Mission

The Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program at Michigan State University works within the College of Arts and Letters to promote the highest caliber research and teaching opportunities within the fields of foreign language learning, second language acquisition (SLA), and applied linguistics. The Program trains future leaders while promoting a biased-free environment that supports intellectual and professional growth, regardless of one’s gender orientation, sexual orientation, race, economic situation, nationality, religion, or ethnicity. We treat each person in the Program with respect, and hold each person in high esteem. We view ourselves as an academic community of practice that promotes positive energy and good will. We champion each others’ research agendas and support each other as we work, individually and collectively, on career milestones. The Program’s goals in graduate-student education are to offer robust professionalization, varied and fulfilling employment pathways, and instruction in state-of-the-art methodological practices that adhere to modern, open-science initiatives. The Program’s goals also include providing faculty researchers an academic home for creative and cutting-edge research in applied linguistics and SLA that centers around graduate education and mentoring our field’s up and coming leaders, who will themselves guide SLA and applied linguistics research into the future.

– Paula Winke, SLS Program Director (winke@msu.edu)