LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

The goals of the course are to understand the importance of language in cultural identity and the problems faced by minority populations in language retention. This course takes an applied approach to anthropological linguistics. Material will cover language structure, description and analysis, language acquisition, language loss, comparative studies of speech, communication, and sociolinguistics. Students will work in groups to develop curriculum for use in teaching native languages. The groups will 1) research native language retention resources; 2) develop strategies for teaching second languages, and 3) create visual or audio aids to use in classrooms. The work will benefit the Seminole Tribe of Florida's cultural program on language.
The week is divided into lecture/discussions on Monday, student presentations on Wednesday, and group projects on Friday. Students will self-evaluate small group performance and direct the presentation of their materials. In addition, each will gain a rudimentary knowledge of Muskogee/Creek by practicing writing and deciphering rules of the language. Three quizzes will be given to test general knowledge about anthropological linguistics from class discussions. Each student is expected to maintain a high level of commitment to their project, follow through on assignments, and think creatively.
Students are expected to explore all avenues of second language acquisition by searching educational, literacy, and English as a Second Language (ESL) approaches. They will also use the internet to communicate with the Seminole community and other American Indian groups about resourses, limitations, and ideas.

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