Course Description
Literature in the area of bilingualism, cognitive studies, neurolinguistics, language acquisition (first and second), and educational research to examine the dynamics of bilingual development and cognition in adults and children and the ensuing educational consequences.
Athena Title
Bilingualism and Cognition
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The course will address a number of questions which will be of interest to those intrigued by the theoretical basis of research on cognitive aspects of bilingualism but also to those speaking two or more languages, teaching languages, working in bilingual contexts, counseling bilingual parents, or wanting to raise their own children bilingual. By the end of the course, students will -Be able to identify various types of bilingualism based on age of acquisition, age of arrival, profiles of language use, learning and social histories of language users, etc. Students will understand the factors leading to successful language attainment in multiple languages. -Learn and be able to outline the neurolinguistics of bilingualism. They will be able to explain how proficiency in one language can affect the way in which the brain processes additional languages. - Understand and be able to explain how the different languages are kept apart in bilinguals’ minds, how they interfere with each other during various cognitive tasks, and what the associated educations implications may be (e.g., for literacy instruction, assessment practices, time on task). -Gain an informed perspective on the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. Moreover, students will be able to serve as proponents of bilingual education and successfully negate the common false belief that bilingualism may be confusing and detrimental to young children’s language development. -Be introduced to and be able to communicate their informed position with regard to the ongoing theoretical debate concerning whether people who speak several languages can have diverging conceptualizations of reality when they speak different languages. -Be able to demonstrate their knowledge of when, how, who, and under which circumstances one can become bilingual, foster, and sustain bilingualism. -Learn methods that can be used to investigate cognitive aspects of bilingualism. -Be able to communicate which sociocultural and sociopolitical factors play a role in bilingualism and language attainment.
Topical Outline
Critical period hypothesis Acquisition and representation of multiple languages Development of theories about brain, language, and mind Bilingual lexicon and concepts Language production Processing mixed languages Cognitive consequences of being a bilingual Living with two languages: Autobiographies, Selves, Emotions Language and thought Raising and educating a bilingual child Methods of studying bilingual development