The University of Illinois at Chicago
Spanish / Latino Studies 427
Spring 2003

Studies in Language Policy and Cultural Identity

Professor Kim Potowski

1727 UH, Office Hours Monday 11:00-2:00, Tuesday 11:00-1:00

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Syllabus

Grading criteria

Questions on readings

Interesting links

Webquest: Native American languages

 

 

 

Grading criteria

Reaction papers (2) 25%
In-class presentation 25%
Participation 20%
Final paper 30%

Reaction papers: 2-3 pages.

You will type two (2) reaction papers during the semester in which you summarize and give your reaction to a topic we have read about or discussed thus far.

In-class presentation: 20-30 minutes.

You will be asked to present one (1) reading to the class. You can earn participation points by presenting a second reading. See the syllabus for the grading criteria.

Participation

Students are expected to come to class having read all assigned material. There will be frequent “surprise” quizzes on the main points of readings, and these will form part of your participation grade. Students are also expected to contribute substantively to class discussions (without dominating them). This means that you should strive to make at least one or two insightful comments or questions during each class meeting.

Obviously your participation is tied in with your attendance. Missing more than one class session or arriving late/leaving early will lower your participation grade.

Final Paper

Final paper: 10-15 pages, minimum six (6) references. Graduate students are expected to exceed the minimum requirements.

Your final paper must analyze some aspect of language policy (official or unofficial) and explain how it is related to cultural identity. You can compare two entities (states, nations, ethnic groups, etc.) or focus on just one.

All students are expected to employ university-level academic writing (thesis, body and conclusion; proper citation procedures; use of spell checking; etc.). Graduate students will be held to higher standards of scholarship (critical commentary, depth of analysis).

You will hand in your topic on March 4th and an outline on April 8th. The final paper is due on Monday, May 5th. Absolutely no exceptions.

 

Copyright © 2003 by Kim Potowski
The University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.