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Student Handbook
The SLA Student Handbook describes the degree requirements, policies and guidelines of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Doctoral Program in Second Language Acquisition. Students in the SLA Program are also subject to all of the requirements and policies of the UW-Madison Graduate School.
The requirements for the Doctoral Major in Second Language Acquisition consist of coursework for the major and minor, language requirements, preliminary examinations (comprising 4 exams), and the dissertation (comprising the dissertation proposal, the dissertation, and the dissertation defense).
Students must consult with their advisor before registering for courses. Study plans must be approved with the student’s advisor. At each discussion about registering for courses, students should bring their current study plan.
Because the doctoral program in Second Language Acquisition is interdisciplinary, courses are taken from different departments to meet requirements for the degree. Students are required to take 36 credits, typically the equivalent of twelve 3-credit courses.
1.1.1 Introductory Courses
Students must take the following two courses:
- English 333 Second Language Acquisition
- English 711 Research Methods in Applied Linguistics
1.1.2 Research Design and Methodology
Students must take two courses, one in Quantitative Methods and one in Qualitative Methods:
Quantitative Methods: Educational Psychology 761 Statistical Methods Applied to Education II is required.
We recommend that students take Ed Psych 760, Statistical Methods Applied to Education I, as preparation for Ed Psych 761. If Ed Psych 760 is taken, it may be used as the Elective.
Qualitative Methods: Choose one of the following courses. (Additional courses may be approved by the student’s advisor and the SLA Steering Committee.)
714 Research and Evaluation Paradigms in Curriculum and Instruction
715 Design of Research in Curriculum and Instruction
719 Introduction to Qualitative Research
916 Special topics in Research & Evaluation in Curriculum and Instruction (with appropriate topic)
917 Seminar: Design of Research & Evaluation - Curriculum and Instruction (with appropriate topic)
975 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
976 Discourse Analysis in Education (Qualitative Analysis Course)
703 Research Methods in Composition Studies
1.1.3. SLA Specialization (Strand)
The following lists classify courses by the three strands of the interdisciplinary SLA Ph.D.
A. Second Language Analysis and Use
B. Second Language Processes and Learning
C. Second Language Pedagogical Theory and Postsecondary Instruction
When a course's content is broad, the course may appear in more than one category. For courses in which the topic changes each time it is offered, the classification of that course depends on the specific topic.
Additional courses may be approved by the student’s advisor and the SLA Steering Committee.
501 Structure and Analysis of African Languages
430 Language and Culture (Cross-listed with Linguistics, S Asian 430)
545 Psychological Anthropology
560 Communication Theory
572 Interpersonal Communication
975 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
431 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics
434 Introduction to Japanese Linguistics
741 Studies in Chinese Syntax and Morphology
775 Studies in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
932 Seminar in Chinese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
933 Seminar in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
As advised by faculty in this department and SLA advisor.
755 Methods of Qualitative Research (cross-listed with Rural Soc, Soc)
324 Structure of English
325 English Grammar in Use
329 Introduction to the Syntax of English
330 English Phonology
331 English Language Variation in the United States
332 Global Spread of English
336 English in Society
708 Advanced English Syntax
709 Advanced English Phonology
710 Discourse Analysis
713 Seminar: Topics in Contemporary English Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
715 Advanced Second Language Acquisition
905 Seminar: Topics in Applied English Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
906 Seminar: The English Language
340 Structures of Italian
429 Introduction to the Romance Languages
350 Applied French Language Studies (with appropriate topic)
821 Issues in Methods of Teaching French and Italian
662 Applied German Philology
727 Topics in German Applied Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
751 Contrastive Grammar of English and German
758 Topics in Contemporary German (with appropriate topic)
769 Introduction to Comparative Germanic Morphology
960 Seminar in German Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
970 Advanced Seminar in German Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
620 International Communication
621 Mass Media in Developing Countries
510 Phonological Theories
522 Advanced Morphology
530 Syntactic Theories
540 Advanced Semantics
561 Introduction to Experimental Phonetics
516 Language and Meaning
517 Special Topics in the Philosophy of Language (with appropriate topic)
526 Philosophy and Literature
333 Structure of the Portuguese Language
340 Portuguese Phonology
429 Introduction to the Romance Languages
815 Seminar: Portuguese Language (with appropriate topic)
406 Psychology of Perception
414 Cognitive Psychology
421 Psychology of Language
550 Animal Communication and the Origins of Language
720 Speech Perception and Reading
733 Perceptual and Cognitive Sciences (with appropriate topic)
535 Language and Social Interaction
544 Introduction to Survey Research
545 Ethnomethodology
960 Current Methodological Issues in Social Psychology: Conversation Analysis (topics course; number may change)
965 Recent Developments in Social Psychology: Ethnomethodology (topics course; number may change)
429 Introduction to the Romance Languages
543 Spanish Phonology
544 Applied Spanish Linguistics for Teachers
547 Structure of the Spanish Language I
548 Structure of the Spanish Language II
630 Topics in Hispanic Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
815 Seminar in Language: Modern Spanish
830 Seminar: The Spanish Grammatical Tradition (with appropriate topic)
Additional courses may be approved by the student’s advisor and the SLA Steering Committee.
