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Semester: Spring 2021 ONLINE
Time: Thursday, 6-7:40 pm
ESC 757 Linguistics for TESOL/Bilingual Teachers  

Instructor: Kelsey Swift
Email: kelsey.swift.cuny (at) gmail.com (or swiftlykels (at) gmail.com)
Office Hours: by appointment  

Required Texts: All readings available online (free)
Course website  

Course Description:
ESC 757:  Linguistics for TESOL/Bilingual Teachers.  3 hrs, 3 crs.
This course is an introduction to the systematic study of language, with a focus on English and other languages widely spoken in NYC public schools. We will analyze the formal features of language from the perspectives of the formal fields of linguistics – phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. We will also discuss topics in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, including multilingualism, variation, and language ideology. By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the field of linguistics and the ability to apply its concepts to your experiences as a teacher.  

Prerequisites: None  

Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify some phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic features of English and other languages
• Understand basic linguistic terminology
• Recognize stages and features of language development
• Discuss the sociolinguistic context of NYC public schools
• Explore pedagogical and policy applications for linguistic knowledge

TESOL/NCATE Standards:
1.a.(1) = Candidates will learn language as a system in order to create integrated instruction for English language learners in ESL and bilingual settings
1.a.(2-3) = Candidates will design instructional strategies that incorporate their systemic understanding of English phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics.  These instructional strategies will be designed to help English language learners understand, acquire, and monitor their use of English sound/spelling patterns, academic content vocabulary, writing conventions, word, sentence, and discourse meanings in a variety of social and academic settings, rhetorical patterns, and discourse varieties.
1.b. = Candidates understand the communicative, social, and constructive nature of language and use linguistic scaffolding to aid English language learners’ comprehension and production of social and academic varieties of language.
1.b.4 = Candidates will understand and apply sociocultural variables to facilitate the learning of English  

 

Course Policies:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Lehman College takes acts of academic dishonesty very seriously. You are expected to adhere to CUNY’s standards of academic integrity.

ADA STATEMENT: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should contact Student Disability Services and discuss accommodations with the instructor as soon as possible.

INCLUSION & DIVERSITY: All students, regardless of background, affiliation, immigration status, or identity, are welcome in this class and as such, this class should be a safe space. If you feel that any instances of disrespect or discrimination, or threats to your safety, are taking place, you are encouraged to call them out in class or discuss them with me privately. As an educator, I fully support the rights of all students to an education and I want to work with you to address anything that might be interfering with that.

OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS: We’re all managing ongoing challenges to our physical and mental health, along with disruptions and losses within our families and communities; I absolutely do not want to add to that stress with this course. We’ll take each week as they come and make collective adjustments as needed. On the individual level, if you’re not able to keep up with the course expectations for whatever reason, please reach out as you’re able, and we’ll make alternative plans.  

 

Course structure: This course will follow a flipped classroom model – most of the content will be provided on our course website and through the readings, which you can work through at your own pace throughout the week. The course will be made of one-week modules, with the following structure:

By Sunday AM	All relevant content will be posted; work through at your own pace
Thursday PM (required meetings: 6-7:30; optional meetings: 6-7)	Zoom class meeting (optional, except for 2/4, 3/25, 5/6 and 5/13)
By the end of the week	Homework assignment due, via email

ASSIGNMENTS should be turned in as doc/pdf attachments or Google docs via email (kelsey.swift.cuny (at) gmail.com). You’re welcome to handwrite any portion of your work, and take a photo of it, but please put photos into a doc or pdf before sending. Assignments include:

• Weekly homework: linguistic analysis activities and short answer questions based on the week’s topics; submitted via email
• Exams: two non-cumulative exams based on the homework; submitted via email
• Lesson proposal: proposing an activity or lesson that incorporates concepts from the course, encourages emerging multilingualism/second language acquisition, and could be used in your future teaching; submitted via email

The instructor will provide individualized feedback on all homework assignments; you’re welcome to refer to this feedback as you work on the exams (or any other assignments). Homework will be graded for completeness, while the exams will be graded for accuracy and the lesson proposal will be graded according to a provided rubric.

Assignment deadlines are suggested, unless otherwise noted. There will be no late penalties, but please be considerate when submitting work; remember, grading and providing feedback takes time, and the course timeline was designed intentionally.

PARTICIPATION will primarily be through Zoom meetings. There are four required Zoom meetings this semester – February 4, March 25, May 6, and May 13; all other Zoom meetings are optional but encouraged. During these optional meetings, we’ll work through some practice activities, discuss the readings, and address any lingering questions you might have. An agenda will be shared ahead of all Zoom meetings.

READINGS should be completed before participating in class discussion and/or completing the homework.

COURSE MATERIALS will be posted on the course website, and shared via email.

GRADES will be assigned according to the following breakdown:

Homework	25%
Participation (required Zoom meetings)	10%
Lesson plans	15%
Exams	50%

Grades will be assigned according to the Lehman College Grading System. For graduate courses, the lowest passing grade is a C. No INC grades will be given.  Your grade will reflect the work that you have submitted for the course during the semester.  

 

Tentative Course Schedule:

(tentative and subject to change)

Week	Online Material	Reading	Zoom Meeting (optional unless noted)	Due (by end of week)
1	Introduction	—	Thurs, 2/4 6-7:30 PM REQUIRED	Homework 1
2	Phonetics	“The linguistic facts of life” (pages 5-23, Lippi-Green, 2011)	Thurs, 2/11 6-7 PM	Homework 2
3	Phonology	“The scope and relevance of accent” (Moyer, 2013)	Thurs, 2/18 6-7 PM	Homework 3
4	Morphology, pt. 1	“The educational system: Fixing the message in stone” (Lippi-Green, 2011	Thurs, 2/25 6-7 PM	Homework 4
5	Morphology, pt. 2	“‘She doesn’t have the basic understanding of a language’: Using spelling research to challenge deficit conceptualizations of adolescent bilinguals” (Brooks, 2017)	Thurs, 3/4 6-7 PM	Homework 5
6	Syntax, pt. 1	“’Pink Chess Gring Gous’: Discursive and orthographic resistance among Mexican-American rap fans on YouTube” (Cutler, 2018)	Thurs, 3/11 6-7 PM	Homework 6
7	Syntax, pt. 2	The Languages of New York State: A CUNY-NYSIEB Guide for Educators	Thurs, 3/18 6-7:30 PM REQUIRED	Homework 7
8	—	—	No meeting	Exam 1
9	—	—	No meeting	—
10	Variation, pt. 1	“Teaching children how to discriminate: What we learn from the Big Bad Wolf” (Lippi-Green, 2011)	Thurs, 4/8 6-7 PM	Homework 8
11	Variation, pt. 2	Homegirls, Chapter 2 (Mendoza-Denton, 2008)	Thurs, 4/15 6-7 PM	Homework 9
12	Variation, pt. 3	Linguistic Justice, Chapter 1 & 2 (Baker-Bell, 2020)	Thurs, 4/22 6-7 PM	Homework 10
13	SLA and translanguaging	“Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages” (Otheguy, Reid & García, 2015)	Thurs, 4/29 6-7 PM	Homework 11
14	Raciolinguistics and linguistic justice	“Undoing Appropriateness: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and Language Diversity in Education” (Flores & Rosa, 2015)	Thurs, 5/6 6-7:30 PM REQUIRED	Homework 12
15	Course wrap-up and presentations	—	Thurs, 5/13 6-7:30 PM REQUIRED	Lesson plan
16	—	—	—	Exam 2