Courses

Spring 2007
   660 Sociolinguistics and Second Languages
   675 Interpretive Qualitative Research

Spring 2006
   660
   760. Hybridity in Second Language Use

Fall, 2005

   660. Sociolinguistics and Second Languages
This course introduces basic concepts, findings, issues and research methods in sociolinguistics as they relate to second and foreign language issues. Two questions we will revisit throughout the course are, 1) What is the role of regional and social variation in the teaching, learning, and use of second and foreign languages? and 2) How does our understanding of the social meanings produced in language inform language teaching, learning, and use? To help us begin to answer these questions, we will engage in extensive reading and discussions, class presentations, and two papers. Course readings and lectures will examine topics that are relevant to learning/teaching, such as the role of language policy in teaching and learning of languages, the relationship between identity and language learning, the process of language socialization, the role of power and privilege in language teaching/learning/use, the nature of linguistic variation in first and second language varieties, and the politics of teaching English as an international language. Through our examination of these social factors, we will problematize several key concepts used in much SLA research, including target language, standard language, native speaker, and language proficiency, and we will examine how these concepts relate to more contemporary concepts such as appropriation, localization, and legitimacy.

Recommended Texts
1. Hall, J. K. 2002. Teaching and researching language and culture. London: Longman/Pearson.
2. Norton, B., & Toohey, K. 2004. Critical Pedagogies and Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.
3. Romaine, S. 2001. Language in Society: An introduction to sociolinguistics (2nd edition). Oxford University Press.
4. McKay, S. L. 2002. Teaching English as an International Language. Oxford University Press.

SLS 775. Seminar: Second Language Interpretive Qualitative Research Methods
This course provides participants with interpretive qualitative research skills through developing, analyzing, and writing up their own research studies. The course covers the principal considerations involved in conducting qualitative research on second language issues including methods, data collection and analysis, and ethics and stylein research reporting. Through their participation in SLS 675, participants will have already developed a research proposal fortheir course project. While some students may have gathered data over the summer, it is expected that participants will collect and analyze data throughout the semester.The seminar will be largely shaped by participants' research projects, as weekly
meetings will serve as workshops in which class participants discuss data collection challenges, analyze data provided by seminar members, and explore interpretations and the writing up process. Course readings will include examination of methodological issues and participants' own selections from their particular areas of interest.

Required Texts:
1. Silverman, D. 2001. Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods forAnalyzing Talk, Text, and Interaction. London: Sage.
2. Course Packet
3. Readings selected by participants

Recommended Text:
1. Wetherell, M., Taylor, S. & Yates, S. (eds.) 2001. Discourse Theory and Practice: A Reader. London: Sage

Spring 2005

660. Sociolinguistics and Second Languages
This course introduces basic concepts, findings, issues and research methods in sociolinguistics as they relate to second and foreign language issues. Two questions we will revisit throughout the course are, 1) What is the role of regional and social variation in the teaching, learning, and use of second and foreign languages? and 2) How does our understanding of the social meanings produced in language inform language teaching, learning, and use? To help us begin to answer these questions, we will engage in extensive reading and discussions, class presentations, and two papers.

Required texts:
1. Hall, J. K. 2002. Teaching and researching language and culture. London: Longman/Pearson.
2. Course Packet (available at Professional Image)

Recommended Texts
1. Norton, B., & Toohey, K. 2004. Critical pedagogies and language learning. Cambridge.
2. Romaine, S. 2001. Language in society: An introduction to sociolinguistics. Oxford.  

760. Critical Approaches to the Global Spread of English
The purpose of this course is to examine the ideologies underpinning the causes and effects of the spread of English around the globe by focusing on the role of social, economic, political, and educational institutions in linguistic production. We will address the topics of linguistic imperialism and globalization as rationales for the spread of English, and we will examine the effects of ESL/EFL teaching and learning worldwide, with special attention to the ‘cultural capital’ (Bourdieu, 1971, 1977) that English provides to certain groups. Specific research questions we will address include the following: What institutions encourage the spread of English? What historical discourses are employed to rationalize the spread of English? What discourses come into play regarding economic development and ESL/EFL? How do speakers’ acceptance, resistance, and production of ‘Englishes’ fit in with the idea of ‘English as an global language?’ Who benefits, and who is put at a disadvantage, due to the spread of this language? How does the global spread of English engender or prevent equity, access, privilege, and power? Our study of the role of global English will be informed by an examination of Pierre Bourdieu’s work on the economics of linguistic production (1971, 1977, 1991) as well as Antonio Gramsci’s work on hegemony (1977). Requirements for the course include extensive readings, active class participation, and a project presentation and research paper which address the place of English as the language of internationalization/globalization.

Required texts (available at UH bookstore):
1. Block, David and Deborah Cameron. 2002. Globalization and language teaching. NY: Routledge.
2. Canagarajah, Suresh. 1999. Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching. Oxford: Oxford
  University Press.
3. Mejia, Anne-Marie de. 2002. Power, prestige, and bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
4. Mazrui, Alamin. 2004. English in Africa after the Cold War. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
5. Pavlenko, Aneta, and Adrian Blackledge (Eds.) Negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts.
  Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Limited
6. Articles (to be distributed in class)

Recommended texts:
1. Bourdieu, P. 1991. Language and symbolic power. Edited and introduced by J. B. Thompson. Trans. by G. Raymond and M.   Adamson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
2. Pennycook, A. 2001. Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

  Higgins's home page