The minor in Applied Linguistics emphasizes language acquisition and language use in foreign and second-language settings. Applied Linguistics is concerned with increasing the understanding of the role of language in human affairs and, thereby, with providing the knowledge necessary for those who are responsible for making language-related decisions, whether the need arises in the health care setting, courtroom, classroom, or laboratory. Students learn to evaluate theory and research in different areas of the field, including second-language studies and sociolinguistics. Required introductory courses provide the necessary foundation for advanced classes. Courses at all levels include the critical analysis of different theories, conceptual models, and research methodologies. Students of Applied Linguistics may engage in international or domestic studies that involve research projects with faculty members from Public Health, Global Studies, Law, Business, Anthropology, Education, and Engineering.
Specifically, the minor in Applied Linguistics at Washington University meets the increasing domestic and international demand for positions that involve linguistically and culturally diverse people in the United States and around the world. The minor is suitable for students who wish to pursue graduate studies or advanced degrees in Public Health, Medicine, Law, Business, Engineering, Applied Linguistics, Global Studies, Psychological & Brain Sciences, Education, and more.
The Applied Linguistics minor is an independent minor administered by Global Studies.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Cindy Brantmeier |
| Email: | cbrantme@wustl.edu |
| Website: | https://artsci.wustl.edu/applied-linguistics-minor |
Director
Cindy Brantmeier
Professor of Applied Linguistics and of Global Studies (primary appointment)
Professor in the School of Public Health (secondary appointment)
Psychological & Brain Sciences (by courtesy)
Romance Languages and Literatures (by courtesy)
Director and Advisor of Applied Linguistics
Senior Research Advisor for International Research with Human Subjects, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
PhD, Indiana University
Faculty
Joe Barcroft
Professor of Spanish and Second Language Acquisition
Summer Language Institute in Madrid Director
PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Linling Gao-Miles
Senior Lecturer in Global Studies
Affiliated faculty for the Asian American Studies minor
PhD, Nagoya University, Japan
Katherine Kerschen
Lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literatures
PhD, Pennsylvania State University
Lori Markson
Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Faculty Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
Faculty Development Fellow, Office of the Provost
PhD, University of Arizona
Mungai Mutonya
Teaching Professor in African & African American Studies
Kenya Summer Program Coordinator
PhD, Michigan State University
Mitchell Sommers
Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences
PhD, University of Michigan
Younasse Tarbouni
Teaching Professor of Arabic
Affiliated Faculty, Global Studies
PhD, EHESS, University PSL, Paris, France
APL 3388 Multilingualism in Society
Although this is an introductory course, students who have taken Linguistics 170D "Introduction to Linguistics" will benefit from familiarity with phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. The primary content of this course explores the relationship between (multilingual) linguistic practices and other social and cultural processes. Anthropological linguistics, including alternative approaches to fieldwork and date collection are introduced, along with various studies of language usage in social and cultural contexts that consider language and thought, language and identity, language and gender, as well as multilingualism and other forms of language contact. The ethnography of speaking and communication are central to this course, as are conversation analyses. We will also consider a combination of qualitative and quantitative linguistic research methods. While this course will have important historical orientations, your own experiences with language usage within the culture (s) you know best will also be great interest. The linguistic evolution of human language usage is at the core of our foci, including ways that technology has influenced "language," "culture," and the "societies" that embraced alternative forms of communicative technology at different stages in history. The creation of writing systems and the invention of the printing press are illustrative. So too is the invention of the telegraph and morse code, as well as the invention and modernization of telephone usage. Other examples abound and will illustrate how human evolution intersects with alternative forms of human communication under different circumstances.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC EN: S
Typical periods offered: Fall
APL 3900 Independent Research Study
This course is for independent research.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
APL 3995 Applied Linguistics Coursework Completed Abroad
This course allows students to document their study abroad credits.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
APL 4023 Second-Language Acquisition and Technology
This seminar for undergraduate and graduate students will transform research and theory about second-language acquisition into practice while focusing on technology-driven applications. The course fosters professional development as participants formulate critical skills for evaluating, creating, and integrating technology into the language classroom and other language learning contexts, including business, engineering, and law. Course formats include readings, discussions, and demonstrations with technologies. The course counts for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in applied linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC EN: S
Typical periods offered: Spring
APL 4111 Linguistics and Language Learning
