COURSE DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS
ENGL 509-192: Intercultural Issues in Education course
Salisbury University
Ernest Bond
Saturday, 9.00-4.00 p.m.
Office: XXXX
Mail Box: XXXX
Phone: XXXX
E-mail: XXXX
Office Hours: by Appointment.
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course emphasizes a linguistic approach to the peculiar relationship between a language and
the cultures of which that language is a part. It examines language variations within a community
according to gender, age, geography, ethnicity, socio-economic class, education, and other social
variables while considering the educational, political and economic implications of these
correlations. Specifically, this course is an exploration of the study of language in its social
setting. The course proceeds by examining sociolinguistic diversity both in America and across
the world. The primary outcomes of this course are: (1) to help you describe and appreciate the
complex relationship between language and culture, (2) to expose you to the issues, problems and
concerns caused by cultural and linguistic differences, (3) to help you identify, evaluate and apply
strategies for reducing the institutional/contextual complexities associated with language and
cultural diversity within any given society, and top explore the particular issues connected to
English language learners and P-12 schools.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The ultimate aim of this course is to ensure that candidates utilize their newly acquired knowledge
of the systematic concepts, principles, theories and research related to the nature and role of
culture/cultural groups to construct learning environments which support the development of
multiple cultural identities, linguistic repertoires, and access to linguistic, economic and sociopolitical resources in their learners. The specific objectives of the course include but are not
limited to the following list. It is hoped that by the end of the course students will be able to:
1. Apply their expertise in the theoretical underpinnings of the workings of language/dialect,
on the one hand, and culture/cultural values/beliefs on the other, in order to better
comprehend their surrounding speech communities both as educators and as citizens.
2. Understand and apply knowledge of U.S. immigration history in a school context, by
examining a range of examples of new immigrants from across the world in order to
understand the specific cultural and linguistic challenges faced by immigrant populations
upon entry into the United States and in particular the intersections between culture
language and schooling.
3. Utilize a range of resources, both print and digital, to learn about local, regional, national
and global cultures/linguistic patterns in order to better comprehend the cultural nuances
and linguistic complexities of any participants that students are likely to encounter in their
surrounding communities.
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4. Create effective language learning strategies incorporating the latest knowledge and
theories in sociolinguistics in order to enhance the social appropriacy and access of
linguistic usage among their ESOL/foreign language learners in the target language.
5. Design a detailed and unique project in order to better comprehend the specific
interpellations of culture and language in specific speech communities.
6. Comprehend the impact of social variables such as socio-economic status, race, educational
background, ethnicity, religion, class, national origin, disability, gender and other societal
variables in the simultaneous access and denial of community resources to specific speech
communities.
COURSE MATERIALS
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Bonvillain, Nancy. Language, Culture, and Communication. Upper Saddle
River: Prentice Hall, 2011.
Nieto, Sonia. Language, Culture, and Teaching: Critical Perspectives for
A New Century. 2nd edition Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2010.
Suarez-Orozco, Carola, et al. Learning in a New Land. Belknap Press, 208
Novels: (Choose one)
 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbris (Cuba/USA)
 Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar (Pakistan)
 Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat (Haiti)/USA)
 Boys without Names by Kashnira Sheth
 Does My Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah (Palestinian-Australia)
 A Long Way Gone by Ishmeal Beah
 Noodle Pie by Ruth Starks
(Vietnam/Australia)
 Shine Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger (India/USA)
 Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
 Wanting Mor by Ruksara Khan (Afghanistan)
REFERENCE TEXTS:
Bryson, Bill. Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States. New
York: William Morrow and Company, 1994.
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. 1995.
Fisher, Arthur King. Eastern Shore Wordbook. Salisbury, 1986.
Lepore, Jill. A is for America: Letters and other Characters in the United States. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf. 2002.
McKay, Sandra and Sau-ling Cynthia Wong. New Immigrants in the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. 2000.
MacNeil, Robert and William Cran. Do you Speak American? New York: Doubleday. 2005
Trudgil, Peter. Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society. London: Penguin, 2002.
Walters, Keith and Michal Brody. What’s Language Got to do with It? New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.
