ALC8037 : Multilingualism
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Sara Ganassin
- Owning School: Education, Communication & Language Sci
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aims of the module are to enable students to:
• critically consider issues related to multilingualism (theory and practice) in a range of countries and contexts;
• develop critical understanding of the relationship between multilingualism, intercultural issues and key concepts such as identity, power and social justice
• engage critically with the literature on multilingualism, language planning and policy
• develop critical understanding of the role of language planning and policy in shaping people’s identities, worldviews, and attitudes towards others;
• reflect on the complexity in their own identities and attitudes towards others, and on their own experiences of multilingualism and interculturality
Multilingualism is an everyday reality in an increasingly globalised world. As it plays an essential role in shaping the intercultural encounters between individuals from different backgrounds, it supports us to reflect on an negotiate our worldviews, identities and attitudes to ‘the other’.
This module examines origins, development and features of multilingualism both as an individual and social phenomenon. It particularly focuses on the relationship between multilingualism, identity, language planning policy and intercultural understanding. Students will critically engage with the intercultural dimension of issues related to multilingualism from an interdisciplinary perspective. As they develop a critical understanding of the complex nature of multilingualism, students will be encouraged to reflect on the complexity in their own identities and attitudes towards others. . Students will also be introduced to on-going research in the field of multilingualism, with a variety of international case studies.
Outline Of Syllabus
Week 1: Module overview (contents, structure, assessment); definitions of multilingualism
Week 2: Multilingualism, language and identity: being multilingual vs being monolingual
Week 3 :Language use: features of multilingualism; code-switching and translanguaging
Week 4: Authenticity, legitimacy and native speakerism in language education
Week 5: Introduction to language planning and policy (LPP)
Week 6: Researching LPP (theory and practice)
Week 7: Linguistic diversity, language rights and heritage language education
Week 8: Multilingualism in research and research proposal preparation
Week 9: Language and power: multilingualism and Linguae Francae
Week 10: Multilingual pedagogies and global citizenship: a case study
Week 11: Drop-in session: Module conclusion and Q&A
Summary of key issues and assessment questions and answer session
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 10 | 0:30 | 5:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 83:00 | 83:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures provide an introduction to the weekly content, establish a basic level of understanding of the topic, provide opportunities for discussion and personal reflections, and signal areas for individual further study and essential and further reading. Group activities are often linked to pre-class weekly reading
Structured Guided Learning activities provide students with weekly opportunities to consolidate learning through guided tasks linked to the weekly topic.
Independent study will enable wider reading, further personal self-reflection and assignment preparation.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research proposal | 2 | A | 100 | Extended Research Proposal (3.500 words). |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
All skills and knowledge, including the ability to critically evaluate research, to identify gaps in the field of research, to identify links between research and practice, and design a research project, will be assessed through an extended research proposal.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ALC8037's Timetable