This course, taught in English, is a foundation for students who will work with linguistically and culturally diverse people in the USA and around the world, whether this work is in the courtroom, hospital, classroom, office and more. The class will help prepare students for the diverse range of twenty-first century occupations that have language and linguistics at their center, including machine learning and translation studies. The class utilizes a survey format and covers both internal and external factors related to language acquisition and language use, such as language and the brain, language aptitude, age, gender, memory, prior knowledge, etc. Theoretical and research dimensions of both linguistics and foreign / second language learning are treated. Corresponding implications of the readings focus on action- on making decisions for language policies and debates around the world that are informed by linguistic and language knowledge. The course is required for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in Applied Linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors such as Global Studies and Educational Studies.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC BU: BA, ETH EN: S
Typical periods offered: Spring
APL 4692 Reading Across Languages and Cultures: Theory, Research and Practice
The United Nations has declared that literacy is a fundamental human right. This course, which is taught in English, connects to the mission of UNESCO and examines the wide range of theoretical and research issues -- both historical and current -- related to reading and writing across languages and cultures. Literacy acquisition among second-language learners involves a number of variables, including both cognitive and social factors. Topics to be discussed include universal cognitive operations, individual learner differences, text types and literary forms, literacy and social power, and the extent to which reading and writing are interrelated. Students will discuss how to bridge scientific research in the laboratory to practice, and they will be involved in St. Louis community outreach projects with refugees and immigrants at the International Institute, where they will create and implement reading and writing activities driven by theory and empirical investigations. Students will take the theory and research they learn, and they will help meet the local reading and writing needs of a changing population with a variety of backgrounds, values, and educational preparations. The course is required for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in applied linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors, such as Global Studies and Educational Studies.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC EN: S
Typical periods offered: Fall
APL 4900 Independent Research Study
This course is for independent research study.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
APL 5023 Second-Language Acquisition and Technology
This seminar for undergraduate and graduate students will transform research and theory about second-language acquisition into practice while focusing on technology-driven applications. The course fosters professional development as participants formulate critical skills for evaluating, creating, and integrating technology into the language classroom and other language learning contexts, including business, engineering, and law. Course formats include readings, discussions, and demonstrations with technologies. The course counts for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in applied linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors.
APL 5111 Linguistics and Language Learning
This course, taught in English, is a foundation for students who will work with linguistically and culturally diverse people in the USA and around the world, whether this work is in the courtroom, hospital, classroom, office and more. The class will help prepare students for the diverse range of twenty-first century occupations that have language and linguistics at their center, including machine learning and translation studies. The class utilizes a survey format and covers both internal and external factors related to language acquisition and language use, such as language and the brain, language aptitude, age, gender, memory, prior knowledge, etc. Theoretical and research dimensions of both linguistics and foreign / second language learning are treated. Corresponding implications of the readings focus on action- on making decisions for language policies and debates around the world that are informed by linguistic and language knowledge. The course is required for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in Applied Linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors such as Global Studies and Educational Studies. Prereq: Ling 170 is recommended but not required.
APL 5692 Reading Across Languages and Cultures: Theory, Research and Practice
The United Nations has declared that literacy is a fundamental human right. This course, which is taught in English, connects to the mission of UNESCO and examines the wide range of theoretical and research issues -- both historical and current -- related to reading and writing across languages and cultures. Literacy acquisition among second-language learners involves a number of variables, including both cognitive and social factors. Topics to be discussed include universal cognitive operations, individual learner differences, text types and literary forms, literacy and social power, and the extent to which reading and writing are interrelated. Students will discuss how to bridge scientific research in the laboratory to practice, and they will be involved in St. Louis community outreach projects with refugees and immigrants at the International Institute, where they will create and implement reading and writing activities driven by theory and empirical investigations. Students will take the theory and research they learn, and they will help meet the local reading and writing needs of a changing population with a variety of backgrounds, values, and educational preparations. The course is required for the minor in applied linguistics, the PhD in applied linguistics, and the graduate certificate in language instruction. This course carries the Social and Behavioral Sciences attribute and can be taken for different majors, such as Global Studies and Educational Studies.