The purpose of this course is to help new students develop the skills they need to succeed in the graduate TESOL program. The course is focused on such skills as how to 1) take notes and organize academic lecture material; 2) read academic articles in applied linguistics and TESOL; 3) understand the technical vocabulary needed in the field of TESOL; 4) interpret and write appropriate answers to test questions, 5) conduct computer-assisted bibliographical research; and 6) write academic papers using APA style. This course is designed to provide the critical academic skills needed for successful performance in the MSEd program.

This course is designed for students who are new to the Master of Science in Education program, who have little or no experience studying in an English-language university, or who are not familiar with formal academic writing style. Registrants who are not native speakers of English should have a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the internet-based test.

There will be 13 class sessions for this course.  There is no class on Thursday, March 7. In addition to the 13 class sessions, students will be required to attend the first session, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., of one of the Distinguished Lecturer Series weekend seminars.　The instructor will provide you with further details about the seminar requirement in the classroom.

Required Textbook:

• Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned. (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. (4th ed.). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basics of English phonetics and phonology, with an emphasis on areas of interest to language teachers. The course objectives are to: (1) introduce the basic concepts of phonetics and phonology; (2) provide practice in transcribing and analyzing the sound systems of native speakers and learners of English; (3) consider the place of pronunciation teaching in a foreign language curriculum and instructional approaches; (4) examine methods of assessing pronunciation; and (5) look at the relationship between pronunciation and other language skills. Students will complete a number of weekly assignments, take a mid-term examination and final examination, and conduct a project in which the speech of an English language learner is analyzed, a particular aspect of the English sound system is taught, and the results reported.

There will be 13 regular class sessions for this course. There is no class on Tuesday, March 5. In addition to the 13 class sessions, students are required to attend the first session of Dr. Ron Thomson’s Distinguished Lecturer Series weekend seminar on Saturday, January 27, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Required Textbook:

• Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching pronunciation: A course book and reference guide. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (Eds.). (1992). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The first major purpose of this course is to give students the skills they need to develop and design language courses in all skill areas, with a special focus on materials design and assessment practices. The second purpose is to familiarize students with the states of the art in meaning-driven teaching methods (i.e., Task-, Project-, Theme-, and Content-based teaching) while respecting the importance of traditional grammar and vocabulary teaching to EFL audiences. These general principles form a framework within which students are introduced to the principles of cognitive linguistics that are relevant to teaching (e.g., construction and cognitive grammar, construal, and embodied meaning and metaphor). Students will learn to integrate their own situated observations with research findings to generate topically relevant material for any age group that meets the criteria laid out by any curriculum they follow. This material (lesson and task plans, texts, recordings, etc.) will support the teaching of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as well as the linguistic competencies of English. That is, students will leave the class able to employ the principles of meaning-based linguistics and pedagogy to create motivating learning experiences that are flexible enough to fluidly switch between form and function foci. Course requirements include completing weekly readings, contributing to group discussions, completing a final examination and course projects, and compiling a teaching portfolio.

Required Textbook:

• Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Littlemore, J. (2009). Applying cognitive linguistics to second language learning and teaching. Palgrave Macmillan. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Deheane, S. (2020). How we learn: The new science of education and the brain. Penguin. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Concise guide to APA style. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The overarching purpose of this course is to canvass ten contemporary theories that are central to modern discussions of second language development (SLD) and to thereby provide the participants with an opportunity to further develop and consolidate their understanding of SLD, models of language representation and use, and issues that directly affect classroom teaching. In the first part of the course, we look at (a) the nature of theories, (b) linguistic theory and universal grammar, and (c) the concept-oriented approach to SLD. In the second part of the course, the focus is on a number of modern theoretical positions, including (a) usage-based approaches, (b) skill-acquisition theory, and (c) input processing. Finally, in the third part of the course, we read about (a) research on the brain and SLD, (b) processability theory, (c) input, interaction, and output; (d) sociocultural theory, and (e) instructed second language development. Students will participate in and lead numerous small group discussions, take in-class examinations, write a paper about a self-selected SLD topic and make a presentation on the same topic. Course participants should read Chapters 1-7 in Theories in Second Language Acquisition: An Introduction before the first class meeting.

The course is best taken by students who have already completed TESL 5611, TESL 5612, TESL 5613, TESL 5614 and TESL 5616. 

Required Textbook:

• VanPatten, B., Keating, G. D., & Wulff, S. (Eds.). (2020). Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction. (3rd ed.). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Concise guide to APA style. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The primary aim of this course is to provide a broad overview of contemporary issues in the design of educational curricula. It is hoped that accomplishing this aim will lead participants to develop a clearer understanding of the complexities of designing and implementing foreign language curricula and greater confidence and skill in undertaking such a task.

The main topics to be covered include: 1) the origins of curriculum development, including the philosophical, cognitive, and social foundations underlying educational curricula; 2) options for curriculum design; 3) needs, aims, goals and objectives; 4) the role of tests and instructional materials in the curriculum; 5) providing for effective teaching and teacher training; and, 6) the assessment and evaluation of both students and the curriculum itself.

Participants in the course will lead several small group discussions, write a number of short responses to issues raised in the course, develop a detailed curriculum plan for a specific educational institution or educational context, and take a final test.

Required Textbook:

• Macalister, J., & Nation, I. S. P. (2020). Language curriculum design. (2nd ed.). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Richard, J. C. (2017). Curriculum development in language teaching. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Additional readings will be provided.

