Prospectus

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Language Acquisition 5: Writing a Research Report in Applied Linguistics

Course
2018-2019

Admission requirements

Pass marks for Language Acquisition 2 and Language Acquisition 3, or equivalent

Description

In this course you will write a research report in applied linguistics. In the first half of the course you learn about how research reports function in academic fields by reading research on topics such as political discourse and language acquisition, analyzing their features, and discussing them with your peers. Through this process you will learn how to formulate research questions, identify effective research methods, ground your study in relevant theories, and organise your report. Weekly reading assignments will also provide you with opportunities to learn about approaches in applied linguistics such as systemic functional linguistics, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, and rhetorics.

In the second half of the course you will team up with three fellow students to conduct research in applied linguistics and write a research report. You collaborate with your team and tutor to collect and organise language-use data from various sources (e.g., interviews, literature, corpora, digital media), analyse the data, and write the report. To support your work, you will meet each week with your tutor and fellow students to discuss your research and drafts of your writing. At the end of the course your team will submit a polished, edited version of your research report.

Course objectives

  • Develop your knowledge of theory and research in applied linguistics

  • Learn methods for collecting and analyzing data

  • Improve your academic writing in English

  • Prepare for your BA thesis

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA English website

Mode of instruction

  • Seminar (weekly tutorials)

Course Load

The total course load is 140 hours (5 EC), allocated as follows:

  • Tutorial attendance: 13 hours.

  • Weekly reading assignments: 39 hours.

  • Collecting and processing data: 44 hours.

  • Writing the research report: 44 hours.

Assessment method

Assessment

Research report (100%). You will be awarded a mark for your individual contribution to the research report (50%), as well as a group mark (50%). Neither of these marks may be lower than 6.0 for a pass mark for the course. Please note that you are only allowed to start work on the research report in the second half of the course if you have attended the tutorials in the first half of the course having completed the assigned readings. In order to participate in the second half of the course, you can have missed no more than two tutorial sessions in block I.

To pass the course, you can miss no more than three sessions for the semester. If the final mark for the essay is 4.5 to 5.5, you can rewrite the failed component or components in the resit.

Weighing

Research report (100%) consisting of:

  • Individual contribution to the research report (50%)

  • Group mark for the research report (50%)

To pass the course, you can miss no more than three sessions for the semester.

Resit

If the final mark for the essay is a 5.49 or lower, you can rewrite the failed component or components in the resit.

Exam review

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Attendance

Please note that you are only allowed to start work on the research report in the second half of the course if you have attended the tutorials in the first half of the course having completed the assigned readings. In order to participate in the second half of the course, you can have missed no more than two tutorial sessions in block I.

Blackboard

Blackboard](https://blackboard.leidenuniv.nl/) will be used to present course information, notify you of changes to the course and to make course materials available. You will also submit homework and research report assignments to Blackboard.

Reading list

N/A

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch

Students other than from the BA English Language and Culture studies need permission from the coordinator of studies before enrolling.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Registration Studeren à la carte

Registration Contractonderwijs

Contact

Please contact Student administration van Eyckhof for questions.