Department of Linguistics

Program Head: Alison Mackey, Ph.D.

Applied Linguistics is concerned with how second languages are learned and taught. The Applied Linguistics program at Georgetown has a long tradition of excellence in second language acquisition and second language pedagogy. Faculty (regular and associated) and student interests currently include, but are not limited to: The advanced foreign language learner; Attention and SLA; Bilingual education; Cognitive SLA; Cross-cultural communication; Educational technology; Generative language acquisition; Input, interaction and SLA; L2 assessment; L2 discourse; L2 materials preparation; L2 pedagogy; L2 processing; L3 acquisition; Language policy; Linguistics and Reading; Linguistics and Writing and Pedagogical Grammar. Applied Linguistics at Georgetown offers the following degrees: MAT in TESL or TESL/Bilingual Education, MS in Linguistics (Applied Concentration), and Ph.D. in Linguistics (Applied Concentration). For the MAT program, students are required to take courses in linguistics, language pedagogy, and elective courses. For the M.S. and Ph.D. programs, students satisfy the departmental requirements and then, with the guidance of an advisor, develop a program of study according to their individual interests. Ph.D. students also are required to take courses as preparation for doctoral research (three advanced applied linguistics research seminars, statistics, and research methods). The advanced applied linguistics seminars and the Georgetown University Foreign Language Initiatives in Research and Teaching (GU-FLIRT) offer a wide-range of opportunities for faculty-student collaborative research. Additional opportunities in interdisciplinary research are available to MAT and other Applied Linguistics students through apprenticeship positions in the National Capital Language Research Center (NCLRC), a joint project funded by the US Department of Education and conducted in cooperation with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and George Washington University (GW).