Department of Second Language Studies

College of Arts, Languages & Letters
Moore 570
1890 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8610
Fax: (808) 956-2802
Email: sls@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/sls

Faculty

*E. Gilliland, PhD (Chair)—writing studies, adolescent literacy, teacher education, qualitative research methods, discourse analysis
*N. Ziegler, PhD (Graduate Chair)—second language acquisition, interaction, corrective feedback, task-based language teaching, synchronous computer mediated communication, Maritime English
(English as a lingua franca, English for specific purposes in the commercial shipping industry)
*G. Crookes, PhD (Undergraduate Chair)—classroom teaching, materials and syllabus design, critical language pedagogy
*D. Crowther, PhD—second language speech intelligibility, global Englishes, listening and speaking pedagogy, research methodology
*T. Grüter, PhD—morphosyntax and semantics, developmental psycholinguistics, language processing, bilingualism
*C. Higgins, PhD—sociolinguistics, multilingualism, discourse analysis, linguistic landscapes
*D. R. Isbell, PhD—language testing and assessment, second language pronunciation, instructed second language acquisition, technology in language learning, quantitative research methods
*B. D. Schwartz, PhD—linguistic theory and second language acquisition, second language analysis, second language processing, child second language acquisition
*D. Zheng, PhD—cognition and instruction, second language technology and pedagogy, bilingual education, instructional media

Emeritus Faculty

R. Bley-Vroman, PhD—English syntax, second language analysis, formal models of language acquisition
J. D. Brown, PhD—language curriculum development, language testing, language program evaluation, quantitative research methods
R. R. Day, Phd—extensive reading, second language teacher education, curriculum design, materials development
T. Hudson, PhD—language testing, reading, methods and materials, English for specific purposes, research methods

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

A. Berez-Kroeker, PhD—language data preservation, interface between endangered language communities, language technology, preservation and dissemination of records of language in use
H. Cook, PhD—Japanese sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language socialization and pragmatics
S. Fukuda, PhD—theoretical and experimental syntax; lexical semantics; syntax-lexical semantics interface phenomena and their acquisition
M. Gonzalez-Lloret, PhD—second language acquisition, technology and language instruction, Spanish linguistics, pragmatics
K. Kanno, PhD—Japanese SLA, pedagogical grammar, language analysis
K. Kondo-Brown, PhD—heritage language learning, assessment, Japanese language learning
W. O’Grady, PhD—syntax, first and second language acquisition, Korean
A. J. Schafer, PhD—sentence comprehension and production across languages (including Korean, Japanese, and Austronesian languages); sentence prosody; information structure; psycholinguistic approaches to language documentation and conservation

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

E. Hauser, PhD—conversation analysis
H. T. Nguyen, PhD—interactional competence, classroom discourse, conversation analysis

* Graduate Faculty

The Academic Program

The SLS department’s programs prepare students for professional and academic careers in second language and multilingual settings, including but not limited to language education. Through course work and independent research, students acquire a broad knowledge base and familiarity with a range of research approaches and an understanding of ethics and professionalism in second language studies.

Employment opportunities have expanded nationally and internationally to include various types of educational and occupational institutions. In addition to language education and administration at all levels, employment opportunities extend to such domains as publishing, test development for international agencies, and language training programs for businesses.

The department, whose MA program dates back to 1961, is regarded as one of the most prestigious second language studies programs worldwide. Offerings comprise a wide range of general and specialized courses. SLS faculty members are well respected nationally and internationally through their research, publications, and leadership roles at national and international levels. It attracts top-quality students and maintains a variety of services and activities that stimulate a high level of student satisfaction and collaboration, including post-graduation employment advice and assistance.

SLS faculty members have served on the executive boards of the American Association for Applied Linguistics and the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages International Association. Department faculty are also present and past editors of the international journals Applied Linguistics (C. Higgins, G. Kasper), Language Learning (T. Grüter), Journal of Response to Writing (E. Gilliland).

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor’s Degree

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in second language studies provides students with a comprehensive understanding of a wide range of issues related to how second and foreign languages are learned, taught, and used in local and global contexts. This program, in accord with the values of SLS graduate degree programs, takes the broad view that plurilingual and pluricultural societies have greater success at communication in and across languages, which enables mutual understanding and appreciation, conflict resolution, and negotiation of values.

The program addresses theory, research, and practice, and helps prepare students to become second language specialists who understand the nature of second language learning and use in diverse circumstances, and are able to act upon related challenges that emerge in a variety of settings. The BA in SLS also serves as an excellent preparation for entry into a variety of language-related graduate programs.

Minor Degrees

Please see “Programs” section below for more information about our minors.