***Additional Readings will be distributed in class or placed on Reserve in the library.
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ATTENDANCE POLICY
You are responsible for coming to every class meeting barring any emergencies. There will be
unannounced in-class work assignments, so always be sure to do the assigned readings before you
come to class. Your in-class work assignments, as well as daily class participation will
constitute part of the grade awarded for class participation/reviews/ in-class prompts. If
you are absent on a day of such an in-class assignment, you will receive a zero for that
assignment. If the reason for the absence is valid (such as sickness or any such unforeseen
circumstance), make-up work may be assigned. Otherwise, missed in-class work can NOT be
made up. You are responsible for coming to class prepared every day. If you miss a class, please
contact one of your classmates or me, to find out what was covered in class and what
announcements were made. Students are expected to attend all class meetings of the course
unless informed otherwise. Frequent unexcused absences, as well as consistent tardiness, and
unsatisfactory work due to absence or consistent tardiness will result in exclusion in this course
and will negatively impact your final grade.
CELL PHONE POLICY: In recognition of the busy lives of students of the 21st century, cell
phones will be permitted in this class only on modes of operation that will not disrupt class. You
will be required to turn all cell phone ringers off, once class begins. Students cannot have cell
phone conversations/text messaging encounters while class is in session. This class assumes
professional conduct at all times, and you may be asked to leave this class if you fail to respect
the professional etiquette due your fellow peers and instructor. Use of laptops and other electronic
devices assumes professional conduct at all times. This means that unless designated as part of
the content of the course, please refrain from surfing the web, texting or checking e-mail while
class is in progress as this is very distracting to fellow classmates.
Note: You are expected to stay for the entire duration of each class meeting. You will be
considered absent for the day if you attend only part of the class (i.e., leave after the break).
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (WAC) STATEMENT
All written work in this course including but not limited to the formal assignments such as the written
assignments as well as the formal Ethnographic project are in support of the University’s Writing across
the Curriculum Program.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY/PLAGIARISM POLICY
The English Department takes plagiarism, the unacknowledged use of other people’s ideas, very seriously.
As outlined in the Student Handbook under the “Policy on Student Academic Integrity,” plagiarism may
receive such penalties as failure on a paper and permanent failure in the course. The University’s
Plagiarism Committee determines the appropriate penalty in each case, but bear in mind that the committee
recognizes that plagiarism is a very serious academic offense and makes its decisions accordingly. Since
the final project is a very important component of this class, please familiarize yourself with the details
below.
Each of the following constitutes plagiarism:
1. Turning in as your own work a paper or part of a paper that anyone other than you wrote. This
would include but is not limited to work taken from another student, from a published author, or
from an Internet contributor.
2. Turning in a paper that includes unquoted and/or undocumented passages someone else wrote.
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3. Including in a paper someone else’s original ideas, opinions or research results without
attribution.
4. Paraphrasing without attribution.
A few changes in wording do not make a passage your property. As a precaution, if you are in doubt, cite
the source. Moreover, if you have gone to the trouble to investigate secondary sources, you should give
yourself credit for having done so by citing those sources in your essay and by providing a list of
References at the conclusion of the essay. In any case, failure to provide proper attribution could result in
a severe penalty and is never worth the risk. Please follow APA guidelines for all written work.
UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER:
At the University Writing Center (directly above the Fireside Lounge in the Guerrieri University Center),
trained consultants are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process. It is often helpful for writers
to share their work with an attentive reader, and Writing Center consultations allow writers to test and
refine their ideas before having to hand papers in to their instructors or to release documents to the public.
In addition to the important writing instruction that occurs in the classroom and during professors’ office
hours, the Center offers another site for learning about writing. All students are encouraged to make use of
this important service. For more information about the Writing Center’s hours and policies, visit the
Writing Center or its website at www.salisbury.edu/uwc.
