Meeting dates: January 28, 2019 – February 15, 2019

Language, as the medium for almost all intercultural communication, is inherently the means whereby differences among humans get named, circulated, reinforced, and also contested. The kinds of differentials (in expertise, agency, access, power) that are central to social justice approaches to development have causes and expressions that are not just material or behavioral, but often linguistic. As linguistic practices are both personal and political, this course will foreground an exploration of the role of critical perspectives in the cultivation of multilingual practitioners in intercultural contexts. Course participants will be equipped to: engage in a linguistic community analysis, undertake critical discourse analysis of development reports and media artifacts, develop a language learning plan, and create personal and professional language narratives.