Students are required to register for this course in the semester they take the MSEd Comprehensive Examination. This course is a Pass/Fail course. If the student is taking the January Comprehensive Exam, the student must register for this course in the spring semester. If the student is taking the May Comprehensive Exam, the student must register for this course in the summer semester. 

PhD students are required to take two 3-credit Research Apprenticeship courses. 

If you wish to take an apprenticeship course, you first need to write a 300-400-word abstract of your proposed project (unless you are assisting a professor with one of his or her studies). This abstract should include basic information such as (a) the gaps in the literature you are addressing, (b) the purpose(s) of the study, (c) specific research questions, and (d) your methodology, including information about the participants, instruments, procedures, and the analyses you will perform. You will then need to send the abstract to the advisor you wish to work with, and if the advisor approves your plan, you can then register for the course with that advisor. 

This course is for those PhD students who have completed PhD coursework and are working on their dissertation proposal.  

The PhD students are required to take Culminating Courses (6 semester hours overall, minimum 2 semester hours of EDUC 9999). Culminating Courses: Preliminary Preparation Course (EDUC 9994), Dissertation Proposal Design Course (EDUC 9998) and Doctor of Education Dissertation Course (EDUC 9999).  

Minimum 2 credit hours of EDUC 9999 are required for the PhD students. 

Students wishing to register for this course should obtain permission from the professor and complete the registration process during the registration period. 

The Role of Speech Perception in Second Language Pronunciation Learning　by Dr. Ron Thomson, Brock University, Canada, will be conducted by 3-hour online Zoom sessions for four days: Saturday, January 27, Sunday, January 28, Saturday, February 3 and Sunday, February 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST).  Students taking this seminar for credit must attend all four days. Students can add/drop this seminar course by 13:00 on Saturday, January 27.

The pre sign-up (or course registration for those who are taking this seminar for credit) is required for anybody attending the public session on Saturday, January 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The sign-up process must be completed through "Distinguished Lecturer Series Seminar Sign-Up Form" that is available on TUJ Grad Ed website. The sign-up deadline is Friday, January 26 at 12:00 p.m. The public session Zoom link will be provided to those people who completed the online sign-up (or course registration) process by 18:00 on Friday, January 26.

When we think about teaching adult learners a new language, it is second nature to focus on speaking. What if this focus circumvents a more natural approach to learning – one that uses the same cognitive mechanisms that typically developing children use to learn their first language (L1)? In naturalistic learning contexts, accessing these childhood learning mechanisms is difficult.  Fortunately, instructed second language (L2) acquisition provides an opportunity for teachers to help learners reorient their attention towards perceptual cues to promote lasting change in pronunciation.

This seminar has several goals. First, the instructor will provide an overview of how L1 speech develops and ways in which L2 speech learning follows a similar path.  The instructor hopes to convince participants of the need to spend more time on the process of L2 pronunciation learning, and less time on the final product.  Second, the instructor will provide an overview of a research-based technique that provides explicit, efficient, and effective perceptual instruction.  Third, the instructor will give opportunity for participants to brainstorm ways of integrating insights from research into traditional language classrooms.

The summative project will require participants to read several relevant papers and devise new research questions concerning the role of speech perception in L2 pronunciation.   They will then conduct a single-learner pilot study of L2 speech perception, using instructor’s perceptual training platform.  This may be a self-study, or it may involve having a friend complete a short training experiment. Participants will write a short reflection on what they learned from completing the pilot.

How Can Conversation Analysis Make You a Better L2 Language Teacher and Researcher? by Dr. Santoi Wagner, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., will be conducted by 3-hour online Zoom sessions for four days: Saturday, March 2, Sunday, March 3, Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST).  Students taking this seminar for credit must attend all four days. Students can add/drop this seminar course by 13:00 on Saturday, March 2.

The pre sign-up (or course registration for those who are taking this seminar for credit) is required for anybody attending the public session on Saturday, March 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST).    The sign-up process must be completed through "Distinguished Lecturer Series Seminar Sign-Up Form" that is available on TUJ Grad Ed website. The sign-up deadline is Friday, March 1 at 12:00 p.m. The public session Zoom link will be provided to those people who completed the online sign-up (or course registration) process by 18:00 on Friday, March 1. 

Conversation Analysis (CA) is a distinctive, data-driven, micro-analytical approach to studying talk. It is designed to describe and explicate the tacit methods of social interaction, that is, how talk is produced and made sense of by the interlocutors themselves. Analysis involves the careful examination of transcripts of naturally-occurring data transcribed from audio or video recordings, with close attention paid to how each turn is produced and heard, and to the details of interaction such as pauses, word choices (e.g., “oh”, “okay”, “mhmm”), prosody, etc. Given CA’s aim of understanding how interaction works, it is a powerful tool for L2 teachers and researchers. CA contributes to a more detailed specification of interactional competence by delineating the concrete interactional practices that interlocutors deploy. And, because much of language teaching is conducted through talk, CA contributes to our knowledge of L2 teaching and learning by uncovering what teachers and students actually do in their interactions in the classroom (and in other educational spaces).

The seminar provides an introduction to the CA analytic framework, its application to L2 pedagogy, and how it has been employed in L2 research. The objectives of the seminar are for participants to (a) cultivate an awareness of the organization and practices of spoken language that will contribute to a more evidence-based pedagogical approach to teaching L2 interaction skills; and (b) develop an appreciation of the CA analytic mentality that will help them recognize and apply basic CA concepts and techniques in understanding L2 classroom interaction.