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LING363 Bilingualism

Updated: 16 May 2011
Credit Points 6
Offering Not offered in 2012
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites LING102
Co-requisites None
Restrictions LING463 or LING563
Notes None
Combined Units LING563 - Bilingualism
Coordinator(s) Liz Ellis (eellis4@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit introduces students to the cognitive, social and educational perspectives on the study of bilingualism. Psycholinguistic aspects such as the bilingual brain, and the link between bilingualism and intelligence are explored. We consider distinctions between simultaneous and sequential acquisition, and look at ways of characterising the bilingual's speech repertoires, including theories of code-switching. Students will gain socio-political perspectives on bilingualism through examining policy directions in selected sites. Models of bilingual education are reviewed, and the relationship of bilingual studies to the field of English as a second language teaching explored. Metalinguistic awareness and trilingualism are also considered.
Materials Text information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. identify key cognitive aspects of the bilingual's language repertoire and outline selected theories of its development and use;
  2. account for different routes to bilingual competence;
  3. discuss key research findings on the bilingual brain, and the link between bilingualism and intelligence;
  4. discuss language acquisition and maintenance in bilingual family contexts;
  5. outline the main forms of bilingual education in national and international contexts and discuss the effectiveness of different approaches; and
  6. analyse the relationship between bilingualism studies and the field of English language teaching.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Students will deepen their knowledge of the discourse and major concerns of the discipline particularly in relation to the study of bilingualism and multilingualism in individual, educational and societal contexts. Students will be taught via lectures and online discussions and assessed in all assessment tasks. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Students are expected to practise effective communication through selective and informed contribution to bulletin board discussions, and through demonstration of the ability to compose a reasoned written argument drawing on published sources. Both of these will be assessed. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
This unit teaches subject matter on bilingual issues around the world, and students are required to examine such issues in depth in one selected site. They also need to demonstrate an understanding of the use and implications of English as a global language and its effects on intercultural communication. 		True
4 Information Literacy
As a result of completing this unit students will develop a high degree of competence in finding and evaluating complex information from various sources, with an emphasis on electronically-available sources. This skill is assessed through the essay. 		True True
5 Life-Long Learning
The assessment activities in this unit ask the student to use newly-acquired analytical abilities to focus on their own work or life context, thus enabling them to see it in a new light. Ongoing reflection on one's work is a key part of lifelong learning. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
Students will be expected to analyse language data and solve problems in their assessment tasks. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
A number of issues in the unit necessitate students negotiating their own ethical stance and learning to appreciate the point of view of linguistically 'othered' and disadvantaged groups. These are prerequisites for developing socially responsible attitudes. 		True
8 Team Work
Participation in online discussions requires engagement and interactivity with other students in developing collaborative skills and building group knowledge and is an assessed component of this unit. 		True True
   

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