HARVARD UNIVERSITY

LINGUISTICS 200
Second Language Acquisition: Theory and Practice
Fall, 2013 W 2-4pm Boylston 105

Instructor: Dr. Stacey Katz Bourns, Director of Language Programs, RLL

Email: katzbourns@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2-3pm; Wednesdays 4-5pm; and by appt. (435 Boylston Hall)

Course Description
This course is designed for TFs and TAs who are teaching a second/foreign language at Harvard for the
first time. The course includes both theoretical and practical topics, with an emphasis on providing
students with a solid foundation in the tenets of second-language acquisition (SLA) and applied
linguistic theory. Students will also acquire the pedagogical tools and metalinguistic awareness that
they will need to become successful language instructors. In this course, students will

1. acquire a solid background in SLA theory and in recent developments in the field of applied
linguistics;

2. gain an understanding of the current context of second-language teaching and become familiar with
techniques offered by various methods and approaches through studying the historical development
of foreign language teaching;

3. examine the processes involved in learning a second language and its cultures with respect to the
three modes of communication (interpretive, presentational and interpersonal), and their
interaction with the four skill areas (reading, writing, listening, and speaking);

4. develop a critical, reflective attitude about their teaching;

5. study methods for integrating culture into the foreign/second language classroom;

6. become familiar with the use of technology and multimedia in foreign- and second-language
teaching.

Required Textbook: (available at the Harvard Coop or online)

Brandl, Klaus. Communicative Language Teaching in Action: Putting Principles to Work.
Prentice Hall: 2008.

Note: Katherine Killough will have a desk copy available for one-hour borrowing in Boylston
435.

Additional readings will be posted on the course’s i-site. Please bring your textbook or a hard
copy of the assigned chapter/i-site reading(s) to each class.

GRADE BREAKDOWN
Note: This course must be taken for a letter grade.

1. Participation in class discussions and completion of homework (20%)

You are expected to be an active participant in class discussions. This means coming to class on time,
completing readings and any assigned questions or tasks before class, and participating actively in
group activities and discussions.

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You are allowed one unexcused absence during the semester. After that, the participation portion of
your grade will be lowered by a full letter grade for each absence (since you will not have been able to
participate in class discussions on that day). 2 late arrivals/early departures = one absence.

2. Observation Reports (15%)

You are required to write two 2-page (double spaced) reports describing two different elementary- or
intermediate-level Harvard language classes that you observe during the semester. One should be a
class taught by an experienced instructor in the language that you teach, and the other may be taught by
either a new or experienced teacher in any language. Be sure to provide a critical analysis of the class,
including situating the class within its pedagogical framework (identifying the approach/method that is
being used and discussing its theoretical underpinnings). Comment on what went well during the class,
and then give suggestions for improvement. Be sure to attend on a ‘typical’ day, not on a day when there
is a test, film, or review session. Always ask the instructor in advance for permission to attend his/her
class. You may not observe a class in which you are enrolled or that you are auditing.

3. Exams (35%)
There will be two exams, given on October 16 and December 4. There will be no make-ups for these
exams, so please note these dates in your calendar.

4. Pedagogical Materials Portfolio (30%)

The main course project is the production of materials for use in teaching. The goal is to have a portfolio
that contains materials that you will actually use and that you can show to potential employers during a
job interview as evidence of your skills as a language teacher. You will create materials for the portfolio
throughout the semester.
The following items must be included in your portfolio:
 A table of contents.
 A statement of your teaching philosophy (suggested length: 1-2 pages).
 A grammar lesson to teach one specific point. It should include innovative techniques (such as
consciousness-raising tasks and text-based grammar instruction materials), and it should contain at
least three activities for students to complete that are not of the drill, fill-in-the-blank variety.
 A reading assignment, including pre- and post-reading activities.
 A writing assignment, including pre-writing activities and specific, step-by-step instructions to
guide students through the writing process.
 A listening comprehension activity, using a Youtube (or other Internet) video (please include the
link). Be sure to include pre- and post-viewing activities.

Note: All materials in your portfolio must be your own; the only materials that can come from
other sources are any reading or listening passages that you have chosen to use as texts.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: It is expected that you will complete all assignments on your own,
unless specifically instructed to work with others. College rules about academic honesty,
including plagiarism, will be strictly enforced: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?
keyword=k70847&pageid=icb.page355322

ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION: Students needing academic adjustments or

accommodations because of a documented disability are requested to present their letter
from Accessible Education Office (AEO) and speak with the Course Head (whether or not the
section leader is also informed) by the end of the second week of the semester. Failure to do so
may result in the Course Head's inability to respond in a timely manner. All discussions will
remain confidential, although AEO may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Cell phones must be in the off position when you come into class,
and laptops may not be used in class except for certain specified activities.

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 CALENDAR
The syllabus may be slightly modified from time to time. Changes will be announced in class
and posted on the course’s i–site. You are responsible for any announcements made in class,
even if you are not present that day. Homework assignments listed for each class are to be
completed before coming to class. Note: you do not need to read/prepare the tasks at the end
of the Brandl chapters. We will do some of them together in class.

September 4: General introduction: First language acquisition vs. second language acquisition

September 11: (JOINT CLASS WITH SLAVIC) Historical overview of pedagogical

approaches/methods
Homework: Richards and Rodgers (i-site); Brandl, Chapter 1

September 18: Theories of communicative competence. Communicative language teaching

(CLT): tenets, advantages, and deficiencies; Designing language classes: Combining
theory and practice
Homework: Celce-Murcia (i-site); Brandl, Chapter 2

September 25: (JOINT CLASS WITH SLAVIC) Approaches to teaching vocabulary;

Integrating technology into the L2 classroom
Homework: Brandl, Chapter 3

October 2: Approaches to teaching grammar

Homework: Katz/Blyth. (i-site) and Brandl, Chapter 4

October 9: Approaches to teaching grammar (continued). Feedback and error correction

Homework: Brandl, Chapter 5. Observation report #1 due.

October 16: EXAM 1

October 23: (JOINT CLASS WITH SLAVIC) Approaches to teaching oral skills; ACTFL
and the OPI exam; Guest speaker: Virginia Maurer, Associate Director, Derek Bok Center
Homework: Brandl, Chapter 8

October 30: Teaching reading and listening

Homework: Brandl, Chapters 7 and 9

November 6: Teaching literature: Pre-texts workshop; Guest speaker: Doris Sommer,

Professor of Spanish
Homework: Sommer (on i-site)

November 13: Teaching and assessing writing

Homework: Krueger (on i-site); Brandl, Chapter 10. Observation report #2 due

November 20: (JOINT CLASS WITH SLAVIC) Teaching heritage speakers;

Guest speaker: Maria Polinsky, Professor of Linguistics; The future of language teaching
Homework: Polinsky (i-site); 2007 MLA Report (i-site)

November 27: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving holiday

December 4: EXAM 2

Portfolio due on Wednesday, December 18, at noon in Boylston 435