Second Language Acquisition & Teaching
Established by Arizona Board of Regents: Ph.D. 1990
As an interdisciplinary program at the University of Arizona, SLAT’s work reaches across traditional boundaries of all types and we are associated with five colleges at the University. SLAT’s faculty are more than 90 in number and bring expertise from 19 academic departments, many of which are nationally ranked. Across our cohorts, our students hail from all over the world and the United States. Admission to our program is highly competitive as we work to maintain small class sizes and a strong advisory support system with each student having two faculty mentors and a faculty advisor.
The SLAT Ph.D. program is designed to provide rigorous advanced training for researchers, teacher-researchers, and administrators whose interests lie in second language acquisition and applied linguistics. Our students choose from a range of majors in Instructional, Linguistic, Cognitive, and Sociocultural Dimensions and a minor in these areas or in Language Program Administration or Technology and Second Language Teaching. We offer graduate certificate programs as well. Additionally, our students have access to numerous professional development resources, research lectures, and a network of alumni. Our program diversity allows students to create a meaningful, individual pathway to their chosen future careers.
Our students graduate with the expertise that will allow them to make invaluable contributions to students and research in Applied Linguistics. Since our start in 1990, the SLAT program has graduated almost 600 students who have gone on to become leaders in their discipline, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Graduates regularly place into tenure-track academic careers and teaching positions as well as into innovative careers in non-profit development work, governmental positions, publishing work, and even corporate cutting-edge educational technological careers.
Program Contacts
Program Address
Mary Alt
Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences
Diana Archangeli
Linguistics
Dwight Atkinson
English
Dalila Ayoun
French & Italian
Thomas G. Bever
Linguistics
Carol Brochin
Teaching Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Catherine Brooks
School of Information
Andrew Carnie
Linguistics
Ana Maria Carvalho
Spanish & Portuguese
Jill Castek
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Giuseppe Cavatorta
French & Italian
Sonia Colina
Spanish & Portuguese
Mary Carol Combs
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Betul Czerkawski, Executive Committee
Educational Technology
Wenhao Diao
East Asian Studies
Beatrice C. Dupuy
French & Italian
Javier Duran
Spanish & Portuguese
Leah Duran
Teaching/Learning and Sociocultural Studies
Peter M. Ecke
German Studies
Samira Farwaneh
Middle Eastern & North African Studies
Nicholas Ferdinandt
Public and Applied Humanities
Julieta Fernandez
Spanish and Portuguese
Sandiway Fong
Linguistics
Borbala Gaspar
French & Italian
LouAnn Gerken
Psychology
Rebecca L. Gomez
Psychology
Lillian Gorman
Spanish & Portuguese
Sumayya Granger
Center for English as a Second Language
Michael Hammond, Executive Committee
Linguistics
Heidi Harley
Linguistics
Robert Henderson, Executive Committee
Linguistics
Kimberly Jones
East Asian Studies
Mariko Karatsu
East Asian Studies
Simin Karimi
Linguistics
Hayriye Kayi-Aydar, Executive Committee
English
Carmen King de Ramirez
Spanish and Portuguese
Liudmila Klimanova
Russian & Slavic Studies
Kris Knisely
French and Italian
Tzuyin "Vicky" Lai
Psychology
Sonja Lanehart
Linguistics
John Leafgren
Russian & Slavic Studies
Tania Leal, Executive Committee
Spanish and Portuguese
Feng-Hsi Liu
East Asian Studies
Colleen Lucey
Russian and Slavic Studies
Ken McAllister
Public / Applied Humanities
Janice McGregor
German Studies
Cecile McKee
Linguistics
Susan Miller-Cochran
English
Sheilah Nicholas
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Janet L. Nicol
Linguistics
Diane K. Ohala
Linguistics
Emily Palese
English
Suzanne K. Panferov Reese, Chair
Public / Applied Humanities
Adriana Picoral
Computer Science
Joe Price
French & Italian
Denis Provencher
French and Italian
Jonathon Reinhardt
English
Iliana Reyes
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Jennifer F. Roth Gordon
Anthropology
Eliane Betina Rubenstein-Avila
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Sonia S'hiri
Middle Eastern & North African Studies
Kathleen G Short
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Miguel Simonet
Spanish & Portugeuse
Shelley Staples
English
Brad Story
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Kamran Talattof
Middle Eastern & North African Studies
Christine Tardy, Executive Committee
English
Aresta Tsosie-Paddock
American Indian Studies
Adam Ussishkin
Linguistics
Chantelle Warner
German Studies
Natasha Warner
Linguistics
Andrew Wedel
Linguistics
Cynthia White
Classics
Edmund White
Center for English as a Second Language
Leisy T. Wyman
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
David B. Yaden, Jr.
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Sunyoung Yang
East Asian Studies
Ofelia Zepeda
Linguistics
Qing Zhang
Anthropology
COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- Disability & Psychoeducational Studies
- Educational Policy Studies and Practice
- Educational Psychology
- Educational Technology
- Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies
Second Language Acquisition & Teaching Program Bylaws
The mission of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) is:
- to provide rigorous and high-quality graduate-level training for researchers, teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators at all levels of instruction who are concerned with aspects of second language acquisition, learning, and teaching;
- to facilitate scholarly communication and collaboration among faculty with different disciplinary traditions and identities at The University of Arizona who have expertise and interests in language acquisition, learning, and/or teaching;
- to enhance the quality of undergraduate foreign language education at The University of Arizona and other institutions; and
- to provide outreach support to the community, state, and beyond in relation to social needs and policy issues concerning language learning and multilingualism.
To fulfill its mission in the context of the University, the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching reports through the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs to the Provost's Office.