402 Psychology of Communication
630 Workshop in School Program Development (with appropriate topic)
673 Learning Second Language and Literacies
675 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
975 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
775 Studies in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
932 Seminar in Chinese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
933 Seminar in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
As advised by faculty in this department and SLA advisors (with appropriate topic)
755 Methods of Qualitative Research (cross-listed with Rural Sociology, Sociology)
324 Structure of English
332 Global Spread of English
700 Introduction to Composition Studies
701 Writing and Learning
702 Perspectives on Literacy
704 Intellectual Sources of Contemporary Composition Theory
713 Seminar: Topics in Contemporary English Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
715 Advanced Studies in Second Language Acquisition
900 Seminar: Topics in Composition Study (with appropriate topic)
905 Seminar: Topics in Applied English Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
727 Topics in German Applied Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
960 Seminar in German Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
970 Advanced Seminar in German Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
512 Methods of Logic
516 Language and Meaning
517 Special Topics in the Philosophy of Language (with appropriate topic)
526 Philosophy and Literature
815 Seminar: Portuguese Language (with appropriate topic)
406 Psychology of Perception
414 Cognitive Psychology
421 Psychology of Language
550 Animal Communication and the Origins of Language
715 Language and Cognitive Development
720 Speech Perception and Reading
733 Perceptual and Cognitive Sciences (with appropriate topic)
544 Applied Spanish Linguistics for Teachers
630 Topics in Hispanic Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
815 Seminar in Language: Modern Spanish
830 Seminar: The Spanish Grammatical Tradition (with appropriate topic)
Additional courses may be approved by the student’s advisor and the SLA Steering Committee.
575 Methods of Teaching African Languages - Theory and Practice
630 Workshop in School Program Development (with appropriate topic)
673 Learning Second Language and Literacies
675 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
975 General Seminar (with appropriate topic)
775 Studies in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
932 Seminar in Chinese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
933 Seminar in Japanese Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
As advised by faculty in this department and SLA advisors (with appropriate topic)
334 Introduction to TESOL Methods
335 Techniques and Materials for TESOL
350 Applied French Language Studies (with appropriate topic)
821 Issues in Methods of Teaching French and Italian
721 Practicum in the Coordination of Undergraduate Language Instruction
722 Theory of Teaching German
727 Topics in German Applied Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
517 Special Topics in the Philosophy of Language (with appropriate topic)
545 Philosophical Conceptions of Teaching and Learning
544 Applied Spanish Linguistics for Teachers
630 Topics in Hispanic Linguistics (with appropriate topic)
815 Seminar in Language: Modern Spanish
830 Seminar: The Spanish Grammatical Tradition (with appropriate topic)
1.1.4 Elective
The Elective should be an SLA or Research Methods course from the lists above.
1.1.5 Doctoral Minor (Option A or Option B)
Students must take four courses taught in the area of concentration for the minor. The courses must be on topics useful to your academic goals, and may or may not be in a language of concentration. Examples of minors for SLA Ph.D. majors include a Foreign Language, Literature, Culture, and/or Linguistics; Nonnative Varieties of English; Bilingualism/Multi-Cultural Education; and Language Contact.
If the student’s minor is a language, it is highly recommended that the student enroll in one language course each semester; any deviation in this schedule must be approved by the student’s advisor.
There are two kinds of minors: Option A and Option B. Option A requires four courses in a single department/major field of study. Option B requires four courses in one or more departments and approval from the SLA Steering Committee. As with major courses, plans for the minor must be approved with the student’s advisor.
