Language Culture and Identity

This course will introduce students to some of the major issues that arise from the cultural, anthropological, and political aspects of language. Through assigned readings such as autobiographical excerpts, newspaper articles, and scholarly sociological texts, students will examine why they speak the way they do, what effect this has on other people, and what factors make their language what it is. The class will define and discuss such concepts as dialects, bidialectalism, bilingualism, bilingual education, and official English. Students will be asked to make connections to language issues in their native countries or geographical regions. Students will write short papers and complete at least one research project using print and on-line sources. Upon completion of this course, students will have gained an understanding of how language and dialects influence the ways in which people are perceived and treated by different sectors of society.

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