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The University of Georgia
Language and Literacy Education Department
World Language Education
LLED 5040E/7040E: Language and Culture in the Classroom
Instructor:
Required Texts:
Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming Diversity. Pearson, 6th ed.
Valdés, G. (1996). Con Respeto: Bridging Distances Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools: An
Ethnographic Portrait. Teachers College Press.
Additional Required Readings:
Articles that are required readings for this course will be available in our eLC site (folder in Home Page).
Other Resources
UGA Libraries and Distance Learning
is the Distance Learning Librarian for the UGA Libraries. She meets with distance learning students to
show how to use UGA databases and find full-text scholarly articles, use the Universal Catalog
http://giluc.usg.edu to order books from any state university or college in Georgia, the availability of
reference services for distance students and other special needs of distance students.
Please read the FAQs for this course. They can be found through clicking on the FAQ icon on the home
page.
All syllabus changes, course updates, additional assignment information, and additions to or changes in
assigned readings will be delivered through Course Announcements via eLC. Please check the
Announcements list each time you log on! Also, please set your computer to accept popup windows while
logged on to the course. Each class member is responsible for keeping current with these Announcements
and their content.
Course Goals
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to explore the nature of culture and gain an understanding of how one's own and others'
assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped by culture
to gain insight into the connections among language, culture, and education
to gain first-hand knowledge with crossing cultural boundaries
to become conversant with classroom materials and techniques dealing with culture and cultural
diversity
Academic Integrity:
All students are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in this course
and in every phase of their academic careers. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe and
ignorance is not an acceptable defense. UGA’s Honor Code: “I will be academically honest in all of my
academic work and will not tolerate academic dishonesty of others.”
Please note that assignments completed as part of the requirements for this course may not be applied to
any other ESOL endorsement course, nor to any other college course without express permission of the
instructor.
It is the responsibility of all members of the UGA community to develop and maintain A Culture of
Honesty. Please see http://www.uga.edu/ovpi for UGA's complete policy on Academic Honesty.
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Grading:
Grades will be assigned based on UGA’s plus-minus system (87-89: B+, 83-86: B, 80-82: B-; etc.).
Participation in all activities is mandatory for full credit.
Grade Scale
A = 100-95
A- = 94-90
B+ = 89-86
B = 85-83
B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-76
C = 75-73
C- = 72-70
D+ = 69-66
D = 65-63
D- = 62-60
F = 59 and below
ATTENTION: NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. You will receive feedback but you will NOT
receive a grade for your work. Please PLAN in advance.
Course Grades:
 Online Postings & Participation
 Internet Study of Cultural Group
 Book Review & Response: Con Respeto
 Boundary Crossing Field Experience
40%
20%
20%
20%
Course Grade Explanations/Descriptions
Online Postings & Participation (40%)
This class is intended to be highly interactive, and much of the learning will go on through the
community we form online. To ensure that this occurs, participants are expected to:
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Attend the preliminary face-to-face session.
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Finish readings and discuss weekly topics by the due dates listed in the course schedule.
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Log on to this course site every 48 hours (preferably daily) for the duration of the course, read
what both the instructor and the other participants have posted and post a substantive response or
begin a new topic. Simply saying "hello" or "I agree" is not considered a substantive contribution.
Students must support their position or begin a new topic or add somehow to the discussion when
logging on in order to earn points.
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Students cannot pass this class without participation in the online discussion since discussion
participation and online postings equal 40% of the final grade.
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This course will divide students into small groups (A, B, C, D & E), each of which will primarily
be responsible for discussing the readings and content of the week, with one student per group per
week in charge of posting a summary of the group's ideas and discussions in the Weekly Blog, to
the class at large. Separate discussion folders for each group have been created, for each week of
the course.
1. Each week students will make multiple postings to their small group's folder (a minimum of three posts)
to discuss the topics for the week.
2. Each week one student per small group will serve as the synthesizer and will post a synthesis/summary
of the group's thoughts on the topic to the general week's folder (numbered 2 through 14 or 15) for
everyone to see. A same student may take on both roles of moderator and synthesizer any given week.
Please note that in addition to the postings made to their small group's folder, each student is responsible
for posting at least two substantive posts per week in the Weekly Blog as responses to other groups.
Substantive means that the posting might, for example, respond at length to discussion questions posted by
the instructor, state and support a position on an issue, or add a new perspective to a discussion. To sum
up, each student should make a total of at least FIVE substantive posts each week (three to his/her small
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group folder –original on Mondays at noon + two additional commenting on teammate postings on
Tuesdays at noon– and two to the Weekly Blog –as responses to other team’s syntheses– on Fridays). In
the week you are the synthesizer for your group, you do not need to make the TWO additional posts
(responses) to the Weekly Blog. You only need to complete the 3 posting to your team’s folder, PLUS
upload your group’s summary (synthesis) in the class’ Weekly Blog.
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If there is an issue, a question, or a problem that CANNOT be handled online, please feel free to
contact your instructor via eLC email or at ltolosacasadont@gmail.com.