More
information on minors for Ph.D. students
The language requirement for the SLA PhD Major contains two parts: oral proficiency and reading proficiency, which must be in two languages, including English. Students may not be recommended for preliminary exams until they have fulfilled both parts of the language requirement.
Typically, the student must demonstrate an Advanced level of academic oral and reading proficiency in two languages prior to taking preliminary exams. A plan for meeting this requirement will be developed by the student and advisor within the first semester of the student’s program. The plan must be approved by the advisor and the SLA Steering Committee by the end of the first academic year.
The SLA Steering Committee adopted a new format for the preliminary examination, effective April, 2013.
1.3.1 Previous Preliminary Examination Policies, Reading List, Exam Questions (Before April, 2013)
1.3.2. New Preliminary Examination Policies (adopted April, 2013; scheduling, registration and logistics clarified May, 2013)
Students must take preliminary exams, as described below, within one semester of completing doctoral coursework. The objectives of these exams are to determine if students have developed a strong overall understanding of the scope of the discipline of SLA (e.g., the theories on which research in the field is based; the type of questions that researchers in SLA address; and the variety of techniques used to answer these questions), as well as more in-depth understanding of the theories and research findings related to questions of specific concern to them. It is expected that students will take and pass the preliminary exam within 3 years after the start of their doctoral studies.
Procedures
Committee membership
The student will identify a dissertation advisor prior to taking the preliminary examination and obtain the selected faculty member’s commitment to advise.
The preliminary examination committee will be chaired by the student’s dissertation advisor, consist of the chair and two additional graduate faculty members. Faculty to be invited to serve as committee members will be identified by the advisor, in consultation with the student. At least two members of the committee (including the advisor) must be core faculty affiliated with the SLA doctoral program. Preliminary examination committee members are not assumed to be members of the dissertation committee, but are eligible to serve on the dissertation committee.
Scheduling, registration, and logistics
Students will complete the preliminary examinations over a two-week period. Exact dates will be determined by the advisor, in consultation with the other two committee members and the student.
All committee members and the student will sign a preliminary examination registration form to indicate their commitment to serve on the committee (faculty) and the dates for the exam (faculty and student). The student is responsible for obtaining signatures of committee members and submitting the form to the SLA program coordinator at least four weeks prior to the begining of the examination period.
The student will have two weeks from the time when s/he receives the questions to write and submit their papers.
The papers should be submitted to the SLA program coordinator, who will forward the papers to the members of the student's prelim committee.
The prelim committee members will have two weeks from the date the papers are submitted to evaluate them and to submit the ratings to the faculty advisor.
The student's dissertation advisor and committee members will have subsequent discussion to determine the results. The advisor will convey the results to the student and to the SLA graduate coordinator.
Exam format
The preliminary examination consists of two papers, approximately 20 pages in length, double-spaced, to be assigned at the beginning of the two-week period:
- one paper is an analysis of a ‘big’ question in SLA
- one paper is a literature review focused on the student’s particular area of interest that inludes a potential research approach (theoretical) with rationale
The preliminary examination questions are written by the student's dissertation advisor, subject to input and approval from other committee members.
Preliminary examinations will be pass/fail; each committee member reads and rates each paper independently, then submits ratings to the student's dissertation advisor. The outcome will be determined by majority ratings.
If a student fails one of the papers (and passes the other), one re-do will be allowed, with a process and timing to be determined by the student’s preliminary examination committee. If a student fails both papers, the student’s status will be discussed and determined by the Steering Committee of the SLA doctoral program.
When a student has fulfilled all of the degree requirements for the SLA Doctoral Program (completed all required coursework; passed the preliminary examinations; fulfilled the foreign language requirement, and had his or her minor courses approved by his/her advisor), the advisor will recommend the student to the SLA Steering Committee for admission to candidacy. The SLA Steering Committee will make its recommendation to the Graduate School on the basis of the student’s entire academic work. A student who fails the preliminary examination or is denied admission to candidacy is not making satisfactory academic progress and is placed on academic probation. The probation period begins in the semester following the semester in which the examination is taken.
Deadlines for dissertator eligibility generally fall on the first day of each semester. Students must request a preliminary warrant from the SLA Graduate Coordinator at least three weeks before the deadline. In general, requests for warrants occur approximately one month before semester end, while degree deadlines are near the last day of classes. Check the Graduate School Degree and Dissertator Deadlines for exact dates for the academic year.
