Apr 29, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Advancing and Professional Studies
  

  • CAPS 560 - Practical Strategies for Teaching Mandarin

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    In this elective course, participants will observe and practice-teach in the Mandarin Summer Camp for students grades 6-12. Guided by master teachers at the camp and the course instructor, participants will learn how to design and implement curriculum and teaching based on the National Standards for Foreign Language Education in the 21st Century. In addition to learning a variety of teaching strategies and skills, participants will give special attention to comprehensible input to help students develop language skills through meaningful context - real-life situation - as they acquire a second language. Participants will advance their teaching skills and confidence through observation of and participation in daily classroom routines and through practice teaching.

    038973:1
  

  • CAPS 561 - Integrating Technology into Language Curriculum

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is for existing language teachers and those pursuing certification for employment to develop multiple uses of technology for integration into the teaching of Mandarin. It focuses on practice with and development of universal elements of technology that can be used across platforms to deliver and manage instruction in 21st Century classrooms that emphasize independence in learners, employing research habits across subjects, and opportunities for student-centered learning and self-evaluation. Mandarin language classrooms teachers learn engaging activities, ways to provide opportunities for students to work at individual paces, and numerous assessment tools and strategies.

    038974:1
  

  • CAPS 595 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    040050:1
  

  • CAPS 596 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    040049:1
  

  • CAPS 597 - Special Topics

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period.

    037792:1
  

  • CAPS 697 - Special Topics

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period.

    040201:1

American Studies
  

  • AMST 601 - Intro Amer Studies

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on interdisciplinary methods by comparing the ways different disciplines approach the study of American culture. It introduces students to the history of American Studies as a field, to the questions explored in greater depth in the other core courses, and to contemporary intellectual debates within the field. Readings are chosen to enable students to compare the questions asked and the methods and evidence used by scholars in the fields of social and cultural history, literary criticism, the new historicism, and cultural studies.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    009497:1
  

  • AMST 602L - Historical Sequence I: American Society and Political Culture: 1600-1865

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The course follows the evolution of American society and political culture from the colonial period to the Civil War. The concept “political culture,” as used here, embraces institutions, public behavior, and above all, attitudes-beliefs, values, expectations, fears-regarding the distribution and exercise of political power. Two momentous events, the wars for independence and union, are major course milestones at which the development of political culture is assessed from the perspective of different social groups, including leaders, artists, writers, women, workers, and slaves. A central theme is the interplay between regional divergences and national convergences. Thematic questions running through the course are: Did a common political culture emerge? Who was included, who excluded? Was American political culture distinctive? AMST 602L and HIST 602L are the same course.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA

    000525:1
  

  • AMST 603 - Historical Sequence II: Modern Political, Social, and Cultural History

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on the emergence of modern American society, culture, and politics from the post-Civil War era through the Great Depression, with emphasis on the following topics: the ideologies of modernism, progressivism, and socialism, and the political, economic, and social forces that constitute modernity; innovations in politics, the arts, and the social sciences, and their relationship to new technologies and the labor practices of industrial capitalism; the labor movement’s struggle for industrial democracy; the emergence of feminism and civil rights.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    009499:1
  

  • AMST 604 - Gender and Sexuality in US History and Culture

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course explores the historical construction of gender and sexuality in US social and political culture of different eras, through current historical scholarship, primary documents, and such cultural representations as literature or film. How are conceptions of manhood and womanhood, of heterosexuality and “deviant” sexualities, shaped and reshaped in response to historical forces, and linked to concepts of race and class? How are dominant definitions contested?

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    009500:1
  

  • AMST 605 - Ethnicity, Race, and Nationality

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will explore the construction and maintenance of ethnic, racial, and national identities in the United States. Students will analyze various interdisciplinary texts which contain implicit and explicit expressions of gender, ethnic, racial, sexual, regional, and national identities. Various case studies will furnish material to train students in the methods and approaches used in American Studies.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    009502:1
  

  • AMST 606 - Studies in Popular Culture & Technology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on changing definitions of culture and methods of cultural studies; the changing meanings of “folk culture,” “mass culture,” and “popular culture”; and the changing dynamics among technology, the media, and culture. Topics for readings and discussion may include: the relations between changing technologies and the activity of audiences in shaping commercial popular culture: the social and economic context of technological innovation; the cultural imperatives of technological change.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    009508:1
  

  • AMST 688 - Final Project

    3 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    A substantial research paper, drawing on systematic original research. The project may address a research topic in American studies or may construct a curriculum unit using primary sources and including a pedagogical and intellectual justification. The project will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor and must be approved by the advisor. A written proposal signed by student and advisor must be submitted to and approved by the director of the graduate program. Depending on faculty availability, students enrolled in AmSt 688 during the spring semester can participate in a research and writing seminar to facilitate the completion of final projects.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate student in AMSTDY-MA Program

    001144:1
  

  • AMST 691 - American Studies Summer Institute

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Co-sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston and John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, this course is an intensive two-week program, organized as a series of informative and thought-provoking lectures and discussions led by a distinguished panel of scholars and guests. Participants in the Institute include secondary school teachers from the greater Boston area and graduate students in American studies, political science, history, and related disciplines. Topics vary from year to year, and they are drawn from American history, politics, culture or social policy. Upon completion of the two-week lecture series, students complete an extensive research paper on a topic related to the Institute. Sessions are held at the JFK Library.

    039431:1
  

  • AMST 696 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    An advanced course of independent reading in some aspect of American history or culture with the approval of the instructor and the director of the graduate program.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    GRADUATE Degree Students Only

    009380:1

Anthropology
  

  • ANTH 615 - Public Archaeology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    An examination of cultural resource management in New England and the United States. This course studies the significance of state and federal environmental and historic preservation legislation, and the implementation of these laws from drafting proposals and the granting of contracts to the collection of data and its analysis for recommendations to mitigate the impact of construction on archaeological sites. Students learn the processes of national register nomination, problem-oriented proposal and report writing, and calculation of budget estimates for proposed work.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    001129:1
  

  • ANTH 617 - Human Epidemiology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Epidemiology is the study of disease occurrence and patterns. This course will cover various aspects of epidemiology as applied to human populations, including types of disease and their natural histories, ways of measuring disease occurrence and frequency, ways of studying disease rates and causes, and social disparities in disease burdens. Epidemiology is a foundational area for almost all public health-related work. Understanding how to read, interpret, and conduct epidemiological research will be essential tools for PAMA students looking to pursue careers in public health fields.

