95310 - SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Learning outcomes

The student knows the basic features (terms, concepts and methods) relevant for the understanding of the process of acquiring non-native languages. The student is able to: - understand, describe and critically evaluate the main theoretical approaches to second language acquisition - understand and describe the psychological and social aspects of second language acquisition, and the roles of the native language and the input - understand how experiments and learner corpora are used in the study of second language acquisition - apply the gained knowledge to language teaching and translation contexts

Course contents

Within this course the students will learn about the main theoretical approaches to second language acquisition (generative, usage-based, functional), as well as the psychological and social aspects of the acquisition process, with a focus on factors such as motivation, language aptitude, and the impact of the learning context. Attention will also be given to cross-linguistic influence (especially the influence of the learners' native language), input and prospects for achieving native-like competence in a non-native language. Different methods used in second language acquisition research will be presented, as well as possible practical applications of research findings in this area.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching and reading materials will be made available on the Moodle platform.

Teaching methods

Frontal instruction

Assessment methods

The assessment will consist in a written exam.

Teaching tools

All teaching materials (slides, audio/video materials) will be available on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Maja Milicevic Petrovic