Faculty Membership in SLAT
- 'Regular' faculty membership in SLAT is available to tenured or tenure-track faculty in any department or program at The University of Arizona who have a significant level of interest and expertise related to second language acquisition and teaching, including Linguistic, Cognitive, Socio-cultural, and Instructional dimensions of L2 learning.
- ‘Affiliate’ faculty membership in SLAT is available to non-tenure-track faculty at The University of Arizona who have a significant level of interest and expertise related to second language acquisition and teaching, including Linguistic, Cognitive, Socio-cultural, and Instructional dimensions of L2 learning.
- ‘Associate’ faculty membership in SLAT is available to tenured or tenure-track
faculty in any department or program at The University of Arizona who have expertise in areas related to second language acquisition and teaching, such as literature, literacy, or statistics, and also some degree of interest/expertise in second language acquisition and teaching.
Affiliate and Associate faculty members may not chair comprehensive examinations or dissertation committees.
Qualifications for membership in SLAT are reviewed by the Executive Council (ExCo) and recommendations for appointment to the SLAT faculty are submitted by the ExCo to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs for approval and processing. Any faculty member may request withdrawal of his/her membership in SLAT, or termination of membership may be recommended by the ExCo in the case of members who do not maintain interest/expertise in scholarly activities related to SLAT. Recommendation by the ExCo for termination of membership is subject to approval from the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
Expectations of SLAT faculty members differ depending on their role and level of activity in language research and teaching but include willingness to mentor SLAT students and to serve on examination and dissertation committees, as well as to teach courses related to SLAT interests/requirements.
All members of the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee are to be informed of SLAT activities and the ExCo proceedings on a regular basis and invited to have input on all matters related to SLAT. A meeting of the full SLAT faculty must be called at least once each year. Additional meetings must be scheduled on petition from ten or more regular faculty members on the Committee.
Executive Council
The Executive Council is charged with determining policy and procedures related to student admission and evaluation, to program implementation (including curricular requirements), and to selection/appointment of Committee membership and administrative officers. Any of these responsibilities may be delegated to individuals or subcommittees with a two-thirds vote of the ExCo. All ExCo members are appointed to the council by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
The ExCo consists of nine to twelve members selected from the regular SLAT faculty, appointed by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs for three-year terms. All faculty terms begin and end with the academic year. Members may serve two consecutive three-year terms on ExCo and may join ExCo again two years after completing a term. To ensure interdisciplinary representation, membership should draw equally from the colleges participating in SLAT. ExCo members who are on leave may be replaced by a temporary appointment, preferably from the same department.
Nominations for ExCo membership will be invited from all faculty members of the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee. Recommendations for appointment will be made by vote of the current Executive Council. In addition, two student representatives will meet with ExCo on an ad hoc (non-voting) basis. These representatives will be elected by the student association (SLATSA) for one-year, staggered terms, and will be eligible to serve one additional term in office. The student representatives will not participate in any discussions relating to faculty or student admission/evaluation. ExCo will meet at least twice each semester. A quorum consists of one more than half of ExCo membership.
Click here to see the list of current members of the Executive Council.
Administrative Officers
The Chair of ExCo also serves as Chair of the Ph.D. Program in SLAT. S/he will be a tenured faculty member on the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee, nominated by vote of ExCo and appointed by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
The Chair will either serve a three-year term renewable once for another three years upon recommendation of Ex-Co and reappointment by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Committee or a five-year term. It is expected that the primary affiliation of this administrative officer will rotate among various departments that contribute to the SLAT program faculty membership. In the event of a vacancy in this office, ExCo will nominate an Acting Chair to fill out the term.
The Chair represents the program to the administration and to the community. S/he will handle the daily administration of the program and will be responsible for oversight of all aspects of program operation, including budget and personnel. S/he will call and preside at meetings of ExCo as needed but not less than twice per semester and call and preside at meetings of the full SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee at least once per year and as needed. The Chair will represent SLAT at the Graduate Interdisciplinary Advisory Council (GIDPAC) or a designated representative will be elected by ExCo. Specific administrative duties may be delegated to other individuals or to committees with the advice and consent of ExCo.
A Graduate Advisor will be appointed by the Chair from the regular membership on the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee, with approval of ExCo. S/he will be responsible for student advising, and for scheduling and coordinating the qualifying examinations. S/he will be recommended for appointment to ExCo and serve as a voting member upon invitation by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
Promotion and Tenure Review
All faculty members on the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee who are undergoing review for promotion or tenure will have input from this program to that process, in accord with university policies and procedures. All members of ExCo who are of appropriate rank will be involved in P & T reviews, unless ExCo decides that there is already adequate SLAT representation on the departmental review committee. Similar input will be provided for second- and fourth-year reviews at the request of a candidate and/or department head.
Annual Performance Review
The 'regular' faculty members of the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee will provide input for Annual Performance Reviews. Based on the information submitted by the faculty member, the SLAT Chair will write a letter to the appropriate department head (or in the case of faculty who are department heads, to the appropriate dean) describing the faculty member's contributions to SLAT. Faculty members may opt to appeal the review with the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs in accordance with Graduate College procedures.
Adoption and Amendment of Bylaws
A draft of suggested bylaws and any subsequent amendments will be circulated for input from all faculty members on the SLAT Interdisciplinary Committee and from all SLAT students. Adoption/amendment requires a two-thirds vote of the Executive Council. The ExCo vote will occur no earlier than thirty days after distribution of the document to faculty and students. The by-laws are reviewed annually by ExCo. All revisions or amendments to the by-laws are reviewed by GIDPAC before receiving final approval by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.
Revised April 2020