Second language acquisition (SLA) is a multidisciplinary field whose goal is to understand the processes that underlie the learning of a non-native language. SLA draws from a variety of academic disciplines, among them linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and education.
FLARE’s students, like their professors, represent a broad range of research interests. Students who graduate from FLARE are independent thinkers who are capable of critically exploring and investigating a wide array of phenomena related to the processes of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Similarly, FLARE students take different paths to get to The University of Iowa. Some have entered the program after completing an MA here, while others begin their life in Iowa City when they start their coursework for their PhD in SLA.