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Use good "netiquette" such as:
 Check the discussion frequently and respond appropriately and on subject
 Focus on one subject per message and use pertinent subject titles
 Capitalize words only to highlight a point or for titles—Capitalizing otherwise is
generally viewed as SHOUTING!
 Be professional and careful with your online interaction
 Cite all quotes, references, and sources
 When posting a long message, it is generally considered courteous to warn
readers at the beginning of the message that it is a lengthy post
 It is considered extremely rude to forward someone else's messages without
their permission
 It is fine to use humor, but use it carefully. The absence of face-to-face cues can
cause humor to be misinterpreted as criticism or flaming (angry, antagonistic
criticism). Feel free to use emoticons such as :-) or ;-) to let others know that
you're being funny--or trying to! :-)
Online Debate “English Only” is an activity that counts under this section but it has a different set of
characteristics and expectations. To find out more about this activity, please read the first sections of
FAQs.
Internet Study of Cultural Group (20%)
The goal of this assignment is to learn more about the backgrounds and cultures of major ethnic groups
immigrating to Georgia. You will work in groups of two or three for this assignment. Each dyad/triad will
be assigned a different cultural group to investigate throughout the semester.
On the assigned weeks (see course schedule below) each dyad/triad will find and post information on a
different theme. You will post the information you gather for this assignment to the folder titled
“Internet Study of Cultural Groups” under the “Discussions” area of the course.
Please find more information (such as themes, guiding questions, procedures, and grading) in the
Assignments section in our course’s Home Page.
Book Review & Response: Con Respeto (20%)
As part of our exploration of the experiences of various ethnic groups in the U.S., you will read and discuss
the book Con Respeto by Guadalupe Valdes (1996). After reading Con Respeto, you will discuss your
reactions to the book in your small groups.
You will also need to write up a book review and response that you will post to the "Con Respeto"
discussion folder by the date given in the syllabus. Should you have any questions, please email your
course instructor.
Boundary Crossing Field Experience (20%)
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For this assignment you will immerse yourself in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The purpose of this
assignment is to give you a short firsthand experience with culture shock. There are many possibilities; to
name just a few, for example you might:
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assist nurses at a hospital or nursing home
attend services for a religious denomination unfamiliar to you
attend social gatherings of a cultural group or association unfamiliar to you (e.g., Chinese Student
Association meeting on a university campus, a Saturday language school in an immigrant
community, meetings of a gay/lesbian organization, etc.)
You must spend at least four hours in this environment (not necessarily all on the same day). This is to be
a solo experience. You should not ask a friend to come along with you; you should carry out this
experience alone. Keep a record of your impressions, thoughts, and feelings, beginning when you are
considering possible locations. Watch especially for reactions such as "I wouldn't go there!" or other
feelings of discomfort. Reflect on how you respond to “foreign” environments. When you are done with
the experience, reflect on the experience and how it ties in with topics we've discussed in this course.
Your written response should be a three (minimum) to five (maximum) page, double-spaced
paper describing what you did and where you went (including times/dates); what made your experience a
boundary-crossing experience (characterize the "culture shock" element in it); how it made you feel; how
your "culture shock" experience relates to topics from the course; and what analogies you can draw for new
immigrants' culture shock. Writing in a descriptive narrative style is encouraged.
Post your response to the "Boundary-Crossing Field Experience" folder by the due date in this
syllabus.
Course Schedule
NOTE: All readings will be placed in weekly folders on the Home Page. After going over the readings,
each group member will discuss the readings within his/her team's folder – a minimum of 3 different
postings addressing all readings for the week (Discussion section in eLC). The Synthesizer's job is to read
all postings, summarize the main points, and post a group summary in the weekly blog section of our
course.
Weekly readings will be available in advance so all group members can read and post their comments by
NOON on the MONDAYS of the week the readings are due. Each week a different group member will do
the job of synthesizer. This person will read all posts by WEDNESDAY (of the same week) and post the
group's summary to the class' weekly blog by THURSDAY @ noon. Synthesizers finish their jobs with the
small group posting; however, other group members will go into TWO other groups' weekly blogs and post
their responses to the group's comments no later than FRIDAY @ noon.
Week 1 (08/18 + 08/20-08/24)
Introduction: Overview. Who am I? What is language & culture?
**Initial face-to-face meeting on Saturday, August 18th, 2012 (9:30am-11:00am, River's Crossing
Building, Room 143).
Readings:
1. Course Syllabus
2. Course Assignments
3. Learning Module: Week 1 (#s 1, 2, 3, & 6 – 4 & 5 done during orientation)
4. Purchase textbook
Weekly Discussion: None this week.
Assignments Due on Friday, August 24 by noon:
Please post in appropriate Discussion Area Folders:
1. Your background information (please answer the questions to #5 in Learning Module 1)
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2. Your definition of culture
3. Your small group synthesizer schedule – In your small groups, set up a schedule for weeks 2 through 15
of our course with synthesizer role assignments. (See the description of Online Postings and
Participation, under Course Assignments and FAQs on our Course Homepage).
