Illinois Wesleyan University

Spanish in the US: A Sociolinguistic Perspective Spanish 490 - Senior Seminar

309-556-3174
309-556-3284 (fax)

Office:  Buck 014 
 

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Updated:  10/2009

Español en Estados Unidos y otros contextos de contacto. Sociolingüística, ideología y pedagogía. (2009) Madrid: Iberoamericana.
Article list who's presenting what article and handouts

A bilingual dictionary (New World) 
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (in Ames and LRC)
Handbook of Applied Linguistics (in Ames)

This course is intended to familiarize you with issues about language use in social context. You will discuss results of research on the relationship between language and society in several Spanish-speaking communities. We will examine different types of linguistic and social variation and you will learn methods to study such variation in monolingual and bilingual communities (selection of participants, data collection, transcription, quantitative and qualitative analysis, etc.)  Based on the readings, discussions and practice, you will have the opportunity to explore, discover and investigate the social nature of language. 

Apart from the already mentioned objectives, the other important goal of this course is that you learn to read and think critically.  As quoted from one of IWU's goals:

To develop students' capacities for critical thinking, intellectual independence, and imagination by creating opportunities for active learning.

This is why there will be plenty of discussions directed and maintained by the student. 

Since this is a senior seminar, you will be expected to invest a great deal of time reading 400-level reading material.  Most of the reading material is in English, but your oral presentations, assignments, and final paper are to be representative of 400-level Spanish, this means editing and re-editing your work so that errors in elementary grammar errors and problems with content and structure are avoided BEFORE submitting your work.

The lectures in this course provide guidance and orientation, while student-led seminars encourage students to engage in the work of critical comparison of specific texts. Seminars also provide opportunities for students to practice linguistic, presentational and discursive skills.

Students are expected to do all the assigned readings before coming to class, participate in class discussions, and work actively individually and in groups in all projects. A highlight of the course will be to present your research in English at the John Wesley Powell Conference on Saturday, April 18th 2009.

The final grade will be based on student performance in the following: 

I. Assignments (3)	15%
II. Leading of class discussion  (2)	30%
III. Class participation	15%
IV. Research paper	40%

Journal summaries:  Due Jan. 14th (30pts)
 

Select three recent issues of three of the journals listed below and give a brief (typed) summary (one page limit) for each journal.  Include: 1) Where published, how often, and typical topics of articles; 2) Your own impression of the journal (e.g., is this journal useful for finding information on a topic in Hispanic sociolinguistics?); 3) Do the articles emphasize quantitative or qualitative research or both?; 5) Other topics you deem appropriate. 

Anthropological Linguistics, International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Language in Society, Language Problems and Language Planning, Language Variation and Language Change.

Evaluation of journal summaries: Inclusion of elements in instructions above, 25%; Clarity of Spanish writing and organization, 20%; Accuracy of presentation of material, 20%; Critical interpretation of material, 35%

2000 US Census Project: Due Feb. 4th (30 pts) 

Jan 28th we will meet in the Ames library to learn how to use the US Census database.  Before this meeting time, do the following to become acquainted with the information available from this database:  http://www.census.gov   Enter the following in the search box: Hispanic Interactive Quiz. (Lower the computer's volume). Write the questions, your answer (if incorrect what info did you find out?), keep score and report back to class.

In groups of two you will perform an investigation on all interesting characteristics that have to do with Hispanics in one of the categories below.  That is, using online resources, you will search for the following information for only Hispanic groups: origin, ability to speak Spanish/English, educational abilities, breakdown into ethnic groups (e.g. PR, MX) and other characteristics that you deem to be interesting.  Then you will prepare a summary report, including conclusions to be drawn from the data collection. 

1. Arizona/New Mexico
2. Texas/Colorado
3. Florida/New York
4. Illinois/Iowa
5. California/Nevada

http://www.census.gov - American FactFinder - American Community Survey | get data - Selected Population Profiles
Evaluation of US Census Project:  Clarity and organization of material 15pts, inclusion of pertinent elements 7pts, interesting conclusions and comments 8 pts.