    040276:1
  

  • ANTH 620 - Biomarker Methods

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Biological anthropologists endeavor to understand the global range of human biological variation, and human biologists in particular are interested in investigating the effects of culture and ecology on human adaptation, development, and health. This course will provide an overview of the logic and method underlying empirical research in human biology. The course emphasized hands-on laboratory experience with a range of methods for assessing human nutritional status, physical activity, growth, cardiovascular health, endocrine activity, and immune function. In contrast to clinical or biomedical approaches to human biology, biological anthropologists tend to study normal individuals in everyday settings. Therefore, an emphasis will be placed on minimally-invasive research methods that can be applied across a range of cultural and ecological contexts.

    040527:1
  

  • ANTH 621 - Societies in Transition

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    What happens to people’s bodies when a society’s way of life changes? Human history has witnessed significant transitions in the ways that people find and use food, exert themselves in activity, take shelter, organize their living communities, and have children. Taking the long view, we can think about these transitions as (1) an ancient shift, starting around 10,000 years ago, from semi-nomadic hunting and gathering to settled agriculture; and (2) a mover recent transition, beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing into the present, from large families living in extended family groups to parents living with a small number of children. This later shift is often called the “demographic transition,” and it is influenced by the use of technology in every part of human life, from food production and distribution to contraception and fertility treatments. Many populations in the global South are undergoing such changes now. This course is most applicable to the health and environment tracks.

    040528:1
  

  • ANTH 622 - Embodiment and the Body

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will explore the topic of embodiment from multiple perspectives: social and cultural influences on the conceptualization and physical presentation of self, biological imprints of social and environmental contexts, mechanisms of biological embedding including stress physiology and nutritional ecology, residual embodiment of environments via intergenerational biological transmission, and sensory experiences of physical worlds. The course will also explore innovative methodologies for incorporating embodiment into research, with particular emphasis on methods that encourage community and public engagement, such as sensory ethnography and haptic geography mapping.

    040529:1
  

  • ANTH 625 - Graduate Seminar in Historical Archaeology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course provides an overview of the field of Historical Archaeology. Since its emergence in the 1960’s, historical archaeology has grown to become the most rapidly expanding field of archaeological research. Starting with a focus on North America, historical archaeology is now a global field that concentrates on the study of the emergence of the modern world and other complex societies. Drawing on a rich palette of interdisciplinary approaches, historical archaeology explores complex global processes such as colonization, industrialization, urbanization, and globalization. This course will focus on the methods employed by the field’s practitioners, the various contexts in which this work is conducted, and the theoretical underpinnings of the field as a whole.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009906:1
  

  • ANTH 635 - Material Life in New England

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Material Life in New England draws on both archaeological and non-archaeological sources (particularly vernacular architecture and material culture studies) to familiarize students with the analysis of material remains from the period between European colonization and the mid- 19th century in New England. Focusing on houses and households (rather than on institutions or industry), the course follows a roughly chronological framework to examine New England’s most important archaeological sites and the questions being addressed by archaeologists in the region such as the forms of early settlements, the consumer revolution and rise of gentility in the 18th century, and the transformation of urban and rural life (through industry, reform ideologies,and trade) in the 19th century. Special attention will be paid to differences within New England (urban vs. rural; one region vs. another) and to distinct aspects of New England’s material life (compared to other regions of the country).

    038722:1
  

  • ANTH 640 - Archaeological Methods and Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course introduces the practice of historical archaeology in the laboratory and in the field through considerations of research design, methodology, material culture, and technical analyses of archaeological remains. The first portion of the course will involve discussions and readings on research design, field methodology, and sampling and recovery. The remaining segments will cover material culture and technical analyses in the laboratory, with a focus on ceramics, metal, glass, stone, plant remains, animal remains, and conservation techniques. The latter component of the course will be strongly devoted to hands-on, practical training in laboratory techniques and material identification.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009908:1
  

  • ANTH 643 - Reconstruction the African Diaspora

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This seminar is an introduction to African Diaspora archaeology, a growing area of study within history and anthropology. Students will explore how archaeologists have investigated physical and cultural landscapes, food ways, ritual and religion, and consumption to reveal the ways that African-descended people responded to slavery as well as racial oppression. Students will trace the trajectory of African Diaspora archaeology from its early studies of plantations to the field’s current emphasis on understanding racism and processes of racial formation. Students will assess the significance of the field to yielding alternate interpretations of the Black past as well as its potential for uniting scholarship and political activism to challenge contemporary manifestations of injustice.

    040809:1
  

  • ANTH 645 - Topics in Environmental Archaeology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course provides an overview of tools and techniques archaeologists use to investigate the interrelationship between culture and their environments. We will explore how archaeologists and environmental scientists study past human-environment interactions, including human alteration of the environment and cultural responses to environmental change. Discussions of case studies provide examples of the interpretive power of interdisciplinary environmental archaeology research. Laboratory work with collections from archaeological sites provides practical experience and the basis for student research projects.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009909:1
  

  • ANTH 646 - Culture, Globalization and the Environment

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will focus on the interrelation between globalization and the environment in a cross-cultural perspective. It will examine the rise of globalization from its colonial antecedents to the modern global era and its multiple effects on local populations and their environment. Topics include environmental institutions, global discourses of environmentalism, environmental movements, media, climate change, and finally, understanding the complex and dynamic nature of engagements between the “the local” and “the global”.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Upper Division Undergraduate or Graduate Student Status

    040277:1
  

  • ANTH 649 - Anthropology of Development

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course examines the contributions made by anthropology to the analysis of development in the Third World. It assesses two contrasting perspectives: ‘development anthropology’, which focuses on the dynamics of working on practical projects, and the `anthropology of development’ which makes a series of critiques of development theory and practice. Topics include planning and policy; indigenous traditional knowledge, aid, health, and sustainable development.

    040278:1
  

  • ANTH 650 - Materials in Ancient Societies

    5 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    A one- or two-semester laboratory course offered as part of the teaching program of the Boston Area Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology, of which UMass Boston is a member. The topic of the course rotates annually among lithic materials, ceramics, faunal/floral materials, metals, and archaeological data analysis. The course may be taken more than once.

    001127:1
  

  • ANTH 653 - Urban Anthropology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    A comparative study of the form and quality of urban life in the contemporary United States and in selected non-Western cultures. Through an examination of selected case studies, the course assesses the varying theories, methodological strategies, and research techniques that have been employed in anthropological analyses of cities; and considers their significance in the broader field of urban studies. Attention is also given to the cultural evolutionary processes leading to the origin and spread of cities and urbanized society, in both the ancient and modern worlds.

