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Professor Emerita, Linguistics and Modern Languages

Contact Information Pictured is Amy Kim Bell, M.A., acting chair of the Department of Humanities and Human Sciences.

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, Spanish, West Virginia University
  • Master of Arts, Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh
  • TESOL Certificate, University of Pittsburgh

Courses Taught

  • Elementary Spanish I and II
  • Methods for Teaching English Language Learners
  • Introduction to Linguistics
  • Language Acquisition
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • The Structure of English
  • The History of the English Language
  • Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced ESL

Background

Amy Kim Bell, M.A., is a professor of linguistics and modern languages in the Department of Literary Arts and Social Justice at Point Park University. She has been a full-time faculty member at the University since 1985. Over this period, she has served in various administrative capacities including chair and interim chair as well as director and coordinator of the ESL program. While completing her undergraduate degree at West Virginia University, Bell participated in a study abroad program in Colombia at the Universidad de Antioquia. After graduation, she moved to Barcelona, Spain to teach English as a foreign language. When Bell returned to the United States, she began working as a professional translator with agencies in New York, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

Bell founded an organization of local ESL teachers and was elected the first president of the organization, which subsequently became formally affiliated with the international TESOL organization. She has presented at numerous local and regional conferences, focusing on her interest in second language acquisition and teaching English to speakers of other languages.

Research Interests

  • Second language acquisition
  • Teaching English to speakers of other languages
  • Curricular development