Dissertator must maintain continuous enrollment until completion of the doctoral degree. Dissertators should enroll each fall and spring semester for three graduate-level credits. See the Graduate School policy on continuous enrollment for dissertators. Note that fall and spring enrollment are required whether or not you are residing in Madison.
In the course of doctoral study, the student will identify a problem, area of interest, or research opportunity as a suitable topic for a dissertation. This topic should be discussed at length with the professor who may serve as director of the dissertation, and then organized into a dissertation proposal.
The dissertation director must be a primary SLA faculty member. The Dissertation Committee must include five members. The director and at least one other primary SLA faculty member must serve as primary readers. The remaining three members of the Committee may be affiliate SLA faculty, or faculty in other areas. The fifth member of a Dissertation Committee should normally hold a PhD. In cases in which the proposed fifth member does not hold a Ph.D., the student's dissertation director should petition the SLA Steering Committee for this individual to serve on the committee.
By end of first semester of candidacy, the student must have come to an agreement, by mutual consent, with the SLA primary faculty member who will direct the dissertation. Henceforth the student will sign up for dissertation credits with this director until the dissertation is complete.
Before embarking on dissertation research, the student should complete a pilot study. This is a small scale preliminary study conducted in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design of the dissertation research.
After the pilot study is complete, the student should prepare a dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal should contain a clear description of the scope of the proposed study, the results of the pilot study, a concise presentation of the problem, a historical perspective on the problem, a review of relevant literature, and the proposed methodology, including a description of the population to be studied, instrumentation, analytical procedures, and a list of references. The written proposal must be formatted according to the guidelines published in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (current edition). The student should work on the proposal first with the dissertation director. The director will tell the student when it is time to send a draft of the proposal in progress to other committee members. At this point, the Dissertation Committee may contain only the three primary readers as members, but it is recommended to include the entire five-member committee at this time. The student should then provide both printed and electronic copies of the Dissertation Proposal to each member of the Dissertation Committee, who will work on drafts with the student until the proposal is ready to be defended.
It is the student’s responsibility to establish a time and place for the Dissertation Committee to meet for the formal review and defense of the proposal.
The review and defense of the proposal usually ends with a series of recommendations made by members of the Dissertation Committee. Once the Committee has approved the final draft of the proposal, a dissertation proposal approval form must be signed and dated by committee members and be filed in the SLA Program Office, room 1322 Van Hise Hall. The Committee must approve subsequent revisions to the proposal in writing. The Dissertation proposal must be approved no later than one calendar year after admission to candidacy. If the proposal is not approved by that date, the candidate with a support letter from his or her advisor, must petition the SLA Steering Committee for an extension.
The oral dissertation defense is a final conference between the candidate and the Dissertation Committee, held when the dissertation is complete. Dissertation defenses are not scheduled during the summer.
The candidate must give each member of the committee a printed copy of the dissertation at least four weeks before any defense. For that copy, the written dissertation must be formatted according to the guidelines published in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (current edition).
The defense will review the aims, methods, and progress of the dissertation. If the Dissertation Committee is not satisfied, another defense may be scheduled.
Usually, additional changes to the dissertation are required after the defense. These changes are always reviewed by the dissertation director; they may be reviewed by other members of the Committee as well.
The Graduate School has stringent guidelines for preparing and depositing dissertations. For more information, see: A Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation. Students may also contact the Graduate School directly at: Degree Coordinator 217 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (608) 262-3011 gsacserv@bascom.wisc.edu.
The Graduate School acts as the Dean’s office for graduate students. It maintains a website, The Graduate School, with comprehensive information about Graduate School policies and procedures. Included on this website are the Graduate School Academic Guidelines.
The following policies and guidelines are for the SLA Program. They are intended to supplement, not to replace, the policies and guidelines of the Graduate School.
The SLA Doctoral Program is governed by an Steering Committee consisting of primary SLA faculty and Co-Directed by primary SLA faculty elected by the Steering Committee to serve rotating terms. A student representative is invited to meetings of the SLA Steering Committee, as appropriate.
The advisor is perhaps the most important individual in the student’s doctoral program. Advisors must be primary SLA faculty members. Students are required to meet with their advisor at least once each semester to review their progress, select courses, and to discuss any outstanding issues or questions.
Students are assigned an academic advisor when they begin the SLA Program. The advisor is selected based on the student’s interests and the interests and availability of faculty. As students progress through the program and formulate a research agenda, they may decide to change their advisor.
