Critical Social Inquiry 0114 - Intro Linguistic Anthropology

How do perceptions about language affect how people create, recognize, and negotiate social difference? In other words, how are perceptions about language linked to ideas about class, race, ethnicity, and gender? In this course, we will consider how language is used to discriminate while developing a basic understanding of the anthropological study of language, including some of the key ideas, methods, and findings in this field. This course aims to demonstrate how concepts used by linguistic anthropologists are broadly applicable. By the end of the course, students will have a working understanding of the role language plays in everyday life and will have basic skills for addressing questions about language and social relations with which they will be confronted in their academic and non-academic lives. Students will be evaluated on and participation, discussion leadership, short assignments, a media project, a speech event analysis, and a final project.

Power, Community and Social Justice Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are expected to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.