Professor
Thor Sawin (Professor, TFL/TESOL programs) is a linguist, applied linguist, and teacher of English and German as a foreign language, with over seventeen years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Lithuania, Korea, China and the US, as well as shorter secondary-level programs in Korea, Taiwan and Albania. Thor is passionate about language learning as hospitality, balancing the cognitive and social aspects of language learning, and helping people identify and acquire the “ways of speaking” they will need to be effective cross-cultural collaborators.
At MIIS, he primarily teaches courses on linguistics (language acquisition, linguistic analysis, language and social policy, and applying technology to language learning) and on intercultural communication, and has also taught German at the Middlebury Language Schools, Middlebury College, and UC Santa Cruz.
Thor has presented research at over 50 refereed international and several regional conferences on topics within language teaching, multilingualism, and international development. His fieldwork in Eurasia focuses on language acquisition practices and policies for personnel within international organizations, and he co-organizes the International Congress on Language Learning for field learning policy makers and practitioners. Additionally, he leads workshops on applying second language acquisition, mobile technologies for language learning, field-based language learning, and creating task-based language learning materials for government organizations (such as the US Air Force and the US State Department), teaching organizations (such as Princeton University, the American Council of Hebrew Teachers), and several international development organizations.
EAPP 8394
Editing WritingCourse Description
Editing Writing is a course in structural, stylistic, and copy-editing which will help you develop the necessary tools to revise and edit your own writing. We will use short papers from this class and longer papers from your other classes to sharpen your editing skills.
Terms Taught
GRMN 3101
Elementary GermanCourse Description
This level is designed for students who have had no previous experience with German. By the end of the summer, students will be able to employ all four modalities to communicate in German about simple topics, such as information about one’s self and others, activities and events, occupations and pastimes, and the world around us. They will learn to interact in routine and familiar situations of everyday life and narrate events in present and past tenses. During the summer, students will learn to recognize and correctly employ the foundational structures of German grammar and will establish a basic vocabulary relating to the aforementioned topics. All language acquisition will happen in cultural contexts that will also inspire comparisons with other cultures and support the development of trans- and intercultural competencies.
Note: All students who have prior knowledge of German and want to be placed beyond the Elementary German level (101-102-103) are required to take an analytical placement examination involving all four skills. On the basis of the test results, students will be advised concerning their course selections.
Terms Taught
Requirements
GRMN 3102
Elementary GermanCourse Description
This level is designed for students who have had no previous experience with German. By the end of the summer, students will be able to employ all four modalities to communicate in German about simple topics, such as information about one’s self and others, activities and events, occupations and pastimes, and the world around us. They will learn to interact in routine and familiar situations of everyday life and narrate events in present and past tenses. During the summer, students will learn to recognize and correctly employ the foundational structures of German grammar and will establish a basic vocabulary relating to the aforementioned topics. All language acquisition will happen in cultural contexts that will also inspire comparisons with other cultures and support the development of trans- and intercultural competencies.
Note: All students who have prior knowledge of German and want to be placed beyond the Elementary German level (101-102-103) are required to take an analytical placement examination involving all four skills. On the basis of the test results, students will be advised concerning their course selections.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ICCO 8570
Comm in Multicultural SettingsCourse Description
Communication in Multicultural Settings
When we talk about language, we are not merely referring to the spoken or written word. Instead, we are delving into a social, complex, and adaptive system that encompasses verbal and non-verbal communication, the context in which language is used, and our collective and individual identities, life experiences, biases, and agendas. Through relevant materials, reflections, discussions, and projects, we will explore the multifaceted dimensions of communication in multicultural settings, honing our skills as global professionals.
Terms Taught
ICCO 8575
Peacebld/ReconciliatnInBalkansCourse Description
Terms Taught
LING 8500
Language AnalysisCourse Description
Serves as an introduction to linguistic analysis. Includes projects based on fieldwork in phonology, morphology, syntax, discourse, and pragmatics. Discusses importance of language awareness. Includes pedagogical strategies for consciousness-raising.
