TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE
SPAN 0826 Bilingual Communities
General Education Human Behavior
Sec 002: Tues/Thurs 2 -3:20; Ritter 102
Professor Hope Doyle
Anderson 447
Office Hrs: M: 2-4 pm T/Th 12:30-1:00 pm
hdoyle@temple.edu
Course Description
What is the relationship between language and identity? How do bilinguals sort between
their two languages and cultures to form their identity? In bilingual cultures, is one
language always dominant? What happens when a language or dialect is distinct from the
prestige language or dialect of the greater society? Why did language resurgence efforts
fail in Ireland but succeed in Catalonia, Spain? Why does Guarani enjoy greater
protection in Paraguay than Mayan dialects in Guatemala? Is it possible to legislate
language behavior? The course explores issues of power and solidarity where two
languages or dialects are in contact: How are these cultural identities expressed through
choice of language? The geographical areas studied include the US, Canada, Latin
America, and Europe.
Goals: This course will:
1. Improve your research and writing skills.
2. Refine your oral presentation skills.
3. Introduce you to basic concepts of the sociology of language and related fields such as
linguistics, social psychology, anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics.
4. Help you to focus on the underlying issues involved in bilingualism and identity (are
they political? economic?) and provide you with the tools to analyze these debates from a
scientific perspective. (This last goal is especially important because issues regarding
bilingualism and identity are often discussed in the popular press, and strong opinions
abound.)
5. Improve your critical thinking skills through discussion of varying points of view.
6. Help you to assess the validity of written information from a number of different
sources.
7. Teach you the steps required to write a proper research paper.
Required Readings: These may be found on our Blackboard Course site.
Selections from: Weber, Jean-Jacques and Horner, Kristine. Introducing
Multilingualism; A social approach. Routledge, NY. 2012
Selections from: Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity
Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives (Volume 1) 2nd Edition
Edited by Joshua A. Fishman and Ofelia Garcia, 2010 Oxford UP:
“The United States” Terrence G. Wley
“Germany,” James Dow
“African American Language” by Sonja L. Lanehart.
“Sign Language and the Deaf Community” by Colin Baker
“Lingua Franca” by Luis Calvet in Language Wars.
“Latin America” by García, Lopez and Makar.
Selections from Language and Nationalism in Europe. Eds. Barbour and Carmichael.
2007:
“The Iberian Peninsula: Conflicting Linguistic Nationalisms.”.
“Language and Nationalism in Italy: Language as a Weak Marker of Identity” by
Carlo Ruzza.
“Attitudes toward Bilingualism among Youths in Barcelona” by Hope Doyle (1995)
Catalan Review
“Trench Warfare: The Case of French.” In Language Wars, by Luis Calvet
General Education Program Goals
GenEd is about making connections. GenEd classes draw connections between academic
knowledge and current controversies. From global terrorism to global climate change, from
digital mapping to the future of television, GenEd classes will involve looking at cutting edge
issues from multiple perspectives. GenEd draws connections too with the city of Philadelphia, as
classroom study is integrated with Temple’s dynamic urban environment.
GenEd facilitates linkages by stressing the development of eight skills and abilities rather than on
content knowledge. The Program in General Education provides opportunities for students to
engage in:
Critical Thinking
Think critically
Within GenEd, students who think critically recognize an object of investigation, frame questions
about it, and interrogate assumptions—explicit or implicit. Critical thinking includes the
evaluation of evidence, analysis and synthesis of multiple sources, and reflection on varied
perspectives. Critical thinking generates a well-developed investigation that incorporates
supporting and countering claims. A student engaged in critical thinking produces an informed
account, a hypothesis for further study, or the solution to a problem.
Contextualized Learning
Understand historical and contemporary issues in context
Within GenEd, students who contextualize learning understand and integrate historical,
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contemporary, and cultural phenomena and their underlying principles in two broad applications.
First, contextual learners recognize the interaction of complex forces that give rise to specific
phenomena. Second, contextual learners understand and analyze related events, artifacts,
practices and concepts across geographic, chronological and cultural boundaries.
