B.A. in Communication and Information Studies: Language Learning and Language Teaching

Unravel language acquisition

How can you modify a test for toddlers so it can also be used for immigrant children? What is the best way to use sign language in combination with spoken language? How is dyslexia expressed in languages with a different script, such as Arabic?

During the Language Learning and Language Teaching specialisation of the Bachelor’s in Communication and Information Studies, you study language in the broadest sense of the word, covering both theoretical and applied issues.

The specialisation focuses on two types of language learning: the process of first-language acquisition by children, including those with an atypical pattern of language development (e.g. dyslexia, a hearing disorder or a communicative impairment); and the learning of a second or foreign language by both children and adults.

The programme gives you plenty of opportunities to shape your own curriculum and follow your interests. It also has a small-scale setup, which means you benefit from personal contact with lecturers. The working language is English. Moreover, this is a unique specialisation: no other university in the Netherlands offers a programme like this at Bachelor’s level.

The start date of this programme is September 1st.

In the first year, you acquire a broad theoretical foundation that reflects the state of the art on the structure of language. How does language interact with cognition? Which factors influence language acquisition? You learn the basic principles of adjacent research fields, such as communication studies and discourse analysis. You also work on indispensable academic skills, including academic writing and research methods.

• English Language Test Faculty of Humanities
• Introduction to Communication Studies
• Introduction to Linguistics
• Orientation Module CIS 1
• Academic English CIW-L&S Grammar
• Academic Skills CIS 1
• Language, Media and Communication
• Academic English CIW-L&S Writing
• Academic Skills CIS 2
• Discourse Analysis
• Methods
• Orientation Module CIS 2
• Psycholinguistics
• First Language Acquisition and Language Impairment
• The Structures of English

In the second year you dive into linguistic domains such as phonetics, morphology and semantics. You continue to study the process of language learning, for example investigating typical and atypical language patterns in monolingual and bilingual children. In the Second Language Learning module, you learn how language education can influence the learning of second and foreign languages.

In the first semester of the third year, you choose a minor in line with your personal interests and your plans for the future. You can choose from short programmes such as Brain and Mind, European History and Culture, Digital Humanities and many others. In the second semester, you focus on language education, assessment and dyslexia. The programme concludes with a Bachelor’s thesis.