ANTH 0708 - PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
All people use language-it is a human universal. But language use is incredibly culturally and contextually specific, differing across communities, groups, ages, contexts, and modes of communication, to name just a few. Linguistic anthropology-one of four fields in anthropology-studies how people use language in their everyday lives to do things. In other words, language is social action. Language is a central tool that people use to make, perform, and transform culture, society, and identity. Linguistic anthropology is holistic and comparative in its approach to the study of humanity and stresses qualitative research. This course will introduce students to linguistic anthropology's basic concepts, theories, and methods and demonstrate how language and culture are always deeply intertwined. Readings and lectures will reflect and explore common themes in linguistic anthropology, prepare students for work in more advanced courses, and better understand human cultural and linguistic diversity. This course has been tagged for the African Studies Certificate; therefore, we will focus a significant amount of our attention on language in Africa and the African diaspora. Throughout the semester, students will work on micro-research projects that explore a feature of language in their everyday lives; this research will culminate in a 5-7-minute podcast.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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