The English Department offers an undergraduate Minor in Applied Linguistics. The undergraduate minor in Applied Linguistics has two tracks: the General Track that requires 21 credits and the ESL Track that requires 23 credits.

Applied Linguistics Minor—General Track

The General Track of the Applied Linguistics Minor is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a systematic study of language and applied issues in language teaching, language learning, and language use. Students with a minor in Applied Linguistics/General Track are well prepared to teach English internationally as well as to work in such settings as adult literacy, refugee services, nonprofit/NGO services, and electronic and print publishing. The minor is an excellent disciplinary complement to majors such as anthropology, classics, communications, computing and information systems, English, education, modern languages, philosophy, psychology, and writing.

Requirements for a Minor in Applied Linguistics—General Track: 21 credits

Foundation: 9 Credits 
ENG 261 Foundations of Language Study (prerequisite for all other ENG courses)
ENG 363 Applied Linguistics
ENG 364 Sociolinguistics

The minor requires four electives. Three electives must be chosen from the English electives. The fourth elective must be chosen from the cross-departmental electives or be an elective approved by an English linguistics advisor.

English Electives: 9 Credits 
ENG 362 History of the English Language
ENG 365 Teaching English as a Second Language
ENG 366 English Grammar and Usage
ENG 390 Special Topics in Language and Rhetoric
ENG 392 Language and Power
ENG 461 Language and Gender
ENG 465 Teaching Second Language Reading and Writing
ENG 467 Language Disorders and English Literacy
ENG 469 ESL Teaching Practicum

Cross-Departmental Electives: 3 Credits
AAA 350 African American Identity & Comm.
ANT 207 Language and Culture
CS 343 Structure of Programming Languages
CS 365 Artificial Intelligence
CS 461 Compiler Design and Construction
FRE 305 French Phonetics
FRE 355 Introduction to French Linguistics
GER 321 German Phonetics
GER 322 Intro. to German Linguistics
GER 421 History of the German Language
HNR 313 Language in the Cognitive Sciences
PHI 203 Intermediate Logic
PHI 470 Philosophy of Language
PSY 305 Infant and Early Childhood Development
PSY 357 Psychology of Language
PSY 365 Cognition
SPA 308 Spanish Phonetics
SPA 309 Advanced Spanish Grammar
SPA 327 History of the Spanish Language
SPA 329 Sociolinguistics of Spanish
SPA 335 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics

Applied Linguistics Minor—ESL Track

The ESL track of the Applied Linguistics Minor is designed for students seeking elementary, including CSAT or PCKET, or secondary teacher certification. The ESL curriculum is being reviewed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and ESL licensure is currently pending (approval expected August 2018).  When approved, the curriculum will meet MDE standards for a teachable minor for elementary or secondary certification and leads to ESL endorsement, an add-on credential to a Michigan teaching license. Students must complete 18 credits of coursework in English and a supervised teaching practicum with College of Education and Community Innovation to fulfill the Applied Linguistics Minor/ESL Track. They must also pass the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) in ESL to qualify for ESL endorsement.

Requirements for a Minor in Applied Linguistics – ESL Track: 23 credits

Foundation: 9 Credits 
ENG 261 Foundations of Language Study (prerequisite for all other ENG courses)
ENG 363 Applied Linguistics
ENG 364 Sociolinguistics

ESL Track: 9 Credits
ENG 365 Teaching English as a Second Language OR ENG 355 Teaching English Learners, PK-6
ENG 366 English Grammar and Usage
ENG 465 Teaching Second Lang. Reading & Writing

ESL Practicum: 5 Credits
EDR 470 Directed Teaching in ESL: Elementary
                                -OR-
EDR 471 Directed Teaching in ESL: Secondary

In addition to the required coursework, the MDE requires all candidates pursuing ESL endorsement to have “documented experience learning a second language equivalent to two semesters’ worth of college-level study.” Students pursuing a B.A. from GVSU fulfill this state requirement by completion of the degree cognate that requires third semester proficiency in a second language. Students pursuing a B.S. from GVSU can fulfill the state requirement in one of the following ways:

• Two semesters of second language study at the college level;
• Second semester proficiency in a second language as demonstrated by the appropriate proficiency exam(s) administered by the Modern Languages and Literatures Department or the Classics Department;
• Certificate from an intensive language institute verifying at least 15 weeks of intensive second language study.

Note to students in the following areas of teacher certification:

• If you are seeking elementary certification in a core subject (Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, or Math), you will need to complete two minors: the elementary distributed minor and the Applied Linguistics Minor/ESL Track.
• If you are seeking elementary certification with a Comprehensive Science and Arts for Teaching (CSAT) major, the Applied Linguistics Minor/ESL Track fulfills the required “student-centered” minor.
• If you are seeking secondary certification in any of the state-approved teachable majors, the Applied Linguistics Minor/ESL Track fulfills the requirement for a teachable minor for initial certification.

English As A Second Language

ESL courses are intended to help students whose first language is not English to improve or sharpen their academic skills in order to meet the rigorous demands of their college study. These classes are open to students who have been admitted to the university's academic programs but are deemed as needing further instruction in English either by their program advisors or because of a lower than required TOEFL score. Admissions counselors may also recommend ESL study when students are initially admitted to Grand Valley

All ESL courses are taught by faculty of the Department of English. As needs increase, there will be more ESL support available to students. Current courses include:

ESL 094 English as a Second Language (ESL): Skills I
ESL 095 English as a Second Language (ESL): Speaking and Listening Skills
ESL 098 English as a Second Language (ESL): Composition