The Department of Language Studies (DLS) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) stands as a hub of diverse and comprehensive research in three core areas:
1. Linguistics: DLS boasts a robust faculty with expertise spanning major subfields of contemporary linguistics. Research areas encompass phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, multilingualism and computational linguistics. Areal expertise extends to Romance, Creole, African, East Asian, and Iranian languages, with English as a global language.
2. Literary, Media, and Cultural Studies: In this area, faculty members specialize in French and Italian studies, delving into diverse literary, media, and cultural topics. Expertise spans 20th and 21st Century European & Québec literature, contemporary LGBTQ+ literature, transnational writers, women's writing, cultural practices, cinema, culture studies, Renaissance literature, and 17th-18th century literature. The faculty contributes significantly to the exploration of literature, media, and culture within the French and Italian contexts.
3. Language Teaching, Learning & Assessment: Research within this area covers a wide spectrum of topics, including second language acquisition (SLA), plurilingualism, second language proficiency assessment, and the inclusion of linguistic and cultural diversity in teaching practices. Additionally, there is a focus on the applied scholarship of teaching, covering areas such as learning design, pedagogy, professional development, and contemporary educational technologies, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality in ESL and ELL contexts.