3 ECTS credits
75 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1021026AER for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.
This course provides students with an introduction to psycho- and neurolinguistics, with a focus on applications within the fields of linguistics and literary studies, as well as applied linguistics (translation, interpreting, second language acquisition/education).
The course begins with an introduction to the four main approaches in the study of language and the brain: the behavioral approach, neuroimaging and neurostimulation, the clinical approach, and the computational approach.
The course then covers the basic mental processes involved in each of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), with special attention to the interaction between phonological, orthographic, and lexico-semantic contributions to these skills.
Next, the course addresses the processing of a second language in the brain, with a focus on second language acquisition and multilingualism.
Finally, the last lecture focuses on morphosyntactic processing in the brain.
Esli.Struys@vub.be
Students can describe the main approaches within the study of language and the brain. They can analyze the strengths and limitations of each approach and explain their applications using examples from research.
Students can explain the central concepts and theoretical frameworks related to the mental processes of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as second language acquisition, multilingualism, and morphosyntax. They are able to identify connections between these processes and interpret these connections clearly.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 25% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
All information regarding evaluation will be announced timely on the online learning platform. The student is responsible for ensuring that he/she is registered on the online learning platform. If the student encounters problems with registration on the online learning platform, he/she is expected to notify the teacher as soon as possible by email.
The student will be graded for each evaluation component. If the student has not participated to one or more of the evaluation components, the student will be given an ‘absent’ score.
The teacher will also use obligatory peer assessment for the evaluation of individual students on the permanent evaluation. Students will have to assess other group members and themselves on a number of criteria. This will result in an individual score that will be used to modify the group score (= the intrinsic value of the work) for each individual group member. This individual modification will be executed by multiplication of the group score by the individual score. If a student does not fill out the peer assessment within the set deadline, the teacher may decide to grant a null score to the student for that specific evaluation component. The teacher has the final say in this whole process and thus may decide to strengthen, weaken, or even not to take into account the obtained scores if they turn out to be unreliable. This decision will only be taken in exceptional circumstances, and must always be based on clear arguments, analyses, and/or additional observations/conversations.
The evaluation components are the same for the first and the second session. The results of individual components may, upon written request of the student via email, be transferred to the next exam session.
Within this course, students may receive the possibility to acquire a credit by participation to one or multiple experiments that are organized within the research group. Students who do not wish or who cannot participate to the (whole) experiment will receive another assignment that corresponds to the scope of the experiment.
For this course, a voluntary, non-mandatory mock exam is organized during the semester. Those who pass the mock exam are not required to take the final exam; the grade from the mock exam will then count as the final exam grade. It is not possible to organize a second date for the mock exam, regardless of the reason for the student's absence.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Nederlands-Frans (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Nederlands-Engels (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Nederlands-Duits (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Nederlands-Spaans (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Frans-Engels (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Frans-Duits (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Frans-Spaans (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Engels-Duits (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Engels-Spaans (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Applied Language Studies: Duits-Spaans (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Arts in Translating: Trajectory after professional bachelor Communication Management or Office Management or Teacher Training Secondary Education with 1 foreign language the same as the chosen language in the master program. (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Arts in Gender and Diversity: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Schakelprogramma Master of Science in het basisonderwijs: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)