhanced if you are multilingual. As you begin the study of foreign languages at the university level, do you wonder what combination of language programs would give your language skills the biggest boost - moving from tolerable to comfortable language skills? There is solid research documenting the effectiveness of different approaches to becoming multilingual. This seminar will consider the various program alternatives that are available to you - including formal university offerings, Web-based courses, summer immersion camp experiences, accelerated or crash courses, study abroad, autonomous learning, and more. This exploration will include the study of published research on alternatives for language learning in and out of class, and a small-scale study with observation of two or more such alternatives and interviews with participants. We will consider factors such as learning style preferences, language learning strategies, and learner motivation, as well as the nature of the institutional program, the contribution that the home and family play, and societal conditions. This exploration is intended to enhance your own current and future efforts at success in becoming a functional multilingual.
TESL/SLS 3401 - Introduction to Pronunciation and Grammar for ESL Teachers (4 cr) – taught Spring semester ONLY (effective Spring 2010). TESL/SLS 3401 introduces English language analysis: key concepts and theories in each of three main areas: (a) the English pronunciation system, (b) English grammar, and (c) aspects of English lexicon related to the two. Rather than providing an exhaustive treatment of these three areas, the course will examine a number of issues within each and explore the way ESL textbooks and instructors advance ESL learners' language proficiency in these areas. The course will also introduce students to the history of the English language insofar as it affects the three areas stated above. The course assumes no prior background in the study of English grammar.
Course activities are designed to develop student skill at (a) identifying ESL/EFL learner grammar and pronunciation errors, (b) explaining correct grammar and pronunciation form, and assessing learner achievement in these areas. At the end of the course, students should be able to answer typical ESL learner questions and effectively address typical learner errors. Students should also gain a better understanding of best practices in regards to addressing grammar and pronunciation issues in ESL contexts. The knowledge gained from this course should prepare students for effective ESL/EFL instruction and more advanced study at the graduate level.
OR
TESL/SLS 5401 -- Language Analysis for Teachers of English as a Second Language (4 cr) – taught Fall semester ONLY. This course provides an overview of the structure of the English language that is specifically geared to the needs of teachers of English to speakers of other languages (both ESL and EFL). While not focusing on pedagogical issues per se, it will view the structures of English from the point of view of second language speakers as well as analyzing the ways in which native speakers use the language. The core function of the course is to make clear the links between theoretical concepts in linguistics and the structure of the language produced by native speakers of English. TESL/SLS 5401 is the first of a two-semester sequence. In TESL/SLS 5401 we will cover English phonetics and phonology, basic morphology of English, and the grammar of the simple sentence in English, including word order, subject-verb agreement, verb tense and aspect, modals, negation, and question formation.
NOTE: Beginning in Fall Semester 2009, TESL/SLS 5401 will be taught only at the graduate level, appropriate for M.A. ESL and other graduate students. Undergraduate ESL Minor/TESL Certificate students are still welcome in this class, but they should know that the same course requirements will apply to all enrolled students; there will no longer be a different set of requirements for undergraduates. We strongly urge undergraduates to instead consider our new undergraduate Language Analysis course, TESL/SLS 3401, Introduction to Pronunciation and Grammar for ESL Teachers, to be offered for the first time in Spring 2010. Either TESL/SLS 3401 or TESL/SLS 5401 will fulfill the ESL minor and/or TESL certificate requirements for undergraduate students.
Admission Requirements
Matriculated student at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Nonnative speakers of English must attain an iBTscore of 79 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