Interdisciplinary Thinking Understand and apply knowledge in and across disciplines
Within GenEd, students who use interdisciplinary thinking recognize the world presents
problems, topics, or issues too complex to be satisfactorily addressed though a single lens. Thus,
interdisciplinary thinkers apply multiple perspectives, paradigms, and frameworks to problems,
topics, or issue
Communication Skills
Communicate effectively orally and in writing
Within GenEd, students who communicate effectively use spoken and written language to
construct a message that demonstrates the communicator has established clear goals and has
considered her or his audience. Effective messages are organized and presented in a style
appropriate to the context.
Scientific & Quantitative Reasoning
Within GenEd, students who exercise quantitative and scientific reasoning use and apply these
reasoning processes to explain phenomena in the context of everyday life. Quantitative reasoning
includes statistical and/or logical problem-solving, the relationships between quantities, and the
use and misuse of quantitative data. Scientific reasoning introduces students to the evolution and
interdependence of science and technology and includes problem identification, hypothesis
evaluation, experimentation, interpretation of results and the use and misuse of scientific data.
Civic Engagement
Function as an engaged citizen in a diverse and globalized world
Within GenEd, students open to civic engagement view themselves as connected to local and
global communities where they participate in activities that address issues of public concern.
Critically engaged students define issues, pose, probe, and solve problems with an awareness of
and an inclusion of the diverse values and interests.
Information Literacy
Identify, access and evaluate sources of information
Within GenEd, information literacy encompasses a broad spectrum of abilities, including the
ability to recognize and articulate information needs; to locate, critically evaluate, and organize
information for a specific purpose; and to recognize and reflect on the ethical use of information.
Lifelong Learning
Promote a lasting curiosity
GenEd cultivates these skills and abilities throughout the required undergraduate curriculum,
and students will experience these ways of being though readings, discussions, activities, and
classes throughout GenEd.
Additional Policies:
Policy on absences:
Students are expected to be present in class and participate in class discussions based on
the assigned readings and other assignments. If a student is absent due to illness, the
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student must contact the instructor via email before return to class. Upon return to class,
the student must produce a note from a doctor for the absence to be excused. Three (3)
unexcused absences will result in an ‘F’ for participation.
Work required:
* Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate in class discussions,
which will occur daily.
* Students must submit all answers to reading questions where appropriate, in
typewritten form. Responses are due on the date that the article is listed on the
syllabus. These questions are intended to help students determine the most important
information in the readings, begin to think about broader issues related to them, and
to aid students in their preparation for class discussions.
* Students will work in pairs to give a brief presentation on state promotion of a
minority language. (Week 6)
* There will be three hourly exams on material from readings, class discussions, and
student presentations. (Weeks 5, 9 and 13)
* Submit an outline (Week 9) and a bibliography (Week 10) of their final paper
regarding circumstances of bilingualism in a region of their choice.
* Present findings of Web Searching and Evaluation Project (Week 10)

Students will submit an outline (Week 9) and a bibliography (Week 10) of their final
paper regarding circumstances of bilingualism in a region of their choice.

Students will submit a draft of their final research paper (Week 12)
* Students must give an individual final presentation on their final paper (Week 14)
* Submit a final paper (Exam Week). Students who fail to submit a final paper will not
pass the course.
* NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE SUBMISSION DATE
PLEASE NOTE:
NO TEXTING OF ANY KIND WILL BE TOLERATED. STUDENTS FOUND
TEXTING WILL BE MARKED ABSENT FROM THE CLASS.
