Back to selection
67584-01 - Seminar: Childhood Multilingualism (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Heike Behrens (heike.behrens@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar focusses on childhood multilingualism, in particular the effects of variation in the input conditions and the learning outcome. How does multilingual early language acquisition differ from monolingual acquisition in terms of rate and learning outcome? We will look at different constellations of multilingualism in bilingual families vs. heritage language situation: How can one make sure that children receive enough input and incentives to use several languages. Another focus is how children develop plurilingual identities. Finally, how can society and educational institutions foster successful multilingualism? |
| Learning objectives | Students learn how different environments and input conditions influence children's multilingual language development. They learn to reflect upon different attitudes towards multilingualism in early childhood. |
| Bibliography | Here are some short papers addressed at a general audience o Serratrice, Ludociva (2016). Evidence Briefing: Myths and misconceptions about language development in multilingual children. LUCID Centre. http://www.lucid.ac.uk/media/1902/multilingualism.pdf o Genesee, F. (2015). Myths about early childhood bilingualism. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 56(1), 6-15. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038599 o Francois Grosjean http://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/myths_en.html A more comprehensive literature list will be made available in the course. Recent introductions and handbooks include: Bhatia, Tej K., & Ritchie, William C. (Eds.). (2013). The Handbook of bilingualism and multilingualism (2 ed.). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. De Houwer, Annick (2020). Bilingual Development in Childhood. Cambrdige University Press. De Houwer, A. (2020). Bilingual Development in Childhood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. De Houwer, Annick & Ortega, Lourdes (Eds.). (2018). The Cambridge Handbook of Bilingualism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stavans, Anat & Jessner, Ulrike (Eds.). (2022). The Cambridge Handbook of Childhood Multilingualism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
| Admission requirements | This course is open to BA students of English who have completed all three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers) and to MA students of English and MA Sprache und Kommunikation. |
| Course application | Please register for this course on services unibas. In order to ensure a good learning environment, we aim at no more than 20 students per linguistics seminar. We ask you to sign up for classes via the ADAM registration surveys, which will open on 4 August 2025, 10am (CEST) and close on 19 September 2025, 2pm (CEST): https://adam.unibas.ch/goto_adam_crs_1623802.html. **Please only register for a maximum of TWO seminars and only for more than one if you really intend to take both courses.** Should you have not made it into one of the courses and you are only able to register on the list in a position higher than 20, we guarantee that we will take you in the course with the least student numbers. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 16.09.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 23.09.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 30.09.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 07.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 14.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 21.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 28.10.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 04.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 11.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 18.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 25.11.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 02.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 09.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Tuesday 16.12.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 105 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: English Linguistics (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) Modul: Sprache als Prozess (Master's degree program: Language and Communication) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation; conducting and presenting the outcome of a small research project. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |