SPAN 267 Spanish as a Minority Language
The main goal of this course is to provide students with a principled way of understanding the issues surrounding the status of Spanish as a minority language in the US and how this affects its communities and individuals.
The course includes an introduction to general theories of and approaches to language contact, minority languages and group identity, but it focuses on the particular situation of the Spanish language in the US. It covers issues of language policies, language maintenance/loss, heritage language acquisition, and the notion of "standard" vs. "sub-standard" language.
This course is especially recommended for students who wish to enrich their knowledge and comprehension of the Spanish speaking communities in the US and wish to comprehend in more depth the issues involved in situation of languages in contact. No previous knowledge of linguistics is necessary.
Students will complete an individual research project. English is the language of instruction but knowledge of Spanish is recommended.