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Grading criteria:
2 Exams:
Class presentations:
3 oral presentations: One in pairs, two solo
presentation on the Web Searching and
Evaluation Project, and one on the final
paper:
Timely submission of draft/ bibliography/
outline of final paper
Participation
Typed responses to orientation questions
for the readings. (Helps students to
participate in class discussions):
Final Paper (6-8 pgs)
30%
15%
15%
10%
20%
10%
Bilingual Communities Program:
______________________WEEK 1_________________________
Tues. August 27:
Introduction
Thurs. Aug 29:
The Construction of Meaning/ Language Ideologies
Standard vs. ‘Non-standard’ languages
Before Class Read: Weber and Horner (Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework pgs: 12-24)
And: Weber and Horner (What is a language, pgs: 25-38)
________________________ WEEK 2___________________________
Tues September 3:
Spread of Global languages
Endangered Languages
Before Class Read: Weber and Horner (Language Variation and Spread, pgs: 3952)
And Weber and Horner (Revitalization of endangered languages, pgs 53-67)
Thurs Sept 5:
Societal and Individual Multilingualism
Ethnic and National Identity
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Before Class Read: Weber and Horner (Societal mulitilingualism, pgs. 67-81)
And Weber and Horner (Language and Identities, pgs 82-95)
________________________ WEEK 3 ___________________________
Tues Sept 10
Library Research Lecture (?)
Individual vs. Social Identity: Canada
Before Class Read: Weber and Horner (The Interplay between individual and
societal multilingualism, pgs. 96- 104)
Thurs, Sept 12
Bilingualism in the United States
Read: “The United States” Terrence G. Wiley
________________________ WEEK 4___________________________
Tues. Sept 17
Bilingualism in the US
Read “African American Language” by Sonja L. Lanehart
Thurs. Sept 19
Read: “Language Contact Phenomena in Luisiana Isleño Spanish” by John Lipski:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/jml34/isleno.pdf
________________________ WEEK 5___________________________
Tues., Sept 24
In-class web evaluation activity.
Thurs., Sept 26
Read.“Sign Language and the Deaf Community” by Colin Baker
________________________ WEEK 6 ___________________________
Tues., October 1
Presentation I (in pairs) Endangered languages.
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Thurs., Oct 3
Presentation I (cont.) Review for Exam I
________________________ WEEK 7___________________________
Tues., Oct 8
Exam I
Thurs., Oct 10
Linguistic identity
Read: “Latin America” by García, Lopez and Makar.
Submit idea for final paper
________________________ WEEK 8___________________________
Tues., Oct 15
Bilingualism in the Europe – ethnic and linguistic varieties and geography
Read: “The Iberian Peninsula: Conflicting Linguistic Nationalisms.” In Language and
Nationalism in Europe. Eds. Barbour and Carmichael. 2007.
Thurs., Oct 17:
Read: “Attitudes toward Bilingualism among Youths in Barcelona” by Hope Doyle
(1995) Catalan Review
________________________ WEEK 9___________________________
Tues, Oct 22
Read: “Language and Nationalism in Italy: Language as a Weak Marker of Identity” by
Carlo Ruzza. In Language and Nationalism in Europe. Eds. Barbour and Carmichael.
2007.
Submit Outline for final paper
Thurs., Oct 24
TBA
________________________ WEEK 10___________________________
Tues., Oct 29
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Read: “Lingua Franca” in Language Wars. Calvet
Thurs., Oct 30
Presentation on Web Searching and Evaluation Project
Submit Bibliography for final paper and presentation
________________________ WEEK 11___________________________
Tues., November 5
Read: Ireland (TBA)
Thurs., Nov 7
Language, colonization and identity
Read: “Trench Warfare: The Case of French” By Luis Calvet. In Language Wars.
Submit polished draft of final paper
________________________ WEEK 12 ___________________________
Tues. Nov. 12
Read: “Germany” by Dow
Thurs. Nov 14
Read: South Africa
________________________ WEEK 13___________________________
Tues. Nov 19
TBA
Thurs. Nov 21
Final presentations on bilingualism and issues of identity in a region of student’s choice
________________________ WEEK 14___________________________
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Tues. Nov 26
Final presentations continued.
Review for Exam II
Thurs. Nov 28
THANKSGIVING
________________________ WEEK 15___________________________
Tues. December 3
Exam II
Submit final paper to Blackboard by Tuesday December 10.
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