Graduate Study

The department offers an MA degree in second language studies, two Advanced Graduate Certificates in second language studies, and a PhD degree in second language studies. The MA and PhD degree programs are recognized Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) regional graduate programs. Residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible, upon admission with a GPA of 3.00 or higher, to enroll at 150 percent of Hawaiʻi resident tuition rates. See the “Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid” section of this Catalog for more information on WICHE programs.

English Language Institute

College of Arts, Languages & Letters
Moore 585-B
1890 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-6946
Email: uhmeli@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/eli

The English Language Institute (ELI) is located in the Department of Second Language Studies. The ELI’s primary purpose is to provide English instruction for international and immigrant students or others, who speak English as an additional language, to facilitate their academic studies at UH Mānoa. The ELI program is only for students who have been admitted to UH Mānoa.

All potential ELI students admitted to UH Mānoa are referred to the ELI to determine if they must take the ELI placement test before registering for UH Mānoa courses. The ELI placement test is generally offered two or three times at the beginning of each semester. Information about the testing dates and times can be found on the ELI website. Students can sign up for ELI placement tests online prior to the testing date.

ELI Exemptions

Students are exempt from taking the ELI placement test if they meet any of the following conditions: (a) the student is a native speaker of English; (b) the student has received a score of 100 or better on the internet-based TOEFL or a score of 10.5 or better on TOEFL Essentials (taken within the last 2 years); (c) the student has received a score of 7.0 or better on the IELTS (taken within the last 2 years); (d) the student has received a score of 135 or better on the Duolingo test; (e) the student has received a score of 185 or better on Cambridge English scale tests (excluding Cambridge English “Business” tests); (f) undergraduate students who have received 68 or higher on the Pearson Test of Academic English or 560 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT; (g) graduate students who have received within the last five years a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree from an accredited/recognized college in Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Canada (except Quebec), Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom, the USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe ; (h) the student has an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science/Natural Sciences degree from a community college within the UH System; (i) the student has obtained the equivalent of 60 transferable semester credits with a GPA of 2.0 or better, all earned in classroom settings at regionally accredited colleges or universities in the U.S., or from colleges or universities whose academic standing is recognized by UH Mānoa and where English is the primary language of instruction; or (j) the student has completed six years of full-time schooling with English as the medium of instruction at a middle school, high school, college, or university in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Guam, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, or the U.S. (including American Samoa). Documentation of all six years is required.

These exemption criteria apply at the time students are admitted to UH Mānoa. An exemption on the basis of one of these criteria may be automatically granted by UH Mānoa, or it may be granted by the ELI office if the student can provide the appropriate documentation, including official transcripts or test results.

Assignment to ELI Courses

All other potential ELI students who have been admitted to UH Mānoa must register to take the ELI placement test before they can register for courses. Placement into ELI courses or exemption from ELI courses will be based on the test results. All ELI courses must be completed within the first year of study at UH Mānoa.

Relationship to Other Course Work

ELI courses are equivalent to 3-credit courses when considering a student’s course load. Students placed into ELI courses need to reduce the number of additional credit courses they can take and should expect to make slower progress in their regular UH Mānoa studies. This is an especially important factor in some graduate programs and should be considered carefully by students whose time or financial support is limited.

Hawaiʻi English Language Program

College of Arts, Languages & Letters
Moore Hall 586
1890 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-6636
Fax: (808) 956-5100
Email: eslhelp@hawaii.edu
Web: manoa.hawaii.edu/eslhelp

The Hawaiʻi English Language Program (HELP), located in the Department of SLS, is a noncredit, intensive academic English skills program for students who wish to improve their English language proficiency for academic, business, or professional pursuits. HELP offers a pathway into the UH System for students who need to sharpen their academic English skills before starting credit course work at UH Mānoa or in another American college or university. HELP students who complete two terms at the highest level may receive conditional admission to UH Mānoa without a TOEFL score, after which they may take the ELI placement exam to see if further English preparation is needed. HELP has four levels to meet the needs of students from beginning to advanced, and also offers individualized tutoring for clients needing specific language assistance. At the end of each regular term, HELP offers the TOEFL ITP test to all students; this test is accepted by all UH System campuses for validation of Academic English level for admission purposes.

HELP is also an ESL teacher training center and offers customized teacher training workshops to groups, as well as the globally recognized Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) certification course to individuals. Bespoke programs in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in areas such as Business, Engineering, and Health Sciences can also be arranged through HELP’s Customized Programs specialists.

Admission to HELP is open to individuals 17 or older who have completed high school or its equivalent. There are four 8-week sessions each year beginning in January, March, August, and October. HELP also offers 6- and 4-week intensive summer programs in May and July, for a total of six start dates each year.

See manoa.hawaii.edu/eslhelp/ for more information.

Programs

Bachelor’s

Second Language Studies, BA

Master’s

Second Language Studies, MA

Doctorate

Second Language Studies, PhD

Graduate Certificate

Second Language Studies, Advanced Graduate Certificate

Minor

Combined