Interviewing an informant and asking descriptive questions:  Due Feb. 25th (30pts)

    • Read Spradley: pp. 78-91. Task on p. 91
    • 9 tips for conducting an ethnographic interview (pdf)
    • evaluation sheet (pdf)

II. LEADING OF CLASS DISCUSSION (50pts)
 

Each student will (in Spanish) lead a group class discussion twice in the semester on course readings (on e-reserve in Ames).  You will facilitate discussion of the chapter/article by handing out a sheet describing an activity or offering questions to your classmates the class-time before the reading assignment is due to stimulate discussion on the next class meeting.  (We will electronically distribute the handout on Sundays.) You should think about important themes for discussion and application of the article/chapter to the general issue of the course.  You should give a brief introduction (5-10 minutes) on the readings bringing in outside materials where appropriate and important ideas to be discussed.

Evaluation of class discussion:
1. Quality of introduction 10
2. Quality of handout or activity used to stimulate discussion 10
3. Critical interpretation of material 12
4. Active engagement of classmates in discussion of ideas, 
 strengths, weaknesses 6
5. Effectiveness of manner of presentation and facilitation 6
6. Conclusions, application of material to Hispanics in the US 6

Active participation in class discussions is an essential learning component of this class.  It also reflects one of IWU's general educational goals to develop critical thinking skills and intellectual independence. Careful reading and synthesis of the assigned materials is reflected in your contributions. I will be looking for quality and quantity of participation.

The purpose of the research project is to give you a hands-on introduction to sociolinguistic research.  This is not the kind of paper that you can knock off in a couple of weeks of intense efforts at the end of the semester; you will need to invest consistent time and effort in it over the course of the whole semester.  To facilitate this process, I will have you turn in drafts on a fairly regular basis.  With each draft, I will expect to see greater quantity and increased focus.  Your project will have several parts: statement of the research problem, discussion and analysis of previous literature on the topic, data collection, and data analysis and discussion.  Good research takes time, particularly if you have data that are time-consuming to transcribe.  Proposal due: March 11th; Abstract due: March 25th; Rough draft due: April 1st 

I will help each of you find a research project that fits your interests and knowledge level, and will coach you closely throughout the semester.  Here is a list of the types of projects that you might undertake (note that key phrases are underlined):

• A replication study, in which you re-do a published study, but add touches of your own, like working with a different language, different aged participants, or incorporate an additional test. Replication studies are an important element in the field of linguistics, many researchers wish to replicate the studies of others to see if the same results can be replicated, and therefore validate the previous study. This is recommended.
• A study of classroom discourse, such as the function of code-switching that bilingual students engage in when doing pair or small-group activities.
• An observational study, where you look at the kinds of language use in a professional setting by native-speakers interacting with non-native speaker instructors use. Ideal for the health profession environment.

I encourage you to research a topic that is complimentary of a previous class you have taken in Hispanic Studies or of your other major/minor.  If you do not know what you would like to research, here is a list of possible topics

Language maintenance and shift

Bilingualism

Gender differences in language use

Code-switching

Language choice/Language attitudes

The research paper should follow this well-known sequence, as seen in your APA reference manual:
0. Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion and Conclusion
5. References - use Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed, found in the Reference Section of the Ames Library (BF76.7 .P83 2001)
6. Format - 15-20 pages, double-spaced, 12” Times, 1” margin, in Spanish.  APA style.

As mentioned above, we will participate in the JWP Conference on April 18th. Most professional conferences have both oral presentations and poster sessions.  In a poster sessions, the presenters summarize their research project on a large poster, which is mounted on an easel.  People walk around, look at the posters, and stop to talk to the researchers about their projects.  In an oral session, the presenters have 20 minutes to orally summarize their research project to an audience of students and professors using visuals such as handouts and power point.  (I will decide who will present in a poster or oral format.)

The research paper will serve as the final exam for the course; we will meet on Tuesday April 28 at 3:30 pm to celebrate you turning it in. On the 28th, prepare a conference style handout for the class to accompany your 10-minute presentation of your work.

POLICIES

Regular class attendance and participation are required for successful completion of the course. 
I will make myself available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Before course accommodations will be made, students may be required to provide documentation to the Associate Provost, 211 Holmes Hall, 556-3107. 
No late work will be accepted.