Second Language Acquisition Courses (SLA)

This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

SLA Courses

This is a list of courses with the subject code SLA. For more information, see Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the catalog.

SLA:3302 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics 3 s.h.

Aspects of modern Chinese linguistics, such as Chinese phonology, syntax, pedagogical grammar, history of the language. Taught in English. Same as CHIN:3302, LING:3302.

SLA:3400 Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics 3 s.h.

Production and transcription of sounds in human languages; physics of sound, computer analysis of speech sounds. Offered fall semesters. Same as LING:3005.

SLA:4300 Introduction to Spanish Syntax 3 s.h.

Basic principles of generative syntax as applied to analysis of Spanish syntactic structure; extensive syntactic analysis. Taught in Spanish. Prerequisites: SPAN:3100. Same as SPAN:4150.

SLA:4301 Introduction to Spanish Phonology 3 s.h.

Sound patterns of Spanish; how various theoretical approaches solve basic problems in Spanish phonology; identification of linguistic universals, how they are manifested in the sound structure of Spanish. Taught in Spanish. Same as SPAN:4100.

SLA:4401 Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language 3 s.h.

Observations of ESL classes at the University of Iowa; design and presentation of short lessons, text evaluation, demonstrations of innovative approaches of the last decade; materials. Offered spring semesters. Prerequisites: LING:3005 and LING:4040. Same as LING:4050.

SLA:5000 Teaching and Learning Languages 3 s.h.

Readings in pedagogical theory and practice, second language acquisition; experience designing activities for teaching and assessment with critiques based on current theories and approaches; development of reflective practices toward one's language teaching. Taught in English. Same as FREN:5000, GRMN:5001, SPAN:5000, WLLC:5000.

SLA:5010 Introduction to Syntax 3 s.h.

Methods and argumentation for formal analysis of sentence structure through induction from language data of central concepts and relations; hypothesis testing, empirical bases of theoretical concepts. Corequisites: LING:5000. Same as LING:5010.

SLA:5020 Introduction to Phonology 3 s.h.

Analysis of sound systems, focus on early generative phonological theory; extensive practice in analysis using data from a variety of languages; linguistic argumentation. Prerequisites: LING:3005. Same as LING:5020.

SLA:5401 First Language Acquisition 3 s.h.

Child language from a crosslinguistic perspective. Prerequisites: LING:3005 and (LING:4040 or LING:5010). Same as LING:5030.

SLA:6010 Syntactic Theory 3 s.h.

Current syntactic theory examined through analysis of data sets, readings in recent research; emphasis on argument construction, statement of formal principles. Offered spring semesters. Prerequisites: LING:5010. Same as LING:6010.

SLA:6011 Phonological Theory 3 s.h.

Post-SPE phonological theory, including autosegmental phonology, feature geometry, the syllable, optimality theory. Prerequisites: LING:5020. Same as LING:6020.

SLA:6301 Topics in Spanish Language Acquisition 3 s.h.

Theoretical linguistic approaches to monolingual, bilingual, and second language acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese; varied topics. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: at least one course in linguistics (e.g., general introduction to linguistics). Same as SPAN:6150.

SLA:6302 Topics in Comparative Romance Linguistics 3 s.h.

Comparative study of phonology, morphology, or syntax of the main Romance languages as informed by linguistic theory; diachronic or synchronic perspective. Taught in English. Recommendations: additional graduate coursework in linguistics. Same as LING:6190, SPAN:6190.

SLA:6303 Spanish Phonology 3 s.h.

Modern approaches to synchronic phonology as applied to Spanish; focus on traditional descriptive problems, recent generative analyses. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: phonology or linguistics course. Same as SPAN:6110.

SLA:6304 Spanish Syntax 3 s.h.

Spanish syntactic constructions examined in framework of selected syntactic theory; emphasis on development of syntactic argumentation. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: one course in syntax. Same as SPAN:6120.

SLA:6452 Topics in Second Language Acquisition 3 s.h.

Overview of current second-language acquisition research in the generative linguistic framework; focus on characterizing second language learners' linguistic competence and how it is constrained by principles of universal grammar. Offered fall semesters. Prerequisites: (LING:3010 or LING:5010) and (LING:3020 or LING:5020). Same as LING:6080.

SLA:6506 Multilingual Education and Applied Linguistics 3 s.h.

Introduction to research in language teaching and learning, drawing on theories and research in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropology, and psychology; students gain understanding of fundamentals in second language acquisition, educational linguistics, applied linguistics, and methods used in teaching and learning second/foreign languages; applications and implications of research considered when reviewing multilingual education policy and practice. Same as ASIA:6483, EDTL:6483.

SLA:7025 Special Projects in Second Language Acquisition arr.

SLA:7030 PhD Thesis arr.

SLA:7401 Advanced Syntactic Theory 2-3 s.h.

Recent developments in syntax; comparison of theories, argumentation, and uses of data. Prerequisites: LING:6010. Same as LING:7010.

SLA:7404 Seminar: Problems in Linguistics 2-3 s.h.

Intensive study of theoretical and practical problems. Same as LING:7090.