    040279:1
  

  • ANTH 655 - Historical Landscapes and Geographic Information Systems

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course aims to provide a basic understanding of how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to visualize and analyze spatial data for historical landscape studies. Through readings and discussion we will explore the social construction of space and spatial analytical techniques. Students will learn basic techniques for acquiring, manipulating and creating geospatial data in several forms, from raster-based satellite imagery and digital terrain models to point, line and polygon representation of vector data. Students will create a GIS project for a region of their choice; this may be an area of personal interest or for thesis research.

    040311:1
  

  • ANTH 658 - Social Determinant of Health and Health Disparities

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The social environment is widely recognized to play a critical role in shaping patterns of health and disease within and across populations. Understanding the processes through which the social environment “gets under the skin” to influence health has become an important question across medical and social science fields, including anthropology. This course will explore key social determinants of health being explored by medical and bio-cultural anthropologists, including: socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, neighborhood environments, social relationships, and political economy. Mechanisms through which these factors are hypothesized to influence health, such as stress and access to health resources and constraints, will be discussed, as well as the ways in which these mechanisms operate within communities and across the life-course. An overarching theme of the course will be how social factors that adversely affect health are inequitably distributed, contributing to marked health disparities.

    040280:1
  

  • ANTH 660 - Critical Approaches to Race in Anthropology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This seminar will draw on theories, models, and analytical techniques and data derived from at least three of the traditional four subfields of anthropology to critically examine current approaches to the study of rac. Students will analyze the definition of race and consider the implications of conceptualizing it as a social instead of biological phenomena. Students will aslo explore the ways that race changes of develops new meanings over time and space through case studies that highlight examples of political, economic, judicial, health and cultural inequalities. The course will conclude with a consideration of personal and collective strategies for combating racism.

    041186:1
  

  • ANTH 665 - Graduate Seminar in Archaeology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive background in current archaeological method and theory. It focuses on the major theoretical schools in archaeology, and their historical development. The course includes lectures and discussions on theory and method in archaeology, as well as discussions of methods employed in other historical disciplines. Emphasis is also given to the articulation of social theory as developed in anthropology, history, and archaeological research. Prerequisites: ANTH 240 and 241 or equivalent.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009910:1
  

  • ANTH 672 - Culture Contact and Colonialism in the Americas

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course explores the multifaceted nature of colonial encounters between Europeans and indigenous people. Using the Americas as the geographical focus, the course devotes special attention to the analytical and theoretical discourse-shaping anthropological approaches to colonialism through the topics of material culture, gender, ideology, ethnicity, race, identity, labor, class, and resistance. Readings and discussions will draw on data and perspectives from ethnohistory, historical archaeology, and cultural anthropology to tackle the simultaneously global and local nature of colonialism.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009911:1
  

  • ANTH 677 - Heritage, Knowledge, Recognition: A Public Anthropology Approach

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course introduces students to the highly contingent and power-laden histories of knowledge construction around issues of heritage, culture, identity, and much that remains hidden and thus must be recognized in relevant global debates. Since students should feel empowered and find ways to learn from and support communities invested in the co-construction of knowledge about themselves and their identities, the course takes seriously the idea that we must first co-deconstruct prevalent notion of knowledge, representation, and rights vs. privileges around defining and gatekeeping with regard to heritage. Thus, we begin by historicizing and deconstruction the assumed, pervasive authority of institutions such as museums, libraries, theme parks, and even the academy in cementing modernist notions of truth, science, civilization, nation, heritage, patrimony, and preservation. The course considers exhibit design and the reformation of the museum as sites for decolonization and explores some of the ways in which contemporary educators, researchers, and activists from marginal groups across the globe use (indigenous) cultural resistance and intellectual critique to engage in on-going debates over the concepts mentioned above.

    040530:1
  

  • ANTH 678 - Human Rights and Public Anthropology

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course explores the professional as well as anthropological and public aspects of human rights. Students will study the key dimensions of contemporary human rights debates and their implementation. Students will learn how to specifically work with human rights, how to carry out an investigation, “build a case,” and conduct advocacy.

    040531:1
  

  • ANTH 679 - Indigenous and Tribal Art

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on the visual and artistic cultures of small-scale societies, starting with prehistoric cave paintings and stretching to tribal and peasant communities of today’s postcolonial societies.

    040282:1
  

  • ANTH 685 - Summer Field School in Historical Archaeology

    6 - 10 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Summer field survey or excavation in historical archaeology for 6-8 weeks in the Boston or New England area. Credit will be given for any other appropriate field school or internship at another institution.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    001125:1
  

  • ANTH 690 - Master’s Capstone 1: On Being Human

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    In this course Public anthropology Masters students prepare to undertake summer placements and begin to design thesis projects. They achieve these goals through a combination of applied thesis proposal development workshops and introductions to the major theoretical texts that shape research design and interpretation in heritage, health, human rights, and environmental anthropology. At an intellectual level, students will emerge from Capstone 1 with a working understanding of how theoretical constructs shape the formation of research questions and the interpretation and dissemination of findings. As public anthropologists, students will complete the course with a draft of a thesis proposal that will inform the project that complete during the fourth semester. Capstone 1 complements and consolidates the analytical, ethical, and other methodological training students undertake in their first year.

    040532:1
  

  • ANTH 696 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Students may take this course in addition to those required in the program in order to pursue research relevant to the program of study.

    001124:1
  

  • ANTH 697 - Special Topics in Archaeology

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The content of this course, while always relevant to the program, will vary depending on the specialty of the visiting or permanent faculty member who may teach this course on a one-time basis.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Graduate degree student or permission of instructor

    009912:1
  

  • ANTH 698 - Practicum in Archaeology

    1 - 10 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    For this course, graduate classroom education is applied in a practical situation, such as field work or a research project for a public archaeology contract agency, a museum, an archaeological laboratory, an historical commission, or a preservation agency. In the practicum students develop a wide range of valuable skills and experience related to possible future employment.

    001123:1
  

  • ANTH 699 - Thesis Research Projects in Historical Archaeology

    6 - 10 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    In this course, an MA thesis will be developed from a problem-oriented analysis of documentary and archaeological data. The MA thesis will include a description of the problem in the context of the disciplines of anthropology and history, its application to the data, a description of the analyses undertaken, and their results with reference to the problem. In the conclusion the results of the research project should be discussed in relation to other current research in the field. The MA thesis must be read and approved by an examining committee made up of three faculty readers, one from the History Program, one from the Anthropology Department, and one from a department to be determined.

