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Professor Richard F Young |
5129 Helen C. White Hall |
Use the class e-mail list as a public bulletin board for discussions about the class. You may send e-mail messages to me and to all students registered for this course through this e-mail list. Send your messages to english715-1-s06 at lists dot wisc dot edu.
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Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford University Press. |
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Markee, N. (Ed.). (2004). Classroom talks. Special issue of The Modern Language Journal, 88(4). |
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Seedhouse, P. (2004). The interactional architecture of the language classroom: A conversation analysis perspective. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. College Library Reserve Collection, 1st Fl. Center. Call Number: P95.45 S44 2004. |
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Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. College Library Reserve Collection, 1st Fl. Center. Call No. BF311 V93 1978. |
Designed for advanced students of second language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy, this course focuses on the social and psychological processes of learning a second language in the classroom. The topic was introduced briefly in English 333, and in this advanced course we will ask and attempt to answer two basic questions: How is talk organized in a second language classroom? And how does the organization of classroom talk affect second language learning? Our approach to answering those questions will be within two contemporary theories: Conversation Analysis and Sociocultural Theory.
Students in this course will prepare seminar presentations from the readings, and will design and carry out a research project on the organization of talk in a second or foreign language classroom.
Either in groups or individually, you will be responsible for facilitating two seminar discussions based on the week's assigned readings. In preparing the seminar you should ...
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Read the assigned reading and any ancillary readings. |
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Prepare an oral presentation that summarizes and critiques for the rest of us the authors' theoretical stance, the methods advocated, and applicability of the reading to your own research study or to the studies of other members of the class. |
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Write up your presentation as a seminar paper and hand it to me within one week for comments and grading. Your seminar paper should be no longer than four pages (not including the title page and bibliography). If you present more than two seminars, your seminar grade will be calculated only from the best two presentation/papers. If you present together with another student, both students will receive the same grade for the seminar/paper. |
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Guidelines for your oral presentation are available for download here. |
All students will design and carry out a project investigating some aspect of second language classroom discourse. The project should include:
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The development of a research question in consultation with me |
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A literature survey of previous studies relevant to the research question |
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The design of an appropriate methodology for collecting and analyzing data from learners in a second language class |
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Data collection and analysis |
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A written report on your project between 20 and 30 pages in length (not including title page, bibliography, and transcripts) |
A proposal outlining your research question and methodology, including a bibliography of relevant previous studies is due on Wednesday, March 1. The written report on your project is due on Monday, May 8. You should also give a short oral report on your project to the class on Monday or Wednesday, May 1 or 3.
On the four Fridays between April 7 and 28, there will be optional data sessions 1:00-2:15 pm in 7101 HC White. After you have collected the data for your research project, you may share your data and ideas for analysis with the rest of the class in these informal sessions. I will bring a laptop and projector to the data sessions. If you need any other equipment to show your data, you should let me know ahead of time.
Some assignments in this course involve integrating information from published sources into your own writing. This means that you need to be careful not to plagiarize: "to steal or pass off (the ideas and words of another) as one's own" or to "present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, p. 888). For advice on what sources you should document and how to document them, consult Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources on the Writing Center's web site, from which the preceding statement is taken.
Letter grades will be awarded for the seminar presentations and written papers (25% of final grade each), and for the research project (50% of final grade). The seminar presentations will be evaluated according to these guidelines.
The grade of "Incomplete" will only be used for a student who has carried the course with a passing grade until near the end of the semester and then, because of illness or other unusual and substantial cause beyond his/her control, is unable to complete the research project.
Dates |
Topics |
Readings |
Facilitators |
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| January 18 | Different Perspectives on Interaction in the Second Language Classroom | Seedhouse Chapter 2 |
Richard |
| January 23 and 25 | Conversation Analysis Methodology | Seedhouse Chapter 1 |
Atsushi, Yumiko, & Terry |
| January 30 and February 1 | Turn Taking and Sequence in Language Classrooms | Seedhouse Chapter 3 |
James & Mark |
| February 6 and 8 | Repair in Language Classrooms | Seedhouse Chapter 4 |
Renée & Charlie |
| February 13 and 15 | The Organization of Language Classroom Interaction | Seedhouse Chapter 5 |
Chris & Yunhee |
| February 20 and 22 | Conversation Analysis, Applied Linguistics, and SLA | Seedhouse Chapter 6 |
Introduction to Transana by David K Woods |
| February 27 and March 1 | Classroom Talks I | Mondada & Pekarek Doehler (2004) Young & Miller (2004) Mori (2004) |
RESEARCH PROPOSALS DUE MARCH 1 Atsushi & Peter |
| March 6 and 8 | Classroom Talks II | Kasper (2004) He (2004) Markee (2004) |
Aree & Terry |
Spring  Break |
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| March 20 and 22 | Introducing Sociocultural Theory | Vygotsky (1978) | Richard |
| March 27 and 29 | The Genetic Method Mediation: Theoretical Framework |
Lantolf & Thorne Chapters 2 & 3 | Chris & Yunhee |
| April 3 and 5 | Symbolic Mediation and L2 Learners Part 1. Inner Speech, Private Speech, and Gesture Part 2. Metaphor, Lexis, and Narratives |
Lantolf & Thorne Chapters 4 & 5 | Mark & James |
| April 10 and 12 | Internalization: Part 1. Theoretical Framework Part 2. L2 Development |
Lantolf & Thorne Chapters 6 & 7 | Aree & Yumiko |
| April 17 and 19 | Activity Theory: Part 1. Theoretical Framework Part 2. L2 Development The Zone of Proximal Development |
Lantolf & Thorne Chapters 8, 9, & 10 | Atsushi, Peter, & Terry |
| April 24 and 26 | L2 Pedagogy: Part 1. Systemic-theoretical Instruction Part 2. Dynamic Assessment |
Lantolf & Thorne Chapters 11 & 12 | Renée & Charlie |
| May 1 | Oral reports on research projects | Atsushi, Peter, Yumiko, Yunhee, & Aree | |
| May 3 | Oral reports on research projects | Charlie, Renée, James, Terry, Chris, & Mark | |
| May 8 | RESEARCH PAPERS DUE | ||
This page was last revised on May 19, 2006 .
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