Psychology 3140F-001
Bilingualism
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course will examine how people acquire, process and use a second language. Topics will include simultaneous and sequential bilingualism, the critical period hypothesis, theories of bilingual language representation, cross-language transfer, language selection and switching, simultaneous interpreting, cognitive consequences of bilingualism, the bilingual brain and bilingual education.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3990F taken in 2008
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology 2134A/B or 2135A/B
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Debra Jared
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7330 (519) 661-2111 x84631
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: djjared@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Nick Anderegg
Office: SSC 7235
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: nandereg@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Monday 10:30-11:30; Wednesday 10:30-12:30 SSC 2024
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no text. Course readings will be posted on OWL
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goal of the course is for students to develop an understanding of issues and theories of bilingual language processing, and how these can be addressed through research. Students can expect to develop their ability to read journal articles in psychology and to express their understanding orally and in writing.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
How Assessed |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. Articulate the concepts and current states of knowledge in the cognitive study of bilinguals |
Lectures Readings (journal articles) Class discussion Videos |
Three essay exams |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies. Access, interpret and critically evaluate research on the cognitive aspects of bilingualism.
Formulate a research hypothesis to address a question about bilingualism and design a research project to test that hypothesis. |
Lectures Readings (journal articles) Class discussion
Assignment Research proposal
|
Three essay exams Assignments 2-4A
Assignment #1 (design materials to test a hypothesis) Assignment #4A (research proposal) |
|
Application of Knowledge. Use evidence to support claims.
Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. |
Lectures
Read two articles about bilingualism in the popular media |
Three essay exams
Assignments #2 & 3 |
|
Communication Skills. Communicate in writing accurately, clearly and logically, using the discourse of the discipline of psychology
Communicate psychological knowledge in writing in a way that would be understandable to a non-specialist audience |
Readings (journal articles) Assignment
Assignments
|
Assignment 4
Assignments 2 & 3 |
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity. Demonstrate initiative, personal responsibility and accountability |
Placement at the Western English Language Centre (an option) |
Assignment 4B |
Note: students will do either Assignment 4A or Assignment 4B. Assignment 4B is for students who choose the placement option.
5.0 EVALUATION
Grades in the course will be based on three exams (15%, 20% and 25% for exams 1-3, respectively), and 4 written assignments (5%, 10%, 10%, and 15% for Assignments 1-4, respectively). The first 3 assignments will be approximately 3-4 pages in length and the 4th will be approximately 5 pages.
Students will be offered the opportunity to volunteer in Western’s English Language Centre. This centre is housed in our faculty of education. Instructors in the centre assist international students to develop their English language skills so that they can handle a university program in English. Students in this course will be expected to go to the volunteer placement for approximately two hours every week, depending on their assigned role at the centre. Students who decide to complete the placement will be offered an alternative to Assignment 4. In the alternative assignment, students will be asked to discuss what they have learned during the placement.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
There will be exams on Oct. 17, Nov. 14, and during the December exam period. Exams will be short essay (a paragraph or two) format and will require that information be drawn from both lecture material and course readings. The final exam is cumulative, in that it will include questions on material from across the course.
Assignments will be due Oct. 12, Oct. 26, Nov. 9, and Dec. 5. Late assignments will incur a penalty of 10% per day, including weekends.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Sept. 12 Course Introduction; Languages in Canada
Sept. 14 Characteristics of bilinguals
Sept. 19 & 21 Bilingual memory
Sept. 26 & 28 Word reading in bilinguals
Oct. 3 & 6 Perceiving and producing speech
Oct. 10 Thanksgiving- no class
Oct. 12 Language selection and control
Oct. 17 Mid-term exam 1
Oct. 19 Cognitive consequences of bilingualism
Oct. 24 & 26 Code switching and simultaneous interpreting
Oct. 31 & Nov. 2 Acquiring sounds
Nov. 7 & 9 Acquiring words
Nov. 14 Mid-term exam 2
Nov. 16 Acquiring grammar
Nov. 21 & 23 Conceptual representations/ Language & thought
Nov. 28 & 30 Bilingual brain & aphasia
Dec. 5 Individual differences in acquisition
Dec. 7 Bilingual education
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2016 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