    001122:1

Applied Behavioral Analysis for Special Populations
  

  • ABA 640 - Registered Behavior Technician Training

    4 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course provides an overview of a behavior analytic approach to working with a range of consumers, with a primary focus on working with individuals with autism. Topics covered include measurement, assessment, skill acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation and reporting, and professional conduct and scope of practice. Culminating event is a competency-based assessment containing a combination of interview and observation. This course fulfills the Behavior Analyst Certification BoardTM (BACB) training requirements needed to acquire a RBT credential. Students must also pass the RBT exam given by the BACB to become certified. This training program is based on Registered Behavior Technician Task List and is designed to meet the 40-hour training requirement for the RBT credential. The program is offered independent of the BACB.

    039827:1
  

  • ABA 650 - Philosophical Underpinnings of Applied Behavior Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This introductory course offers a comprehensive study of the philosophical and historical foundations of behavior analysis, with special emphasis of behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior, and the application of applied behavior analysis Topics covered during this course include a historical perspective of behaviorism, description and environmental explanation of behavior, the science of behavior analysis, the relationship between behavior analysis and other psychological sciences and theories, as well as the major professional issues currently facing the field. Additionally, students will identify and analyze the key components of empirical research published in scholarly journals in the field of behavior analysis related to the topics in this course. This course emphasizes the tenets of behaviorism in the application of behavior analysis to interpreting and understanding everyday events.

    041467:1
  

  • ABA 651 - Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis

    3 Credit(s) | Lecture | Graded
    Course can be counted for credit once

    Description:
    This course will teach students to identify, define, and apply the concepts and principles of behavior. Topics covered during this course include an environmental explanation of behavior, respondent, and operant conditioning, contingencies of behavior including reinforcement and punishment, extinction of operant behavior, and verbal behavior. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to define, provide examples of, and apply the basic principles of behavior analysis within the context of clinical and educational programming, as well as read the synthesize relevant literature and incorporate best practices into applied programming.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    031202:1
  

  • ABA 652 - Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This is a 3-credit graduate level course designed to review the literature relevant to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. The course content is based on relevant literature in the field of behavior analysis and includes an overview of and the logic behind procedures required to complete a functional behavioral assessment of challenging behavior and implementation of function-based treatments to decrease challenging behaviors and increase adaptive behaviors. Functional behavior assessment procedures that will be covered include indirect assessments, descriptive assessments, and functional analysis. Student swill practice conduction an indirect and descriptive assessment, and have the opportunity to design a functional analysis. Treatments that will be covered include antecedent interventions, differential reinforcement procedures, extinction, and punishment, among others. Students will design a comprehensive function-based intervention plan. Conceptual and practical issues related to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior will be addressed. ABA 652 meets Behavior Analyst Certificate Board, Inc. TM Task list 4 requirements for: a. Identification of the Problem & Assessment (15 of 30 hrs.) b. Intervention and Behavior Change Considerations (5 of 10 hrs.) c. Behavior Change Systems (5 of 10 hrs.) d. Fundamental Elements of Behavior Change & Specific Behavior Change Procedures (20 of 45 hrs.)

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    031203:1
  

  • ABA 653 - Skill Acquisition

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This three credit advanced course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in the areas of identification of problem behaviors, assessment, intervention and behavior change. It provides a systematic introduction to behaviorally-based assessment methods, the use of reinforcement to teach new behavior, and a variety of instructional methods and instructional formats. The instructional planning process and the protocols necessary to develop comprehensive instructional programs for learners will be reviewed with special emphasis for those learners with autism spectrum disorders. The broad goal of the course is to impart students with a broad range of instructional tools that allow them to develop systematic and comprehensive programs that teach relevant skills in the most natural contexts possible. Specific topics include: schedules of reinforcement, preference assessment, criterion-referenced skill assessments, reinforcement-based behavior change procedures such as token economies and self-management, stimulus control, errorless teaching, behavior chains, discrete trial instruction, naturalistic teaching, verbal behavior training, and maintenance and generalization of skills. ABA 653 meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirement for a. Identification of the Problem and Assessment (10 or 30 hrs.) b. Intervention and Behavior Change Considerations (5 of 10 hrs.) c. Behavior change Systems (5 of 10 hrs.) d. Fundamental Elements of Behavior change and Specific Behavior Change Procedures (25 of 45 hrs.)

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    033223:1
  

  • ABA 654 - Research Methods

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This 3 credit advanced graduate course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in measurement and experimental design. With regard to measurement, students will learn how to define behavior in observable and measurable terms, select an appropriate measurement system based upon the dimension of behavior they are studying, consider the strengths and limitations of each measurement system, and calculate inter-observer reliability using a variety of methods. Students will also learn different ways to display data, interpret data, and arrange various experimental designs using single-subject methodology. ABA 654 meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirements for the following: a. Experimental Design (20 of 20 hours.) b. Measurement (including Data Analysis) 25 of 25 hrs.)

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    033224:1
  

  • ABA 655 - Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This advanced course offers intensive study of selected topics in the field of applied behavior analysis. The curriculum has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in the identification of problems and the implementation, management, and supervision of services. This course will provide students with techniques to collaborate with other professionals working with students requiring special education. It will train students to use everyday language when explaining behavioral concepts and it will teach students to consider environmental modifications to reduce the need for behavior analytical services. This course will also provide students with behavioral methodology for staff training and evaluations. Performance management, behavior expectation, and competency-based training are a few of the topics covered during this course. The students will design tools for monitoring procedural integrity for skill acquisition and problem behavior management. Upon completion of this course students will be able to address complex issues related to training and development of staff in different contexts such as consultation, public schools, home-based programs and private schools. Students will also learn what best practices in consultation are, some limitations and strategies for problem-solving around limitations, and the different models of consultation (e.g., in public schools, within agencies, in-home etc). This course meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirements for a. Identification of the Problem and Assessment (5 of 30 hrs.), b. Implementation, Management and Supervision (10 of 10 hrs.), c. Discretionary (30 of 30 hrs.)

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    031205:1
  

  • ABA 656 - Ethical & Professional Conduct

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This three credit course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in Ethical and Professional Conduct. This course will provide students with an opportunity to learn the Disciplinary and Ethical Standards, and the Disciplinary Procedures required in the practices of applied behavior analysis. Through case studies and scenarios, student will have the opportunity to apply guidelines for responsible conduct for behavior analysts. In particular, the student will apply the guideline expectations for ways in which to conduct research, assessments, and make ethical decisions before taking action. Students will design ways in which they apply the guidelines to training, supervision and consultation, interactions with colleagues, and their responsibility to society. ABA 656 meets Behavior Analyst Certificate Board, Inc. requirements for Ethical and Professional Conduct (45 of 45 hrs.).

