In this course, we will survey the relationships between language, communication, and community with a special emphasis on national and ethnic belonging. How does language tie into regimes of citizenship? Why are conversations about ethnic belonging steeped in ideas of "proper" linguistic usage? Why can bilingualism be threatening? In the course of exploring the link between language and national and ethnic belonging, we will also have the opportunity to consider how people rely on communication styles to distinguish themselves from others. How does language come to be linked to speaker qualities? How can one "hear" qualities like Blackness, nerdiness, or prestige, and how does that play into social distinctions and prejudice? Units will also include colonial expansion and the impact on indigenous communities, language standardization, and code-switching. Though the major focus of the course is on North American language politics, we will also take a look at global cases.
While this upper-level class has no prerequisites, please be advised that the readings will require you to pay careful attention as we learn to analyze aspects of language that aren't always obvious. You will be expected to master a few key analytic terms early in the class that explain aspects of language use that are essential to the rest of the readings. In doing so, the class will give you new tools with which to interpret ongoing linguistic disputes, controversies, and practices, allowing you to critically engage with your assumptions about what speaking means for belonging.
This course will include some lecture components that cover key terms and approaches as well as some additional background with which to contextualize our readings, but the majority of class time will be spent on discussion.