Second Language Teaching (Interdepartmental Concentration)

Mailing Address: 
Department of Linguistics (MC 315)
601 South Morgan Street
Chicago, IL 60607

Contact Information: 
Campus Location: 1722 UH 
(312) 996-5218 
lcsl.uic.edu/linguistics

Administration: 
Susanne Rott, srott@uic.edu

Note: Effective Fall 2020, new students are not being admitted to this program until further notice. Contact the program directly for more information.

The Interdepartmental Concentration in Second Language Teaching is intended for those graduate students whose primary research and teaching interests lie in literary, cultural, and linguistic studies in English, Spanish, French, German, and other languages. The concentration provides them with advanced education in the processes of language learning and approaches to language teaching, including the teaching of composition.

The concentration is an option in addition to the candidate’s regular course of study and is not intended as a replacement for requirements in individual degree programs. It consists of four courses that are chosen from particular areas of study useful to the development of the candidate’s knowledge and skill in language teaching. These areas are as follows: Introduction to Language Teaching, Foundations in Second Language Acquisition, and Specific or Special Topics in Language Teaching.

Students in the following graduate programs may be eligible to participate in the Interdepartmental Concentration in Second Language Teaching:

Graduate Program Level
English MA, PhD
French and Francophone Studies MA
Germanic Studies MA, PhD
Hispanic Studies MA, PhD

Note: This concentration is not intended for those specializing in either second language acquisition or second language teaching at the master’s level or doctoral level (e.g. MATESL students, students in Applied Linguistics; PhD students in Hispanic Linguistics with a concentration in Second Language Acquisition).

Concentration Requirements

Candidates interested in the Interdepartmental Concentration in Second Language Teaching must take a total of four courses to be distributed in the following way:

Category A: Introduction to Language Teaching
Select one of the following:
Theoretical and Research Foundations of Communicative Language Teaching
Methodology of Second Language Teaching
Category B: Foundations in Second Language Acquisition
Select one of the following:
Second Language Learning
Theories in Second Language Acquisition
Category C: Special or Specific Topics in Language Learning and Teaching
Select one of the following:
Materials and Curriculum Development in Second Language Teaching
Seminar in Linguistics
Second Language Assessment
Seminar in Special Topics a
Seminar in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism a
Select one additional course from either Category B or C
a

Students may select these courses when the course content is focused on one of the categories for the concentration. 

At least three courses must be taken in residence at UIC. The concentration is awarded upon completion of an approved graduate program.