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    038746:1
  

  • ABA 660 - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Characteristics and Interventions

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This three-credit graduate course focuses on the characteristics of and teaching methods for students with autism spectrum disorders from a behavior analytic perspective. Topics will include: definitions, accommodations, behavioral support, behavioral analysis, behavioral progress monitoring, and instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Fieldwork components are included.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    038898:1
  

  • ABA 661 - Behavioral Analytic Approaches to Psychological Disorders

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course has been designed to evaluate the assessment and treatment of a variety of common psychological disorders through the lens of behavior analysis. Students will be introduced to common behavioral approaches for treating psychological disorders and challenged to understand how to both assess and treat these disorders in a manner consistent with the tenets of applied behavior analysis. By the conclusion of the course, students should have an understanding of traditional behavioral treatments of psychological disorders, as well as a cursory understanding of how to assess and treat these disorders from a behavior analytic perspective.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    038900:1
  

  • ABA 662 - Culturally Responsive Practices in Applied Behavior Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course examines the ways in which race, class, gender, language, culture, and ethnicity influence the ways in which we perform our main functions as behavior analysts. Students will begin by exploring our own cultural, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and then those of individuals from other diverse groups with whom they interact professionally. Students will consider the impact these factors have on functional assessment (including interviewing staff, parents, and consumers), targeting behaviors, measurement of behavior, selecting treatment outcomes, consultation, and training caregivers and staff to provide treatment.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA 651 and ABA 652 and ABA 653 and ABA 654 and ABA 655 and ABA 656 or permission of program director, Mary Brady

    038972:1
  

  • ABA 663 - Designing Behavior Analytic Research

    3 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This is a part 1 or a 2 course sequence that results in the completion and writer up of a single-subject research project. The focus of this course is the design of a single subject research proposal that will be submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Students will apply what they have learned about how to conduct a literature search for an area of interest, formulate a research question, select meaningful target behaviors, define behavior in observable and measurable terms, select an appropriate design and measurement system based upon the dimension of behavior they are studying, and develop staff training protocols for those assisting with the research. The final assignment will be to write an introduction and method sections for the proposed study.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    039426:1
  

  • ABA 665 - Verbal Behavior

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This is a 3-credit graduate level course designed to review the literature relevant to the understanding of verbal behavior. By the end of this course students will demonstrate the basis for a functional analysis of human language. This will include establishing a familiarity with elementary verbal operants, the ways in which verbal behavior is established, the relevance of the behavior of the listener, and ways that verbal behavior becomes organized. Students will establish vocal verbal behavior with regard to the topics addressed. Students will define and distinguish among the elementary verbal operants. Students will design a lesson plan and a research idea related to one verbal operant.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA 651 and ABA 652 and ABA 653 and ABA 654 and co-req ABA 655

    039742:1
  

  • ABA 696 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    039558:1
  

  • ABA 697 - Special Topics

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    038416:1
  

  • ABA 698 - Applied Behavior Analysis for Special Populations Practicum

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The ABA Practicum consists of a supervised practicum and portfolio experience for students who are enrolled in or who have completed the ABA Graduate Certificate Program, or ABA coursework within other approved BACB-programs. The focus of the Practicum is learning and consolidating behavior analytic skills related to the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) Fourth Edition, Task List and Ethical Compliance code, and the mission statement within the College of Advancing and Professional Studies. Pre-registration for the Practicum is required one semester prior to enrollment. The practicum site must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    ABA certificate student

    039427:1

Applied Linguistics
  

  • APLING 601 - Linguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course introduces students to the basic linguistic concepts necessary for understanding how sounds, words, sentences, and texts are structured in English. Its main goal is to help students use these concepts to contrast the structure of English with the structure of other languages.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001112:1
  

  • APLING 603 - Language, Culture and Identity

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to provide students a basis for a more comprehensive understanding of the various concepts and meanings of culture and the ways in which cultural practices help shape our identities, particularly how they are enacted and received in classrooms and second language education. The readings, discussions, and assignments are aimed toward developing potential pedagogical tools and educational programs that will be grounded in the research and concepts presented and explored in this course. The main goal is for students to develop their own personal, theoretically-grounded approach to teaching that facilitates cross-cultural communication in addressing the socially constructed notions and identifications of `race¿ and their ensuing identities in the multilingual classroom. Both theories and practical research from the second language classroom and other domains will be illustrated. By writing about and discussing readings drawn from a broad literature base, students will analyze how multiple phenomena of culture and identity (e.g., power, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, language, sexuality, and class, among other factors) affect schools, the classroom, teachers, and students.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001106:1
  

  • APLING 605 - Theories and Principles of Language Teaching

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This introductory course presents students with a theoretical background in the theory of second language development and language teaching. Concepts from the fields of applied linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education will be presented in relation to fundamental questions about language learning. The course will focus on the foundations of language acquisition to build students’ understanding of the relationship between research, theory and practice in second and foreign language teaching. Contributions of major schools of thought-including Behaviorism, Innatism, Cognitivism, Interaction, and Sociocultural theory - will be examine din relation to current and historical language teaching practices and beliefs.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    010007:1
  

  • APLING 611 - Methods and Materials in Foreign Language Instruction

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course seeks (1) to relate methods of teaching a foreign language to current Second Language Acquisition (SLA), research and theory and evaluate these methods; (2) to discuss classroom problems in light of current SLA theory; and (3) to look critically at textbooks and create new, specific course material to be tested and shared among all class participants. The course’s hands-on approach bridges the gap between theoreticians and classroom practitioners: Students are encouraged-through reading, discussion, teaching demonstrations, and classroom observations-to explore and define the language teacher’s role and to question their experience as language learners and teachers.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    010009:1
  

  • APLING 612 - Integrating Culture into the Language Curriculum

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course takes a hands-on approach and bridges the gap between theoreticians and classroom practitioners. Participants can tie in their critical understanding of cross-cultural perspectives into numerous aspects of the language curriculum. They explore how culture has been taught traditionally and how cultural values are embodied in authentic documents. They gain awareness of potential cultural conflicts between their own culture and the culture they teach or their students’ culture. Discussion and research are directed towards developing instructional units based on a large variety of authentic documents that reflect multicultural diversity and help students discover and resolve cultural conflicts.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001109:1
  

