Psychology 3140F-200

Bilingualism

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

 

WESTERN UNIVERSITY 

LONDON               CANADA 

Department of Psychology 

2021 - 2022 

 

Psychology 3140F    Section 200 

Bilingualism 

  

  1. 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. 

 

Antirequisites: Not Applicable 

 Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology 2134A/B or 2135A/B 

 

3 course hours (including 1 tutorial hour) 

 

Course weight: 0.5  

 

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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: WIRB 5150 (519) 661-2111 x84631  

Office Hours: By appointment  

Email: djjared@uwo.ca  

 

Teaching Assistant: TBA  

Office:  

Office Hours:  

Email:  

 

Delivery Method: Blended 

 

     Asynchronous lectures: Lectures will be available on OWL  

 

In-person tutorials: Thursdays, 9:30-11:30, UCC-63. Students will be assigned to either 9:30-10:30 or 10:30-11:30 tutorial groups during the first week of class. Tutorials will start Sept. 16 (no tutorial Sept. 9). On October 7 and November 11 there will be mid-term tests instead of tutorial sessions. Tests (in-person) will be from 9:30-11:15 for all students. 

 

 

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. 

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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147. 

 

3.0 TEXTBOOK 

 

Course readings will be posted on OWL. Look under the Lesson tab for each week for the reading for that class. 

 

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES 

 

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. A specific skill that we will focus on is on how to support claims with evidence. 

 

 

Learning Outcome  

Learning Activity  

Assessment 

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.  

  • Articulate the concepts and current states  

of knowledge in the cognitive study of  

bilinguals  

Lectures  

Readings (journal articles)  

Videos 

Tutorials 

 

Three essay exams 

Assignment 2A 

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)  

Tutorials 

 

 

Three essay exams 

Assignment 2A 

Some mini-assignments 

 

Application of Knowledge.  

  • Use evidence to support claims.  

 

  • Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. 

 

Lectures 

Tutorials 

 

Three essay exams 

 

Some mini-assignments 

 

Assignment 1 

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) 

Tutorials 

 

 

Example articles 

 

Assignment 2 

Three essay exams 

 

 

Assignment 1 

Autonomy and Professional Capacity. 

  • Demonstrate initiative, personal responsibility and accountability Learning  

 

Western English Language  

Centre online volunteer (an option) 

 

 

Note: students will do either Assignment 2A or Assignment 2B. Assignment 2B is for students who choose the WELC option. 

5.0 EVALUATION 

 

Grades in the course will be based on three exams (10%, 15%, and 20% for the two mid-terms and final exam, respectively), weekly mini-assignments (best 10/12 for 20%), two assignments (10%, and 20% for Assignments 1 and 2, respectively), and tutorial participation (5%). Exams will be essay 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. The weekly mini-assignments will be graded for quality- you will not get the associated marks just for handing something in. The assignments require written work of approximately 4 pages in length for Assignment 1 and 6 pages for Assignment 2.  

 

Students will be offered the opportunity to interact with students enrolled 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 attend their class sessions once a week and to assist their class activities. Students who decide to complete this option will be offered an alternative to Assignment 2. 

 

PLEASE NOTEBecause this is an essay course, as per Senate regulations, you must pass the essay component of the course to pass the course.  

 

This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty. 

 

 

5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK 

 

All mini-assignments will be due on Wednesday by midnight of the week of the corresponding lectures (with a few exceptions noted in OWL). A mark of 0 will be given for mini-assignments that are not submitted on time, except in the case of a documented long-term illness. The best 10/12 will be included in your final mark. Use the 2 “weeks off” very carefully- save them in case you get ill or a family emergency arises (i.e., these are your “sick days”). No additional mini-assignments will be created by the instructor. You do not need to inform the instructor when you choose to skip a mini- assignment. The official policy is: 

 

"Because each mini-assignment is worth only 2% of your final grade in the course and you may miss 2 without penalty, Self-Reported Absences will not be accepted for this grade component. You will receive a score of 0 for any missing mini-assignments over and above the dropped items. If you require a longer-term accommodation for a health or wellness concern lasting more than a week, please seek official accommodation by submitting your documentation to the academic counseling office in your home faculty."  

