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

Syllabus

January 14
Introduction: Terminology. What do language, policy, culture, and identity mean? Related terms: diglossia, standard language, language planning, dialect, register, ideology, attitudes, and institutions.

For next week: Read Schiffman: “Introduction: Language policy and linguistic culture.”

January 21
Discuss Schiffman. Difference between language policy & language planning.
Typologies of language policy and types of language legislation.

For next week: Read Schiffman: “Language policy and linguistic culture in France.”
Note: Susan Gal gives a talk on 1/23. This is a possible topic for Reaction Paper #1.

January 28
Student presentation on France. Why and how do the French seek to “protect” their language?
The role of language academies; the role of language as a national uniting force.

For next week: Read Schiffman: “Indian linguistic culture and the genesis of language policy in the subcontinent.” Read Heine: “Language policy in Africa” ad Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Decolonizing the Mind: The politics of language in African literature, sections 3, 4 and 5.

February 4 Reaction paper #1 due
Student presentations on Africa and India.

For next week: Read about Spain: Mar-Molinero, “Counter-nationalism and the other languages of the Spanish-speaking world” (pp. 40-53 only) and “The state and language policies in the contemporary Spanish-speaking world” (pp. 83-96 only). Read about Switzerland [tba].

February 11
Student presentation about Switzerland. Guest speakers about Spain: Marta Lacorte & Clara Burgo, UIC graduate students.

For next week: Read Daoust, “A decade of language planning in Québec: A sociopolitical overview” and Schmid, “Language and identity politics in Canada.” Read Turi, “Typology of language legislation” (6 pages).

February 18
Student presentations about Quebec. The false “Quebec threat”: How are the United States and Canada different?

For next week: Read Mar-Molinero: “Counter-nationalism and the other languages of the Spanish-speaking world” (Latin America, pp. 53-63) and “The state and language policies in the contemporary Spanish-speaking world” (Latin America, pp. 96-109). Read Hamel, “Indigenous education in Latin America: Policies and legal frameworks” and “Linguistic rights for Amerindian peoples in Latin America.”

February 25
Student presentations about indigenous languages in Latin America (Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil).
Begin examining United States language attitudes: Watch video documentary American Tongues.

For next week: Read Tse, Why don’t they learn English?

March 4 Hand in topic of final paper
Student presentation and discussion, Why don’t they learn English?
English language learning, foreign language learning, and heritage language development in the United States.

For next week: Read Lippi-Green, pp. 3-6, and chapters 2 & 3 (pp. 41-73).

March 11
Student presentation on Lippi-Green, “The myth of non-accent” and “The standard language myth.”
What is Spanglish, and should it be avoided?

For next class: Read Lippi-Green, chapters 4-8 (you can skim chapter 5). This totals 110 pages, but you have two weeks to do it.

March 18 – No class, Spring Break

March 25
Lippi-Green: the language subordination model; the U.S. educational system.
Student presentation on the U.S. information industry (Lippi-Green chapter 7)
Student presentation on U.S. workplaces/judicial system (Lippi-Green chapter 8)

For next week: Read Lippi-Green chapter 9, U.S. Black English

April 1 Reaction paper #2 due
Student presentation on U.S. Black English (Lippi-Green chapter 9).
The Oakland Ebonics debate: Should / Can Black English be “taught” in schools? Also see: www.stanford.edu/~rickford/papers/VernacularToTeachStandard.html

For next week: Read Resnick: “ESL and language planning in Puerto Rican Education.”

April 8 Hand in outline of final paper
Student presentation about Puerto Rico. How are Puerto Rico’s political status & language policy related? Guest speaker: Frances Aparicio.

For next week: Read Crawford pp. 1-51, the English Only and Official English movements.

April 15
Student presentation on English Only and Official English (Crawford). What motivates these groups?

For next week: Read Crawford pp. 52-82 (U.S. Native American languages; Causes of language loss).

April 22
U.S. Native American languages; Causes of language loss (Crawford).
Will Spanish survive in the United States?

For next week: Read Crawford 84-124 (bilingual education).

April 29
Bilingual education. Proposition 227. What is the national outlook for minority language education?
Course wrap-up: Revisit Schiffman, tie things together.

Final paper due Monday, May 5th. Absolutely no exceptions.