Take Classes Taught by Experienced Faculty

At PSU, classes are taught by faculty with years of experience not only in language teaching, but also in research and in solving real-world language problems. It is easy to benefit from faculty experience, since they are known to be accessible in class, around the department, and at Applied Linguistics events. Students regularly rate their interaction with professors as being a highlight of the program. 

The PSU Applied Linguistics Department has a diverse student body - in terms of age, culture, nationality, socioeconomic background, and professional experience. Students collaborate and learn from one another during class time, working on group projects, and in planned or impromptu study sessions. Class discussions are often so engaging that they continue in the halls, lunch areas, and in the Park Blocks outside. 

"I was a high school teacher for a few years a long time ago. [So when I came to PSU], I started in the Department of Education. But I knew the teaching part, and I wanted more of the linguistics. So I enjoyed taking classes like Second Language Acquisition. I really liked classes like Pragmatics, and Corpus Linguistics." --Laura Cowley-Martinson

For Teaching Language

PSU offers many courses that are valuable for increasing professional skills. Teachers of a language may benefit from courses such as: 

  • Ling 390 Introduction to Linguistics (offered online and on campus)
  • Ling 438 Second Language Acquisition
  • Ling 531 Applied Phonetics & Phonology
  • Ling 521 Applied English Grammar
  • Ling 470 Grammar for TESOL
  • Ling 473 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
  • Ling 475 Curriculum Design and Materials Development in TESOL

For Working with Immigrants and Refugees

In addition, teachers and anyone who works with immigrants and refugees may be interested in courses such as:

  • Ling 471 Understanding the International Experience
  • Ling 431 Language, Identity and Culture
  • Ling 432 Sociolinguistics
  • Ling 480 Bilingualism