  • APLING 614 - Foundations of Bilingual/Multicultural Education

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to expose students to issues pertaining to the historical, philosophical, legal, and theoretical foundations of bilingualism, and bilingual/multilingual education. Through the study of pertinent literature, students will develop a theoretical and philosophical framework that will enable them to better understand language policies and the politics of diversity and multiculturalism, and their implications for education in the United States and worldwide.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING 601 & 605

    010010:1
  

  • APLING 615 - Dual Language Pedagogy

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to provide systematic study of effective ways to structure learning opportunities for English Language Learners in bilingual educational settings. an understanding of the instructional needs of language minority students is developed and an awareness of bilingual programs with a focus on dual language to meet those specific needs i presented. the course is intended to engage graduate students in exploring theories of language learning, and a variety of procedures, methods, approaches and appropriate materials for use in bilingual and, in particular, dual language pedagogy.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001100:1
  

  • APLING 616 - Curriculum Development in Bilingual Education

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to expose students to issues pertaining to the historical and theoretical foundations of curriculum studies in general, and of bilingual curriculum, in particular. The course will briefly trace the history of curriculum studies and then, delve in the theory, application, design, development and implementation of bilingual curriculum. Through the study of pertinent literature, students will develop a theoretical and practical framework and become familiar with the processes involved in the bilingual education curriculum. Students will explore what schools teach to language learners, what should they teach and who should decide about it; what is the primary aim of bilingual education; and what beliefs, values, or attitudes are learned from the way bilingual classrooms are.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001098:1
  

  • APLING 618 - Teaching ESL: Methods and Approaches

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course familiarizes students with schools of thought that frame teaching English as a second language to immigrant children, youth, and adults in the US and elsewhere. Students will explore many language teaching methods and approaches with special focus placed on Sheltered English Instruction (the mandated instructional approach for ELLs in Massachusetts and in influential model world-wide). Course readings will examine psycholinguistic, sociocultural, and historical influences on ESL and Sheltered English instruction. Students’ evolving understanding of teaching and learning English as second language will contribute to awareness of why and how their decisions affect a specific teaching context and will support informed pedagogical choices.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING 601 & 605

    001091:1
  

  • APLING 621 - Psycholinguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course introduces students to contemporary issues and theories of language development and to the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). It presents an overview of the major research findings on language learning during the last forty years: e.g., universal features of the L2 learner and the L2 learning process, nature and route or acquisition, Interlanguage, cross-linguistic influences; role of the environment and environmental triggers of acquisition; cognitive contributions. Students examine a range of SLA epistemologies and theories that attempt to account for some of these research finding and the issues they have raised. They practice critically evaluation specific research studies and understanding their connections with current perspectives in the field.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001107:1
  

  • APLING 623 - Sociolinguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on the study of language variation and its social, political and cultural significance. Students evaluate current sociolinguistic theory and research in sociolinguistics. Topics include language attitudes, language identity, societal and individual bilingualism, language policy, Black English Vermicular (BEV/Ebonics, creoles/pidgins, and language variation by SES, ethnicity, and gender.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING 601 & 603 & 605

    001105:1
  

  • APLING 627 - Phonetics and Phonemics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will cover the sound system of English and the principles of phonetics and phonemics as well as provide an introduction to phonology. Students will practice using this knowledge to do error analysis and to teach aural/oral skills.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001088:1
  

  • APLING 629 - The Structure of the English Language

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course covers ways of describing the structure of English, starting with traditional methods used in many textbooks and finishing with alternative methods. It will discuss teaching methodologies and sociolinguistic considerations and provide opportunities for practice in applying these theories and techniques.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001089:1
  

  • APLING 632 - Forensic Linguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course explores the subject of forensic linguistics, the intersection of language and the law. Topics to be covered include: (critical) discourse analysis, linguistic structures, syntax, lexical selections, pragmatics, and conversational analysis, among other foci. Throughout the semester, students will continually apply their understanding of linguistic principles and theories to authentic criminal and civil court cases. Some of the cases and discussions will focus on non-native speakers of English in the legal system.

    041392:1
  

  • APLING 633 - Discourse Analysis in ESL

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will deal with approaches to discourse analysis, which will be defined as a set of procedures for interpreting utterances in context. The course will examine different descriptive models from the disciplines of linguistics, sociology, and anthropology and apply them to a variety of texts and contexts. It will concentrate on face-to-face oral interaction, but some aspects of written or “planned” texts will also be discussed. The models of discourse analysis will be applied to the areas of everyday conversation, classroom interaction, and (native/non-native) interaction in interviews, classrooms, and everyday conversation.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001102:1
  

  • APLING 634 - Critical Discourse Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The purpose of this course is to consider language and discourse in relation to society in general and education, in particular. Discourses are historical, ideological, as well as forms of social action. The role of language in social life is of paramount concern to researchers in the social sciences, including education. This course aims at introducing students to theories and methods of discourse analysis, and more specifically, Critical Discourse Analysis. Students will become familiar with the methods used in conversation analysis, discourse analysis, and critical discourse analysis and their theoretical underpinnings. Towards this end, the course will consider marxist, neo-marxist, postmodern, and critical theories in order to provide a theoretical framework that will enable students to understand and situation the formation of different discourses in conduction their research.

    040292:1
  

  • APLING 635 - Literacy & Culture

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The course will take a sociolinguistic and anthropological approach to the analysis of discourse and, in so doing, seek to clarify the distinction between “oral style” strategies and “literate style” strategies in communication. It will look at so-called “oral cultures” and cultures influenced by writing, as well as at cross-cultural differences in orientation toward spoken communication and language and literacy socialization practices. A great deal of emphasis in class will be placed on the analysis of “non-literary” texts: e.g., interactions between teachers and young children as the children tell stories during “Show and Tell,” interactions between writing instructor and student writers during writing conferences, narratives told by adolescents who speak Black English Vernacular, written texts produced by student writers from various non-mainstream backgrounds.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001082:1
  

  • APLING 637 - Ethnography of Education: Culture, Language, & Literacy

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course addresses the how and why of ethnographic inquiry. It introduces students to ethnographic approaches and methodologies, and, more importantly, to the kinds of questions ethnographers ask. A key emphasis is on demystifying the field of research and applying ethnographic methods and techniques suitable for the study of culture, language, and schooling. Students read and critically assess a variety of ethnographic research that addresses issues in class, ethnicity/race, culture, language, and learning. Students will also implement anthropological and sociological approaches and insights in planning for and conducting ethnographic observations and interviews. As a final assignment, students will be required to write a project proposal proposing to study and issue related to ethnicity/race, culture, language, and education.

