09 Apr Dot Image LANGUAGE You have
LANGUAGE You have learned about the way that language intersects with issues of power and identity. Discussions of belonging and class are intertwined with language in debates over immigration and education in American society. More than just a system of symbols for communication, language is an arena where identities are constructed, power is negotiated, and cultural values are promoted. To analyze debates around immigration and English-only initiatives, you now have a set of tools and a framework to understand the issues underlying debates around language. For example, you may consider how English as a prestige language operates, or how individuals code-switch between languages. Or you may speak about language as a continuum, reflecting on how Mock Spanish reflects deeper forms of social stratification and race. Drawing from what you’ve learned in this course investigate issues of language and identity by examining speech communities in the city where you live Research the range of languages that are spoken in the city or region in which you live. Find out the percentage of people who speak a language other than English using U.S. Census data or other resources. Next, select at least three individuals (over 18 yrs. old) to interview who are not related to one another. At least two of them should be people who are either bilingual, speak English as a second language, or have relatives that speak a language other than English. Create four to six questions to ask each of your interviewees about their experiences speaking dialects of English or other languages. Be sure to come up with questions that will enable you to find out what types of speech communities to which they belong. Remember that ways of speaking can vary by gender, class, region, age, and ethnic background, among other factors. Conduct the interviews, taking careful notes that describe how each of your interviewees thinks about issues of language, identity, and speech communities. If you can record it that will be best. Be sure to note their responses as well as their appearance, their body language and paralanguage, and their attire. Here are some questions to explore: • What were themes that were common to each of the people that you interviewed? What were key differences between the way that each person reflected on language and identity? • How did people think English was spoken in their communities? If they also spoke a second language, what was their experience? How did the ability to speak another language link them to particular subcultures or communities? • How might the interviewees’ opinions differ on the issues of immigration and debates over English-only policies? • How were the responses of your interviewees different from the way that you think about similar issues? What types of speech communities did they belong to that you do or do not share? • How did the respondents’ age, gender, or ethnic background play a role in their answers? • What new questions were raised for you in terms of thinking about how power, identity, and language intersect? How would you set up a project in the future? Use this data as the topical context for your demonstration of anthropological fluency and addressing the criteria of the Essay’s rubric.
Anthropology 2000
This is a written Essay based off the following criteria:
Effectively addresses significant issues in the natural and human world based on articulating one’s identity in a global context
Evaluates and applies diverse perspectives to complex subjects within natural and human systems in the face of multiple and even conflicting positions (i.e. cultural, disciplinary, and ethical.)
Adapts and applies a deep understanding of multiple worldviews, experiences, and power structures while initiating meaningful interaction with other cultures to address significant global problems.
Takes informed and responsible action to address ethical, social, and environmental challenges in global systems and evaluates the local and broader consequences of individual and collective interventions.
Uses deep knowledge of the historic and contemporary role and differential effects of human organizations and actions on global systems to develop and advocate for informed, appropriate action to solve complex problems in the human and natural worlds.
Applies knowledge and skills to implement sophisticated, appropriate, and workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives independently or with others.
Style is confident, readable and rhetorically effective in tone, incorporating varied sentence structure and precise word choice. 2. Development includes abundant details and examples that arouse audience interest. Provides relevant, concrete, specific and insightful evidence in support of sound logic. 3. Robust personal reflection throughout the essay seamlessly integrated into an analytical discussion demonstrating anthropological synthesis. 4. No errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. 5. Properly references and cites more than 5 external sources and more than 6 assigned readings. 6. Utilizes anthropological concepts reflectively and analytically in the discussion. Demonstrates conceptual anthropological fluency.
22-24 points earned on Societies and Cultures Rubric
1751-2000 (do not exceed 2000)
