autumn 2020
ENG-3050 Second Language Acquisition - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for courses offered in the autumn semester and 1 December for courses offered in the spring semester.

Applicants from outside the Nordic countries: 15 April for courses offered in the autumn semester and 1 October for courses offered in the spring semester.


Type of course

This course is mandatory for students in the MA programme in English Acquisition and Multilingualism, and elective for students in the MA programme in Theoretical Linguistics. This course may be taken as a single course by students who qualify for admission to the MA programme in English Acquisition and Multilingualism.

Admission requirements

Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification, in English language, or a degree combining English language and literature, with a minimum of 80 ECTS in English. An average grade equivalent to C or better (in the English coursework, 80 ECTS) is required.

Application code: 9371 - Enkeltemner på masternivå (Nordic applicants).


Course overlap

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

HIF-3050 Second Language Acquisition 10 stp
ENG-3051 Second Language Acquisition and Language Teaching 10 stp

Course content

Why do we often hear Anglophones speaking Norwegian say things like "I går vi drakk mye vin", whereas Norwegians who learn English rarely have difficulty with word order? And how are you to realize that "It was drunk a lot of beer at the party" is ungrammatical in English if nobody points it out to you? This course will provide an introduction to the theory of language learning and second language acquisition, with an emphasis on English syntax. In addition, students will work on a project related to a specific topic in second language acquisition.

Objectives of the course

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has:

  •  a general knowledge of the most important issues in second language acquisition, e.g., L1 transfer, UG access, complexity vs. frequency, etc.
  •   some more specific knowledge of typical problems related to learning a particular language, e.g., English, Norwegian, etc.
  •  a general knowledge of the most important theoretical approaches to second language acquisition.

Skills

The student is:

  • able to analyse second language learner data from at least one specific language
  • familiar with the most important methods used in second language acquisition studies
  • able to discuss issues related to second language acquisition both orally and in writing.


Language of instruction and examination

Language of instruction and examination: English.

Teaching methods

Lectures, exercises and seminars.

Quality assurance: All courses undergo a halfway evaluation once in a 2-year period at the master´s level. The Programme Board determines which programme options will be evaluated per year, and which courses will be evaluated by the students and the teacher per year.


Assessment

The following coursework requirements must be completed and approved in order to take the final exam:

One short paper and a short presentation in the first half of the semester and a longer presentation at the end of the semester. The final presentation should be connected to the term paper. Please note that this course requirement includes being an active audience for other students' presentations.

Assessment method: One term paper (4000-5000 words)

Performance in the course will be assessed on an A-F grades scale. Grades are A-E for passed and F for failed. A re-sit examination is offered in the event of an F grade. The deadline to register for a re-sit examination is 15 January (for courses offered in the autumn semester) and 15 August (for courses offered in the spring semester). In the event of a re-sit examination, the student is allowed to submit a revised version of his/her term paper within a given deadline.


  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: ENG-3050
  • Tidligere år og semester for dette emnet