  

Assignments 1 and 2 will be due Friday Oct. 29 and Friday Dec. 3, respectively. Assignments that are submitted after Friday at 5 pm will incur a penalty of 10% per day (i.e., for each 24-hour period or part thereof), including weekends. You are responsible for ensuring that the final copies of your assignments are correctly uploaded on time. “I uploaded the wrong version” is not an acceptable excuse for submitting an assignment late. 

 

No make-up exams will be given for mid-terms. Students who have documentation to support an absence for a mid-term exam (presented to Academic Counselling, not the instructor) or who use an SRA will have mid-term marks reweighted to the final exam (which will include extra questions). A make-up for the final exam will be given only if acceptable documentation is presented to Academic Counselling. 

 

 

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages: 

 

70%  1000-level to 2099-level courses 

72%  2100-2999-level courses 

75%  3000-level courses 

80%  4000-level courses 

The Psychology Department follows Western’s 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 

 

Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components. 

 

Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests be considered to change a grade because it is needed for a future program. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course. 

 

6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE 

 

There will be three in person exams: on Oct. 7 (9:30-11:15 am), Nov. 11 (9:30-11:15 am), and during the December exam period (December 10-21, to be scheduled by the Registrar).  

 

Assignments 1 and 2 will be due Friday Oct. 29 and Friday Dec. 3 by 5 pm. 

 

Mini-Assignments will be due weekly on Wednesdays by midnight (with a few exceptions noted in OWL).  

 

 

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE 

 

Sept. 7 – 10 Languages in Canada  

Sept. 13 – 17 Characteristics of bilinguals; Bilingual memory 1 (tutorial 1) 

Sept. 20 – 24 Bilingual memory 2; Language & thought (tutorial 2) 

Sept. 27 – Oct. 1 Word reading in bilinguals (tutorial 3) 

Oct. 4 – 8 Perceiving speech; Mid-term (Oct. 7 at 9:30 am) 

Oct. 12 –15 Thanksgiving; Producing speech (tutorial 4) 

Oct. 18 – 22 Language selection and control; Cognitive consequences of bilingualism (tutorial 5) 

Oct. 25 – 29 Simultaneous interpreting; Code switching (tutorial 6)  

Nov. 1 – 5 Fall Reading Week  

Nov. 8 – 12 Bilingual brain & aphasia; Mid-term (Nov. 11 at 9:30 am) 

Nov. 15 – 19 Acquiring sounds (tutorial 7) 

Nov. 22 – 26 Acquiring words (tutorial 8) 

Nov. 29 – Dec. 3 Acquiring grammar (tutorial 9) 

Dec. 6 – 8 Individual differences in acquisition; Bilingual education (tutorial 10) 

 

Tutorials will be used to discuss the readings and the study questions that are posted on OWL, and to share what was learned in mini-assignments. 

 

8.0 LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

 

We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. 

 

With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service. 

 

 

9.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES 

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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). 

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. 

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.  

 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University. 

 

10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE (N/A for this course) 

 

When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.* 

If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf 

 

* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us   

 

11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES 

 

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:  
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12 

 

The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf 

 

If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:  

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours); 
  1. For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;  
  1. For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate. 

 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periodshttp://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html 

 

Students seeking academic consideration: 

  • are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;   
  • are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence; 
  • must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence 

 

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term. 

 

12.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES 

 

General: In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor. 

 

Specific: In the event of a return to lockdown, exams would become synchronous “take-home” exams that would need to be completed within strict time limits (1 hour and 45 minutes for the mid-terms, 3 hours for the final). The exams would not be proctored and would be “open book”. Tutorials would be conducted synchronously online through Zoom. 

 

 

13.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE (N/A unless we return to lockdown) 

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette: 

  • please “arrive” to class on time 
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet) 
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material 
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise 
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak 
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable 
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting 

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following: 

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question. 
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking. 
  • Self-identify when speaking. 
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise). 

 

General considerations of “netiquette”: 

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course. 
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing. 
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate. 
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately. 

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct. 

 

14.0 OTHER INFORMATION 

 

Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca   

 

Student Development Services: 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 

- 2021-2022 Calendar References 

 

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf 

Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca). 

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent. 

 

Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.