Students identify a dissertation advisory prior to taking the preliminary examination (April, 2013 policy). The dissertation advisor may or may not be the same faculty member as the student’s advisor before candidacy. The choice of a dissertation advisor is a mutual decision between the student and the professor.
The Graduate School requires that students take a minimum of 32 graduate credits (300 level or above, no audits or pass/fail) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Therefore, only 4 credits of transfer credit are allowed from outside UW-Madison. (This is usually 1 course.) The SLA program holds to this limit of one transfer course from inside UW-Madison as well. It is expected that courses will be taken for the SLA doctoral program after enrollment in that program begins. Only one transfer course, from any institution, will be approved. Students must discuss all requests for transfer credits with their advisor and make requests in writing to the SLA program's Steering Committee.
In addition to transferring one course into the SLA program, the student may request to waive additional courses if he/she has taken similar course work. If a student wishes to waive a required course, he/she must submit first to the advisor, and then in writing to the SLA Steering Committee, a description of the course taken and a statement of which course is desired to be waived. The student should append to that request relevant material documenting the course (e.g., transcript, reading list, syllabus, if available). When a required course is waived, elective courses must be substituted so that student still take a 36 credits of courses in the program (with the exception of one transfer course as described in Section 2.4, above).
Continuation in the Graduate School at UW-Madison is at the discretion of the SLA Program, the Graduate School, and your advisor. Students who are not making satisfactory academic progress are placed on academic probation.
Criteria for making satisfactory academic progress are:
- GPA: The Graduate School requires students to maintain a minimum of a 3.00 grade point average for graduate courses (numbered 300 and above, excluding research) to receive a degree.
- Ph.D. Major and Minor coursework: Students typically complete all of the major and minor coursework requirements within two years of enrolling in the Program. Students are required to complete all coursework before taking the preliminary examinations.
- Preliminary Examinations: New policy (adopted April, 2013):Students must take the preliminary examination within one semester of completing coursework. It is expected that students will take and pass the preliminary exam within 3 years after the start of their doctoral studies. Previous policy (before April, 2013): Students must take the preliminary examination within one year of completing the required coursework for the Ph.D. Major and Minor. Students must pass the preliminary examinations within two years of completing the required coursework.
- Foreign Language Requirement: Students must meet the oral and reading language requirements before being granted dissertator status.
- Dissertation Director and Proposal: Students must come to an agreement with the SLA primary faculty member who will serve as the dissertation director prior to taking the preliminary examination (April, 2013 policy). The dissertation proposal must be approved no later than one calendar year after achieving dissertator status. If the proposal is not approved by that date, the candidat,e with a support letter from his or her advisor, must petition the SLA Steering Committee for an extension.
- Dissertation Defense: Graduate School regulations require Ph.D. candidates to defend their dissertation five years from the date of passing their preliminary examinations.
The Graduate School requires that incompletes be resolved by the end of the next fall or spring term in which you are enrolled. The SLA Program requires that all incompletes be resolved before students may take any portion of the preliminary examination.
Students at the pre-dissertator stage who wish to take a leave of absence must apply to the SLA Steering Committee for a leave of absence from the program. Approval of that leave is necessary for the student to continue to make satisfactory academic progress. Approval is also necessary to defer guaranteed support. In certain types of guaranteed support, the program may not be able to defer, and thereby maintain, the guarantee of support if a leave of absence is taken. It is to the student’s advantage to request a leave of absence as soon as possible, especially when funding is at issue. Students at the pre-dissertation stage who take a leave of absence must apply for reentry to the Graduate School within one year of the semester in which they wish to return.
Dissertators may not take a leave of absence. They must remain enrolled until graduation. See the Graduate School policy on continuous enrollment for dissertators.
Students may not audit a course that is used to fulfill a degree requirement. In addition, courses that "by their nature require participation (seminars, research, laboratory, or performance courses)” are not appropriate for auditing. Audits do not count toward the minimum/maximum credit load but students need to complete a form if they will go over the total 12 credits with the audited course. Dissertators who audit a course beyond the 3-credit (dissertation) requirement will be removed from dissertator fee status and assessed regular graduate student fees.
Students should first approach the person(s) concerned, if possible, then the advisor, then the SLA Co-Directors, then the SLA Steering Committee, and then, only if the problem is not resolved, the Graduate School.
The SLA Program holds its students to high standards of academic integrity. We expect all students to become familiar with the University’s guidelines for academic honesty and the consequences for academic misconduct.
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