APLNG 584
Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning
Fall 2005: Wednesdays, 11:15-2:15
Pond 103
Instructor: Steve Thorne
305 Sparks
Office hours by appointment

Syllabus | Theory Links | SCT L2 Select Bibliography

Required texts:

• Lantolf, J. P. (ed.) 2000. Sociocultural theory and second language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (forthcoming January 2006). Sociocultural theory and the sociogenesis of second language development. New York: Oxford University Press. [PDF]
• Reading packet (available at the UPS Store (237-2552), located in the Hamilton Shopping Center off South Atherton)
• Digital articles (see syllabus on course web site)

In addition to the above texts, we will draw occasional readings from a bibliography on SCT and L2 learning to address emergent and/or particular participant interests.

Description: The focus of the seminar is on the extension of sociocultural theory to the study of second and foreign language acquisition and teaching. We will discuss the general theoretical framework of mediated mind as developed by L. S. Vygotsky and colleagues and then will examine current research and theorizing in modern cultural historical psychology and activity theory. We will focus most of our attention on the growing body of research focusing on L2 learning and teaching informed by this theory of mind and human development. Topics to be covered include the following:

• history and intellectual lineage of cultural psychology/SCT
• mind as a mediated cultural construct
• higher and lower order cognition
• activity theory
• the genetic method
• internalization and appropriation
• the zone of proximal development
• inner and private speech (including gesture)
• collaborative learning, prolepsis, and scaffolding
• the role of artifacts and social relationships in development
• interface between sociocultural research and language pedagogy
• language testing from a sociocultural perspective
• self-regulation in a first and other languages
• cognition in a first and other languages
• identity in a first and other languages
• the relationship and contribution of SCT to other theories of cognition and SLA

Additionally, we will periodically discuss relevant research in cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor theory, cognitive neuroscience, and other disciplines. This is an ambitious description and we suspect that we are not likely to cover all of the topics, at least not in the depth they deserve. Although I will present you with a calendar of topics and readings, I reserve the right to modify this as needed.

Requirements:
• Completion of all assigned readings and active participation in seminar discussions
• Critical reading notes/discussion ideas to be kept on a blog (10 entries minimum)
• Following the introductory discussions, you will be required to prepare a presentation based on a set of readings on a given topic. Keeping with the spirit of sociocultural theory, these are to be done in a collaborative format working in groups of two or three. Details anon.

You are required to submit two seminar papers (choose #1 or #2, all do #3):

1. 6-10 page (double-spaced) critical analysis of one of the books included in the general bibliography. These may be done individually or in a group format. The due date for this paper is early november. This should be similar to a book review (not a book report) that one could submit to a journal for publication.
2. Intellectual and cultural biography – how has your personal and community experience, student in a wide range of institutionalized learning environments, member of a nation state, expert/native speaker of one (or more) language(s), learner and expert speaker of other languages, and movement between cultures (broadly construed), created your perspective on learning, development, identity, and other issues you feel pertain to learning and development?
3. A research paper of approximately 25 double-spaced pages, excluding references. This may be done individually or collaboratively. Topics are open but the professor will offer several suggestions that may be of interest. You should feel free to discuss your interests with me at any time. If you haven’t completed the on-line quiz required by the Penn State Office of Research Control (ORC), please do so as soon as possible. This will be necessary if you plan to undertake any empirical research involving human participants. You will also need to submit for approval of the ORC a plan for your study, including consent forms to be signed by the participants. In all cases, the papers will be assessed according to criteria that are normally used by refereed journals. The research paper is to be submitted no later than December 7th, 2005.

APLNG 584: Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning Coures Links

Syllabus | Theory Links | SCT L2 Select Bibliography

Comments or Questions? Contact Steve Thorne | The Pennsylvania State University