This article draws on the Language Learning Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence Program 2012 thanks to which Dr. Suresh Canagarajah from Pennsylvania State University lectured at Universidad de La Plata in Argentina in May of that year. He delivered a talk open to language teachers, students and the community in general and also taught a…

In experimental disciplinary fields such as medicine, the writing up of a research paper in English may represent a major hurdle, especially for inexperienced writers and users of EAL (English as an Additional Language), mainly due to a lack of familiarity with international discourse conventions. Despite the efforts of many EAP (English for…

As is the worldwide trend, scientists in China face strong and increasing pressure to publish their research in international peer-reviewed journals written in English. There is an acute need for graduate students to develop the required language skills alongside their scientific expertise, in spite of the distinct division currently existing…

This article presents an interview with Professor Gui Shichun, a well-known figure in the academic field in China. Professor Shichun is credited with being the first scholar who introduced applied linguistics studies into China. He has established several other records of "the first in China," hence has long been called "the brave…

In this article, the author discusses issues that have seemed most fundamental--yet perplexing because they are not well or widely understood--for the students who usually take his masters-level course called Second-Language Assessment. These master's students are experienced teachers, mostly of English, but also of other languages such as French…

Despite the impact of the ESP genre-based framework of teaching discipline-specific writing to L2 learners, especially to L2 graduate students, the writing performance of learners in such a framework is still not fully explored. In this paper, I analyze three article introductions written by a Chinese-speaking graduate student in electrical…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of oral examinations of advanced degree candidates. Looks at examiners' attitudes and the kinds of questions which should be asked. Suggests that a fair oral examination ought to include factual as well as nonfactual questions and argues that many factual questions can be justified. (SED)

Discusses whether students can learn a second language well enough to teach at advanced academic levels and if so, what program would help them achieve this level. Proposes that by teaching advanced courses, graduate students, whose language development usually receives scant attention, will have the opportunity to improve their linguistic…

Investigates how the continuing oversupply of PhDs in relation to the number of academic positions available in colleges and universities affects graduate education. Summarizes opinions about the meaning of professionalization and the roles that institutions, departments, and graduate students themselves share in the development of…

Discusses the growing demands placed on the foreign language department chair and faculty members and highlights how one university has developed a system of rewards both for faculty members and graduate students that involve the public recognition, either university- or department-wide, of teaching publications, or other accomplishments. Also…

Delineates the process of how a Web site called the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) was created to meet the language learning needs of a group of learners at a graduate school in Japan. The focus of discussion is on factors that influenced the design and evolution of the VLE site. (Author/VWL)

Addressing the graduate foreign language curriculum, focuses on the integration of language study and literature to help students become self-reflective scholars and teachers. (Author/VWL)

Foreign language teaching assistant (TA) training is affected by structures and hierarchies at all institutional levels, but it is most immediately influenced by the discipline-specific practices of departments of national languages and literatures, practices that are rooted both in the broader history of TA education and in the tension between…

Describes how to assist nonnative English speaking graduate students with their academic writing in English. Explains several readily available resources that are useful for teachers in non-English speaking countries who are responsible for correcting academic theses and dissertations, scholarly articles, and international conference papers.…

Reports findings from a study on the use of computer-mediated communication to support postgraduate second language teacher education. Findings are reported according to organizing categories of social interaction and different tasks that can effect online communicative exchanges.(Author/VWL)