This is an introduction to English phonetics and phonology, with an emphasis on areas of interest to language teachers. The course objectives are: 1) to introduce the basic concepts of phonetics and phonology; 2) to provide practice in transcribing and analyzing the sound system of native speakers and learners of English; 3) to examine theoretical and practical aspects of the teaching pronunciation, with a focus on Japanese learners of English.

Emphasis will be on consonant and vowel articulation, intonation, stress, contextual alterations and rhythm. Students will also become familiar with theories of acquisition of sounds and their practical realization in the speech of non-native speakers.

Requirements: Students will complete a number of weekly assignments (details will be provided at the first class meeting), a mid-term examination, a final examination, a research paper project in which students will ultimately design a series of pronunciation teaching activities to aid non-native speakers in acquiring a language and a 10-minute course project presentation.

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)

A set of other optional/suggested readings will be provided later.

In this course, students will explore the principles and practices used in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. After introducing general considerations for curriculum design and assessment, students will examine pedagogical approaches that can be used to help English language learners develop the four macro-skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as two linguistic competencies (vocabulary and grammar) that play crucial roles in all types of language use. The class will include discussions of theoretical issues (e.g., how language users process the various macro-skills and how they acquire proficiency in them) and practical issues (e.g., sequencing pedagogical tasks and scaffolding students in their attempts to acquire the foreign language). Students will also gain experience evaluating existing course materials for use in their own teaching contexts. Course requirements include completing weekly written assignments based on assigned readings, actively participating in and leading small group discussions, attending and writing about a weekend seminar lecture, writing reflective essays about pedagogy for each of the four skills, doing an in-class written examination, and completing a final course project and presentation.

There will be 13 class sessions for this course, and students are additionally 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.

It is recommended that students take this course after having completed TESL 5614: Current Approaches to Teaching English Language Learners.

Required Textbook:

• Nation, I. S. P., & Macalister, J. (2021). Teaching ESL/EFL reading and writing. (2nd ed). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Newton, J.M., & Nation, I. S. P. (2021). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. (2nd 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 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 development of learners’ listening and speaking proficiency are fundamental goals in most foreign and second language teaching environments. The three main purposes of this class are to familiarize students with current theoretical models of listening comprehension and speech production, to expose students to common listening and speaking pedagogical approaches, and to have students evaluate and produce materials and research related to L2 listening and speaking pedagogy. We will use the assigned readings as a basis for discussing a variety of topics related to teaching and assessing listening and speaking. We will also analyze, and critique instructional activities proposed to develop learners’ listening and speaking proficiency. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the current theoretical models of L2 listening comprehension and speech production, be able to apply current approaches to L2 listening and speaking pedagogy, and have refined their abilities in critiquing, adapting, and developing instructional materials as well as original research in related areas of their interest.

Students in the course will be responsible for carefully reading and reflecting on all assigned texts, actively participating in class discussions, reviewing/developing L2 listening and speaking instructional materials, completing a final test on theory and pedagogical practice, and completing a final written project in a relevant area of their choosing.

There will be 13 class sessions for this course. There is no class on Monday, March 11. 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.

Required Textbook:

• Bailey, K. M. (2020). Teaching listening and speaking in second and foreign language contexts. Bloomsbury Academic. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

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.