    033444:1
  

  • APLING 640 - French Applied Linguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course focuses on the application of selected linguistic topics to the pedagogy of French as a foreign language in the United States. Drawing on a sociolinguistically-oriented survey of the linguistic situation in various Francophone regions o the world, it explores variability in French, including social, stylistic, and geographical variation, and implications of such variability for the French as a Foreign Language classroom. The examination of French as found in multiple settings leads to exploring what it means to be a native speaker, and how and why the construct has been problematized in the applied linguistic literature. The course also discusses issues of language policy in France and the Francophone world and questions about the selection and development of language norms and pedagogical norms.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Prerequisites: APLING 601  and APLING 605  

    041535:1
  

  • APLING 643 - Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues in Critical Pedagogy and Critical Language Education

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues in Critical Pedagogy is an introductory course to critical theory and the ways it has affected and shaped educational theory, pedagogy, and classroom practice. This course will draw upon the seminal work of a diverse group of theorists, including writings from the Frankfurt School (Marcuse, Adomo, Horkheimer), Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, and others. Within a historical context, the course will focus on early theories of social and cultural reproduction, theories of resistance, and the hidden curriculum. The latter part of the course will situate some of the early reform issues about schooling within a more recent context in order to illuminate how such issues resonate with current public discourses on schooling and radical pedagogy. We will examine the work of Critical Pedagogues such as Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, bell hooks, Stanley Aronowitz, Michael Apple, etc. Finally, we will look into the application of Critical Pedagogy framework to classroom practice for language teachers. Major themes of the course include: education as cultural force, hegemony and the politics of hidden curriculum, popular cultures, public pedagogy and cultural politics, capitalism, neo-liberalism and education, and the role of educators as public intellectuals.

    040293:1
  

  • APLING 665 - Immigration and Education

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course familiarizes students with theory and research on the education of immigrant children, youth and adults in the US and worldwide. Students will draw on interdisciplinary lenses, including contributions from psychological, sociological, anthropological and educational research, to understand and apply current perspectives on immigration to local contexts. Students will explore the implications of the growing presence of immigrant-origin students in public schools in the US and other post-industrial societies. The course will consider the role of gender, social-economic status, race, ethnicity, undocumented status and a variety of social context factors which affect the adaptation of immigrant students and families with special focus placed on education settings. Our evolving understanding of the pathways immigrant student take as they negotiate schooling and life in a new country will contribute to informed policy, curriculum and pedagogy choices.

    033874:1
  

  • APLING 669 - Writing Theories in Second Language Instruction

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will consider the key issues in writing theory, research, and pedagogy as they are specifically related to writing in a second language. It will introduce students to the existing research and developing theories on the composing process and examine, critique, and evaluate current and traditional theories and practices by exploring the ways in which theory and research can be translated into instruction.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    000683:2
  

  • APLING 670 - Testing in the Bilingual/ESL Classroom

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Students will become familiar with language proficiency and language dominance testing and with other measurement and evaluative procedures needed in the administration and instruction of limited English proficient students in ESL and bilingual programs.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001086:1
  

  • APLING 673 - Reading in the Bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to expose students to current debates over various perception of what constitutes literacy, especially in regard to education English language learners (ELLs). Class participants will critically analyze reading theories and research in reference to bilingual and ESL reading practices. As part of this overview, participants will analyze a number of reading approaches and methods, including sociocultural and psycholinguistic orientations toward literacy development, bilingualism, and second language reading development. The course will also examine informal language, literacy assessment of ELLS, and current implementation of the Massachusetts state-defined English language arts framework and ESL standards. Finally, participants will study and evaluate current L2 reading instructional and informal assessment methodologies and strategies in light of current research and theory.

    000681:1
  

  • APLING 678 - Technology In Eductn

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course has two primary goals: (1) to survey the various kinds of technological resources available for use in the ESL classroom; and (2) to evaluate critically the use of technology in the ESL classroom and the extent to which it is compatible with current theories of language acquisition.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    010017:1
  

  • APLING 684 - Usage Based Linguistic Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will familiarize students with how language corpora-large computerized databases of spoken and/or written language-are created, analyzed, and applied int he second/foreign language classroom to the teaching and learning of English or any other language. Students will read relevant literature in areas of corpus-based research, learn how to use software designed to analyze corpora, and as a final project analyze some particular area of grammar in a relevant corpus, and describe how the results of such an analysis can be applied in the language teaching classroom.

    010751:1
  

  • APLING 685 - Bilingual/ESL Classroom

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to address the need for the integration of the Internet in the language classroom, whether in the form of web-enhanced or web-based lessons. Special focus is placed on the ways the Internet can be used to enrich, enhance, and deliver lesson plans that successfully address language goals and the needs of second language learners. Students taking this course gain competence in effectively browsing the web, integrating Web resources for educational resources, and thoughtfully using technology and the Internet to plan classroom activities. Issues such as the digital divide, acceptable use policies, copyright, quality assurance, and content validity are addressed with the aim of developing a theoretical framework and thinking about the Internet critically.

    034655:1
  

  • APLING 690 - Field Experience

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course grounds students’ academic work in the practical realities of the classroom and student learning. Each student will design a semester-long field experience in coordination with the course instructor based in action research or student teaching in which they respond to the specific needs and questions of their teaching or research context. The seminar community and readings will support students in developing reflexivity in their teaching and research practice and in linking practice to theory and policy.

    040211:1
  

  • APLING 696 - Independent Study

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course will provide opportunities for students to work independently in one of the following areas: Applied Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Second Language and Bilingual Methodology, and Cross-Cultural Studies. Students who wish to do an independent study should submit a study plan, including: a brief description of their area of interest and an outline of the topic they plan to research in terms of content, time, and the structure of their project. To be eligible to take an independent study course students should be at the end of the course work for the MA and have at least a 3.5 GPA. All research plans for an independent study should be approved by their advisor and the Graduate Program Director.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001073:1
  

  • APLING 697 - Special Topics in Applied Linguistics

    1 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    An advanced course, offering intensive study of selected topics in bilingual/ESL/foreign language pedagogy studies. Course content varies according to the topic and will be announced prior to registration.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    010757:1
  

  • APLING 698 - Practicum/Field Experience

    3 - 6 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    A supervised, on-site experience in the teaching of bilingual education or ESL on an elementary of secondary level, or in a social or educational agency serving limited English proficient students. Students must meet with their academic advisor to discuss available practicum options. Students interested in licensure practicum must meet with the licensure specialist to discuss options.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING-MA students only

    001069:1
  

  • APLING 700 - Issues in Applied Linguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course consists of an overview of the field of applied linguistics. Student will explore the application of linguistic knowledge to the resolution of language-related issues facing multiingual societies (e.g., second language acquisition and ultimate attainment, literacy, language assessment, bilingualism, Heritage and Indigenous languages, language attitudes, language planning and policy, language and politics, world Englishes).