Terms Taught
LING 8530
Structure of EnglishCourse Description
Examines the syntax and discourse of modern English for ESL and EFL teaching. Spotlights practical applications for the classroom. Prerequisite: Language Analysis
Terms Taught
LING 8531
Pedagogical Grammar in FLTCourse Description
This course is designed to provide teachers of different languages with opportunities to investigate and practice pedagogical subject matter knowledge and grammar teaching strategies in the language that they teach. There will be a number of different languages represented in the class, which will afford multiple opportunities to explore, investigate, and share a variety of pedagogical perspectives and linguistic experiences.
The course will combine a focus on recent theoretical approaches to grammar (cognitive grammar, construction grammar, systemic – functional grammar) with innovative and practical approaches to teaching and learning in an authentic, action-based and interaction-rich setting.
Terms Taught
LING 8598
Directed StudyCourse Description
Terms Taught
LING 8630
Second Language AcquisitionCourse Description
Surveys, in seminar format, research in second-language learning relating to language teaching and learning. Discusses the role of affective variables, interaction, learner strategies, and learner factors in the language acquisition process. Prerequisite: Language Analysis
Terms Taught
MIIS 8519
Structure of EnglishCourse Description
Structure of English
Examines the syntax and discourse of modern English for ESL and EFL teaching. Spotlights practical applications for the classroom. Prerequisite: Language Analysis (Open to Juniors and Seniors only) (Open to students who have taken Language Analysis or equivalent, you must contact Kathi Bailey from Monterey (kb@middlebury.edu) for review of MIDD course background.) The dates of this course are JANUARY 31 through MAY 20. Registering for this course signals your interest in taking the course.
Terms Taught
MIIS 8520
Pedagogical Grammar in FLTCourse Description
Pedagogical Grammar in FLT
"This course is designed to provide teachers of different languages with opportunities to investigate and practice pedagogical subject matter knowledge and grammar teaching strategies in the language that they teach. There will be a number of different languages represented in the class, which will afford multiple opportunities to explore, investigate, and share a variety of pedagogical perspectives and linguistic experiences.
The course will combine a focus on recent theoretical approaches to grammar (cognitive grammar, construction grammar, systemic – functional grammar) with innovative and practical approaches to teaching and learning in an authentic, action-based and interaction-rich setting." (Open to Junior and Seniors only) (Open to students who have taken Language Analysis or equivalent, you must contact Kathi Bailey from Monterey (kb@middlebury.edu) for review of MIDD course background.) The dates of this course are JANUARY 31 through MAY 20. Registering for this course signals your interest in taking the course.
Terms Taught
TSOL 8550
ClassroomResearch&AssessmentCourse Description
As language teachers, we are constantly assessing our learners, our teaching, and our classrooms in order to provide the best learning environment for our students. In this fully asynchronous course, you will explore ways of collecting systematic information which will assist you in making important decisions regarding your lessons, your learners and your program. Activities will include readings, discussions, and task design and analyses during which you will explore the many assessment and research possibilities available. By the end of the course, you will be able to choose and create data collection methods that will help you to evaluate your students and your context, providing you with valuable information both for lesson planning and for advocating for your students. You will also be able to assess language assessment measures critically and thoughtfully to choose context-appropriate evaluation methods. You will demonstrate your learning through the development of a research or assessment proposal designed to collect information to help you make pedagogical decisions. Those studying toward the online MA TESOL will need to complete this course in addition to the other seven core courses before enrolling in the two capstone courses.
Terms Taught
My approach to the study of human language centers on hospitality and wonder. Language learning is the ultimate form of respect you can show a culture, and speaking to someone in their own words can be a powerful gift. I am passionate about training learners to notice, be fascinated by, and grow competence in the complex multilingual practices around them, and increasingly in the ways that technology helps learners to do so. Learning and using others’ ways of speaking is essential to any cross-cultural social engagement, and I want to help organizations support language learning more effectively with language acquisition policies and practices.
Professor Sawin has been teaching at the Institute since 2013.
| by Sierra Abukins
The language educators led workshops in the Balkans lifting up how language educators advance peacebuilding in their classrooms with support from a grant from Projects for Peace.
| by Sierra Abukins
Our TESOL and TFL graduates are working and studying all over the world. Read what our alumni and faculty have been up to lately.
| by Jessa Zerpoli
When Claire Eagle completed her degree in teaching foreign language, her dream was to teach at a school like the Middlebury Institute. Now she’s redesigning curriculum at one of the biggest language schools in the world.