REQUIREMENTS AND STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
1. PARTICIPATION PRACTICES/ Informed Participation:
2. OPENING OF DISCUSSION (3):
3. PRESENTATION ON A SOCIOLINGUISTIVE ISSUE (3):
4. READING RESPONSES: TO SCHOLARLY READINGS
TO NOVEL
TO PICTUREBOOKS
5. WEEKLY BLOGGING:
6. LANGUAGE& CULTURE LOGS:
8. FINAL PROJECT:
(10 PTS)
(2X 5 = 10 PTS)
(2 X 5 = 10 PTS)
(20 PTS)
(10 PTS)
(5 PTS)
(20 PTS)
(8X 4=32PTS)
(50 PTS)
DETAILED REQUIREMENTS
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Participation Practices:
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Informed Participation in weekly seminar discussions. (10 pts)
5-minute presentation to open discussions on readings. (each student will sign
up for two of these) These presentations should help open up the discussion of one
of the major assigned texts by focusing on a passage, re-focusing on an issue raised
in another work, or by bringing a critical/theoretical perspective to bear. You may
wish to prepare a handout for the class to help guide our ensuing discussion. (2x5
=10 pts)
5-minute presentation on a “sociolinguistic” issue; (each student will sign up for
three of these) students will make a report to acquaint the rest of the seminar group
with a concept, issue, or an area of interest, which should have some relation to the
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assigned works. You should prepare a handout for the class providing details
and/or excerpts from the sources you explored. (2x5=10 pts)
Reading Responses: There will be a Reading Response due each class day. Students can
choose which aspects of the assigned readings they wish to respond to but they should
display a range of the topics/issues addressed. Reading Responses should be no less than
350 words. (20 pts)
Reader Response to Novel: Each student will choose one novel to read from the list. In
your response to the novel you will discuss elements of culture and language. How does
the culture of the author influence the way they write about the world? How does the
culture of the reader influence their response to the narrative? (10 pts)
Reader Response to picturebooks: What elements of culture and language are manifest
in textual and visual narrative? How do these elements influence the ways in which kids
interact with language? How do language and culture interconnect in the classroom when
kids respond to a book, each other, the cultures of the classroom? (5 pts)
Weekly Blogging: Contribute to the class blog, by responding to our guest experts and
other students’ posts. This process is designed to further dialogue about course content.
Minimum expectations include at least 10 thoughtful engagements on the forum. (30 pts)
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LOGS: VIDEO JOURNALING
During each class meeting you will be shown documentaries focusing on various
aspects of language and culture. Each screening will highlight different concepts,
theories and principles involved in the area of Language and Culture. For each class
meeting, you are to include the following in your culture log entries:
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The date of the screening: There will be approximately 8 screenings and you
are expected to respond to all screenings.
The documentary/video title
Personal notes /comments if any
Formal notes: Create a note-taking journal/log that addresses the areas outlined
in the following chart (see, Chart A below).
After each screening, you will have to address Part A (five specific areas)
and Part B.
It would be best if after each class meeting, you sorted through your notes and
addressed the following specific questions in the format provided (see the chart
below). Please do NOT wait until the due date to prepare responses.
All final commentaries need to be typed. (4 culture log entries)
 EVALUATION CRITERIA: Your Log entries will be graded on: 1. Organization;
2. Depth of Content; 3). Linguistic/cultural insights 4.) Clear and relevant links
to readings/class material; 5). Creativity/innovation embedded in comments.
(Total of 32 pts)
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Final Project: The student will complete a paper or project of their own design, in
consultation with the instructor, which makes a significant scholarly or pedagogical
contribution to our understanding of the intersections between cultures and languages in
the classroom. The written paper should be roughly 5 pages in length. (due on the last day
of class) The scale of projects should be negotiated with the professor. A proposal will be
due week four and should be no more than one page long. The student will make a brief
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presentation of their paper or project to their classmates during the final class session.
(Due the final class) (50 pts)
GRADUATE CREDIT: Students will be assessed on all assignments using expectations of
graduate school. Papers and the research project will have to include a greater range and depth of
exploration, will have to demonstrate originality of ideas, and be presented in extremely
professional terms (such as expected at National and International conferences). The following
grading system will used for graduate students:
GRADING SCHEME:
A=90-100%; B+=85-89%; B=80-84%; C+=75-79%; C=70-74%; D=65-69%; F=0-64%
NOTE: The schedule that follows is subject to changes. Both the pacing and the content will be
dictated by your needs and intended outcomes for this class, and may be subject to change. Also,
assigned homework is subject to change.
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SIGN UP FOR DISCUSSIONS OPENERS
FOR WEEK 2:
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Chapter 2 of Language, Culture and Communication.
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Chapter 3 of Language, Culture and Communication.
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Chapter 1 of Learning a New Land
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Chapter 1: Language, Culture and Teaching
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Sign up for Two Issues
Ex. How does code switching effect comprehension?
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