    037749:1
  

  • APLING 701 - Issues in Second Language Acquisition

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This doctoral level seminar examines in depth the theory and research in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). It builds upon the information and concepts presented in introductory SLA theory courses allowing students to more deeply and carefully explore selected topics such as the explicit/implicit debate; role of consciousness; interface of cognitive and social processes; working memory; interaction; feedback; age; aptitude; transfer; and attention. We will cover both traditional and alternative theories in SLA (including sociocultural theory, socio-cognitive theory, conversation analysis, identify theory, socialization theory, complexity/dynamic systems theory, and cognitive linguistics). In addition, the course addresses theory building and two critical questions: (1) can/should the field tolerate multiple theories? (2) if it cannot/should not, how do we decide which theory to support and which theories to disallow? Students will practice evaluation the goals, strengths, and limitations of various perspectives as well as look at the implications for L2 learning, teaching, and research in light of the reading on SLA theories.

    037750:1
  

  • APLING 702 - Issues in Sociolinguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This is an advanced course to the large body of research that deals with the intersection between language and society. Reading some canonical sociolinguistics works, we will explore how social and cultural categories, such as race/ethnicity, gender, and nationality, as well as institutions, including schools and governments, are created through and affected by language. We will also look at various contextual factors - social, cultural, geographical, political, ideological - that impact language use and variation.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    Prerequisite: APLING 701  

    037768:1
  

  • APLING 703 - Applied Linguistics Research Methods

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is designed to expose students to research in applied linguistics, first and second language acquisition, and language acquisition in bilingual contexts. Students are expected to engage with major research perspectives in first and second language acquisition fields and to critically evaluation the relevance of multiple research models and their application to languages in contact, bilingualism, language policy, and classroom language use.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING 700 and APLING 701 and APLING 702

    037769:1
  

  • APLING 704 - Advanced Discourse Analysis

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    The purpose of this course is to consider language, literacy, and discourse in relation to education, society, and culture. More specifically, we will discuss how literacy as the mastery of the language of secondary discourses informs understandings of the ways in which the world is read in particular times, places, and circumstances. We will begin with the assumption that language functions to scaffold both action and human affiliation in cultures, social groups, and institutions. As such, experiences and perspectives area created and assumed in the process of becoming literate. Towards this end, we will consider postmodern and critical theories of discourse and ideology to better understand such notions of multiple and situated literacies as social practices positioned in relation to the social institutions and power relations which sustain them. We will use Critical discourse analysis as a tool for exploring questions about the relationship between language, society, politics and ideology and as a resource for a social analysis of education. Discourses will be viewed as historical, doing ideological work but also as forms of social action.

    037770:1
  

  • APLING 705 - Advanced Ethnography

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course combines critical policy analysis, theory, and research methodology. We will examine language policy as a sociocultural process in which both official and tacit social practices normalize some languages and varieties and marginalize others. Using ethnographically informed case studies, we will analyze the following language policy issues: Indigenous/heritage language loss, revitalization, and maintenance; English-only and bilingual education; linguistic human rights; “race,” class/caste, and linguistic difference; home, community, and school literacy practices and policies; and the impacts of standardization and globalization on cultural and linguistic diversity. The course also provides the opportunity to explore these research methods: critical-ethnographic case studies, oral history, classroom ethnography, interviews, narrative, and critical document analysis.

    037771:1
  

  • APLING 707 - Current Research on Language and Pedagogy

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    Research in language pedagogy in the last 10 years has been marked by an emphasis on considering the context in which second language instruction takes place. Following this perspective, this course presents issues related to second language instruction in different contexts and for specific learners inside and outside institutional settings. The semester is broken into three distinct but interrelated areas: the first part consists of an overview of current theoretical issues and key concepts in the field (learner identities, communicative competence; situated research bridging cognitive and sociocultural approaches) and of current research methodology in language pedagogy research: the second part focuses on specific learners (adult: adolescents: children): and the third part examines learning contexts beyond classrooms. Participants practice reading research studies critically and writing a literature review on a topic of their choice.

    037772:1
  

  • APLING 708 - Corpus Linguistics

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course is intended to provide students with the tools and the theoretical background necessary to carry out theoretical and applied research in corpus linguistics. Although the focus will be primarily on English language corpora, the course also will consider multi-lingual corpora in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese. In addition, a special emphasis will be placed on how English-corpora can be used to help educate students learning English as a second or foreign language. The course begins with an emphasis on methodology - how to create a corpus - and the theoretical basis of corpus-based research: how it fits in with other theoretical approaches to language analysis. The remainder of the courses focuses on various applications of corpus-based research, ranging from the study of language variation to the creation of teaching materials for English language learners grounded in the methodology of data-driven learning: a pedagogy that helps students study various types of grammatical constructions in various computerized corpora. Students will leave the course with the ability to conduct corpus-based research and apply their research findings in specific educational contexts.

    Enrollment Requirements:
    APLING 601 or equivalent

    037773:1
  

  • APLING 709 - Language Policy

    3 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    This course examines and analyzes contemporary and historical language policies at the state level in Massachusetts, at the national level, and in international contexts. Throughout the course, theoretical and methodological issues in language planning and policy (LPP) are highlighted. In true comparative stance, special emphasis will be placed on comparing U.S. experiences with those of other nations. As well, the relationship between language attitudes and educational policy formation will be studied. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate understanding of main issues in language policy and planning, and will articulate understanding of the complex factors that inform language planning decisions at local, state, and national levels. Finally, students are expected to leave the course well equipped with the core analytical skills needed to engage in research on LPP, including data collection, analysis, and presentation.

    037774:1
  

  • APLING 890 - Graduate Colloquium in Applied Linguistics

    1 Credit(s) |  |
    Description:
    APLING 890 is a 1-credit course designed to engage participants in critical reading, analysis, and discussion of topics related to the theory, research and practice in Applied Linguistics. The applied Linguistics graduate colloquium is designed to expose graduate/doctoral students to include invited talks by established scholars in the field; workshops of dissertation chapters, prospectuses, or article drafts; discussions of recent publications in the field; or professionalization workshops. It is an elective course for the MA and the PhD in Applied Linguistics. The Colloquium brings in scholars from around the world to give an academic paper and discuss with students. Colloquia provide PhD students an opportunity to interact with world-class scholars with a variety of research interests and expertise and to build community among them.

    041393:1
 

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