Second Language Education (Thesis) (M.A.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.A. in Second Language Education consists of a 45-credit thesis or non-thesis program. It provides an overview of the state of the art in second language acquisition, assessment and evaluation, and research methods, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. The program covers a wide range of current topics in applied linguistics and offers opportunities to specialize in educational sociolinguistics, curricular/methods and program planning areas (for example, content-based second language teaching or “immersion”), language testing, language policy and planning, and critical applied linguistics. Graduates may go on to doctoral work in applied linguistics. They may also seek employment at ministry, school board, or other sites of active research on second languages. Many graduates also continue active careers in school contexts as second language teaching practitioners, program administrators or evaluators.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDSL 666 | Thesis Research 1. | 6 |
Thesis Research 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Submission of a thesis proposal. | ||
| EDSL 667 | Thesis Research 2. | 6 |
Thesis Research 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Presentation of thesis proposal. | ||
| EDSL 668 | Thesis Research 3. | 6 |
Thesis Research 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Master's thesis. | ||
| EDSL 669 | Thesis Research 4. | 6 |
Thesis Research 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Master's thesis. | ||
Required Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEM 690 | Research Methods: Theory and Practice. | 3 |
Research Methods: Theory and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Overview of the epistemological foundations of a range of research methods, including but not limited to quantitative, philosophical, qualitative, arts-based, and mixed methods. Students will learn techniques to conduct research and to develop a research proposal. | ||
| EDPE 575 | Statistics for Practitioners. | 3 |
Statistics for Practitioners. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Understanding and interpreting basic statistical procedures used in basic and applied research, including graphs, measures of central tendency and variability, hypothesis testing, and correlations, t-tests, and basic ANOVA designs. | ||
| EDSL 623 | Second Language Learning. | 3 |
Second Language Learning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in second language acquisition theory and research and their relevance to teaching a second language. | ||
| EDSL 627 | Instructed Second Language Acquisition Research. | 3 |
Instructed Second Language Acquisition Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in second language classroom-centred research focusing on instructional procedures and practices in relationship to learning outcomes. | ||
Complementary Courses (6 credits)
6 credits selected from the following courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 630 | Ethnographic Approaches to Research . | 3 |
Ethnographic Approaches to Research . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Ethnography as a qualitative research approach that allows researchers to conduct in-depth studies of complex social and cultural practices. Hands-on experience in ethnographic field work and practice ethnographic research methods are offered. Focus on history and application of a range of ethnographic approaches including traditional, critical, visual, activist, institutional, and collaborative ethnography. | ||
| EDEM 609 | Critical Perspectives in Educational Theory and Research. | 3 |
Critical Perspectives in Educational Theory and Research. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Critical exploration of contemporary issues in educational theory and research, in terms of current scholarship in the field, current educational contexts, and various research paradigms. Educational issues as expressions of social, ethical, political, economic, epistemological and cultural reconfigurations. Students will learn to be critical consumers of educational theories and research. | ||
| EDSL 617 | Special Topics in Second Language Education. | 3 |
Special Topics in Second Language Education. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In-depth study of current topics in Second Language Education. (Content varies from year to year.) | ||
| EDSL 620 | Social Justice Issues in Second Language Education. | 3 |
Social Justice Issues in Second Language Education. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of social identity, non-dominant languages, and power relations among speakers, and their impact on the nature of second/additional language teaching, learning and use, from the perspective of critical applied linguistics. Topics range from the micro level of the individual to the macro level of language planning and policy-making. | ||
| EDSL 624 | Educational Sociolinguistics. | 3 |
Educational Sociolinguistics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in the social, cultural and political dimensions of English second language learning and teaching. | ||
| EDSL 631 | Second Language Curriculum. | 3 |
Second Language Curriculum. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Research, theory and practice in curriculum development and teaching in second language education within contemporary frameworks. | ||
| EDSL 632 | Second Language Literacy Development. | 3 |
Second Language Literacy Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theory and research related to the teaching and learning of second language literacy. The orientation is on reading and writing as a socio-cognitive activity. | ||
| EDSL 640 | Language Awareness: Theory and Practice. | 3 |
Language Awareness: Theory and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the concept of language awareness-learners’ and teachers’ explicit knowledge about and conscious perception of language in relation to its learning, teaching, and use. Will further outline possibilities for promoting learners’ language awareness in the L2 classroom. | ||
| EDSL 651 | Content-Based L2 Learning. | 3 |
Content-Based L2 Learning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theoretical research underpinnings of learning a second language through content-based approaches and analysis of empirical studies undertaken in a wide range of immersion and other content-based L2 classrooms. | ||
Elective Course (3 credits)
3 credits at the 500, 600, or 700 level chosen in consultation with the Graduate Program Director.