Certificate Requirements

Certificate students take three or four courses: a second/foreign language teaching methods course, a course in second language acquistion, and an additional course or two, as described below. Students also complete a capstone project which may be a research paper, a materials development project, or an experiential practicum or portfolio.

The SFLT Graduate Certificate requires a minimum of 18 credits, consisting of coursework (13-15 credits) and the capstone project (3-5 credits). Only six credits may overlap with the student's degree program. All Certificate courses must be taken for a grade, unless a course is only offered as credit/no credit, as is true for some of UW's teaching methods courses. Up to 5 credits may be at the 400-level.

Here is a detailed description of these requirements:

1. One Course in Second or Foreign Language Teaching Methods:
   (Choose from among the following)
   • Asian 510: Teaching Asian Languages (5)
   • English 572: Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language (5)
   • Spanish 510: Methodology of Spanish Language Teaching (5)
   • Education, Curriculum & Instruction 548: Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (4)
   • Education (EDTEP) 5881: Teaching World Languages in the Secondary School I (5)
   • Education (EDTEP) 5892: Teaching World Languages in the Secondary School II (3)
   • Near Eastern Languages and Civilization 595: Modern Methods and Materials in Teaching Near Eastern Languages (3)
   • Romance Linguistics/German/Scandinavian/Slavic/Near Eastern 518: Foreign Language Teaching Methodology. This 2-credit course is generally offered with a 3-credit companion course, as follows, to form a 5 credit course:
     • French 510: Methodology of French Language Teaching (3)
     • German 576: Modern Methods and Materials in Teaching German (3)
     • Scandinavian 594: Modern Methods and Materials in Teaching Scandinavian and Baltic Languages (3)
     • Slavic 519: Slavic Language Pedagogy (3)
   • Another course in Second or Foreign Language Teaching Methods, as approved by the SFLT Graduate Advisor and the SFLT Certificate Director
2. One course on Second/Foreign Language Acquisition:
   (Choose from among the following)
   • Linguistics 549: Second Language Learning (5)
   • English 571: Theory and Practice on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (5)
   • Education, Curriculum & Instruction 545: Multilingual Socialization and Development(3)
   • Japan 441: The Acquisition of Japanese as a Second/Foreign Language (5)
   • Another course on Second/Foreign Language Acquisition, as approved by the SFLT Graduate Advisor and the SFLT Certificate Director
3. One or two additional courses (not from the Methods Course category) related to second language acquisition, teaching, or linguistic analysis of the language of specialization.
   Examples are shown below. (Two courses are required only if additional credits are needed to meet the 13 credit minimum coursework requirement).
   • Asian 503*: Seminar in Asian Linguistics (5)
   • Chinese 540: Seminar on Chinese Linguistics (5, max. 15)
   • Chinese 541: Seminar in Chinese Grammar (3, max. 9)
   • Chinese 544: Chinese Dialectology (5, max. 15)
   • Japan 440: Introduction to Japanese Linguistics (5)
   • Japan 441: The Acquisition of Japanese as a Second/Foreign Language (5)
   • Japan 443: Topics in Japanese Sociolinguistics (5)
   • Japanese 540: Seminar on Japanese Linguistics (3, max. 15)
   • Chinese 442: The Chinese Language (5)
   • Chinese 443: Structure of Chinese (5)
   • English 576: Testing and Evaluation in English as a Second Language (5)
   • Education, Curriculum & Instruction 542: Assessment of Second Language Students in K-12 schools (3)
   • Linguistics 548: Problems in Linguistics (4)
   • Russian 451: Structure of Russian (5)
   • Scandinavian 460: History of the Scandinavian Languages (5) VLPA
   • Slavic 470: Special Topics in Slavic Linguistics (3-5, max. 15)
   • Slavic 550: Synchronic Slavic Linguistics (5)
   • Slavic 551: Introduction to the Study of Slavic Languages (5)
   • Spanish 404: Dialects of World Spanish (5)
   • Spanish 407 / Spanish Linguistics 407: Bilinguism (5)
   • Spanish 590*: Special Seminar and Conference (5)
   • Turkic 542: Comparative and Historical Grammar of Turkic Languages (3)
   • Turkic 543: Comparative and Historical Grammar of Turkic Languages (3)
   • Independent Study or Research* (various numbers, such as ARAB 600, ASIAN 600, EDC&I 600, FRENCH 600, GERMAN 600, GREEK 600, HEBR 600, ITAL 600, LING 600, RUSS 600, SCAND 600, SLAVIC 600) *when topic is related to second/foreign language teaching, second language acquisition, or analysis of the language of specialization.
   • Another related course, as approved by the SFLT Graduate Advisor and the SFLT Certificate Director
4. Capstone project (3-5 credits): The purpose of the capstone is to provide a deepening of professional expertise or practical experience, depending upon the needs and interests of the student, as determined by the student in consultation with the Capstone Advisor and SFLT Graduate Certificate Advisors. The final product will be an academic paper or portfolio. Three types of capstone projects are possible:
   1. Research Paper: This project is most suitable for students who have research agenda they would like to explore based on previous Certificate coursework. The capstone research project involves original or library research in the area of second/foreign language pedagogy or second language acquisition, and writing of a high quality literature review or research paper. The topic should increase the student's academic expertise in this field.
   2. Materials Development: This project involves preparation of substantial original materials to teach the student's foreign language of specialization. Materials are to be presented in a portfolio containing: 1) a description of the materials included, the student population for whom they are intended, and how they are to be used, 2) the materials themselves. These materials must be authored by the student and of a substance and quantity consistent with the credit value of the capstone. They may include: lesson plans, instructional materials, such as listening materials, communication tasks, reading material with associated tasks, workbooks, powerpoint presentations, textbook chapters, technology-based materials, or other appropriate instructional materials. Materials must be original materials, not a collection of materials from other sources. Materials from other sources may be included, but sources must be approriately cited.
   3. Teaching Practicum and Portfolio: For this project, the student must link him/herself with a mentor teacher, with approval of the mentor teacher and the student's SFLT Graduate Certificate Advisor, whose classes s/he attends and observes, serving as a classroom volunteer, and assisting with materials development for the class. The experience must also involve assisting with classroom teaching. The final product of this practicum is a portfolio including classroom observation notes, materials developed, lesson plans for the lessons taught, and a memo from the mentor teacher providing written feedback and documentation of the student's participation in the teaching practicum.
      
      To arrange for a Capstone Project, each student:
      1. Meets with the SFLT Graduate Certificate Advisor to discuss which type of capstone is most suitable and to consider potential Capstone Advisors.
      2. Meets with the Capstone Advisor, and prepares a proposal that includes:
         1. purpose and scope of the capstone
         2. the tasks to be completed
         3. the amount of time to be allotted (time allotted should be 9 hours per week for 3 credits, 12 hours per week for 4 credits, and 15 hours per week for 5 credits)
      3. Submit the proposal. The proposal must be approved both by the Capstone Advisor and the SFLT Graduate Advisor, if the two are not the same individual. The main advisor must show approval of the capstone proposal via here.
      4. When the Capstone is completed, the completed project must be approved by two individuals, either the Capstone Advisor and the SFLT Graduate Advisor, or, if these are the same individual, the SFLT Graduate/Capstone Advisor and an additional member of the core faculty. Faculty submit their evaluation of the capstone here.
      5. Enrolls in 3-5 credits of Linguistics 548 "Capstone Project for the Graduate Certificate in Second/Foreign Language Teaching".