This first-year seminar takes an in-depth look at how we communicate. What do we believe about language? How does that affect our interactions on personal and societal levels? Drawing on readings from the fields of linguistics and anthropology, we will challenge common language myths and beliefs related to multilingualism, language and dialectal stereotypes, gendered language, and language learning. To synthesize those ideas, students will write reflectively and discuss their own oral and written language, conduct short research projects, and synthesize their ideas into a final paper related to a topic in the course. |