4. Purchase your textbooks
Week 2 (08/27-08/31)
Cultural Understandings and Sociopolitical & Historical Context of Multicultural Education
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). – Chapters 1 & 2 (pp. 2-59)
2. Alba, R. (1999). Immigration and the American realities of assimilation and multiculturalism.
Sociological Forum, 14(1), 3-25.
3. Bohon, S. & Macpherson, H. (2005). Educational barriers for new Latinos in Georgia. Journal of
Latinos and Education, 4(1), 43-58.
4. Tolentino, H. (2007). Race: Some teachable and uncomfortable moments. Rethinking Schools, 22(1).
Retrieved August 4, 2012, from
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/22_01/%20race221.shtml (p. 17). ***Visit Website cited in Tolentino's article.
5. Learning Module: Week 2
Weekly Discussion:
Beginning this week you will discuss the readings and course content information in your separate small
group folders by doing each of the following: Respond to all the instructor's prompts in the Week’s
Assignment Folder by Monday (08/27) at noon. On Thursday (08/30), your Synthesizer should post your
group's synthesis to the class' weekly blog (also in eLC). In the weeks that you are the synthesizer for your
group, you are not required to make any additional posts to other group's weekly blog summaries, however,
everyone else is expected to respond to at least two other groups' comments no later than Friday, (08/31) @
noon.
Assignments Due on Friday, August 31 by noon:
Post your Internet Study of a Cultural Group: “Background Information” to the Internet Study of a Cultural
Group folder under "Discussions."
Week 3 (09/03-09/07)
Labeling and Identity
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 5 (pp. 156-176).
2. Noguera, P.A.(2003). Joaquin’s Dilemma. In M. Sadowski (Ed.). Adolescents at school: Perspectives on
youth, identity, and education (pp. 19-30). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.
3. Lee, S. J.(2003). Model minorities and perpetual foreigners: The impact of stereotyping on Asian
American students. In M. Sadowski (Ed.), Adolescents at school: Perspectives on youth, identity, and
education (pp. 41-49). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.
4. Visit the following website and 'Begin Sorting' - http://www.pbs.org/race/002_SortingPeople/002_00home.htm
5. Learning Module: Week 3
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Week 4 (09/10-09/14)
A Critical View
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 3.
2. Bratlinger, E. (2003). Who wins and who loses?: Social class and student identities. In M. Sadowski
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3.
4.
5.
6.
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(Ed.), Adolescents at school: Perspectives on youth, identity, and education (pp. 107-121). Cambridge,
MA: Harvard Educational Press.
Hatt, B. (2007). Growing up poor, white trash: Stories of where I come from. In J. A. Van Galen & G.
W. Noblit (Eds.), Late to class: Social class and schooling in the new economy (pp. 19-28). Albany,
NY: State University of New York Press.
Hubbard, R. S. (2002). The truth about Helen Keller. Rethinking Schools, 17(1). Retrieved August 4,
2008, from ttp://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/17_01/Kell171.shtml (p. 1-7).
Reese, D. et al. (2001) Fiction posing as truth: A critical view of Ann Rinaldia’s my heart is on the
ground: The diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux girl. In B. Bigelow, B. Harvey, S. Karp, & L.
Miller (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice (pp. 57-62). Milwaukee, WI:
Rethinking Schools.
Sweeting, M. (2001). A lesson on the Japanese-American internment. In B. Bigelow, B. Harvey, S.
Karp, & L. Miller (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice (pp. 73-74).
Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Learning Module: Week 4
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, September 14 by noon:
Post your Internet Study of Cultural Group "Languages, Scripts, and Naming Practices" to the Internet
Study of Cultural Group folder.
Week 5 (09/17-09/21)
Teacher expectations and institutional structures
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 4.
2. Marx, S. (2008). Popular white teachers with Latina/o Kids: The strengths of personal experiences and
the limitations of whiteness. Urban Education. 43(1), 29-67.
3. Colomer, S. et al. (2001). History of education in the Mississippi Delta. In A. P. Mullins, Jr., & C.
Wilkens (Eds.), Delta autumn: A guide for first-year teachers in the Mississippi Delta (pp. 1-25).
Oxford, MS: Mississippi Teacher Corps.
4. Learning Module: Week 5
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignment Due:
*Be sure that you are progressing on your Assignment: Boundary Crossing Field Experience due on Week
8 (Friday, 10/12) - Please make sure that you carefully read the requirements for this assignment and
respond accordingly!
Week 6 (09/24-09/28)
Reflection of “Selves”
Reading:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 4: Read one of the case studies in this chapter.
2. Learning Module: Week 6
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, September 28 by noon:
Internet Study of Cultural Group: "Gestures and Body Language." Please add to the Internet Study of
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Cultural Group folder.
Week 7 (10/01-10/05)
Structural and Organizational Issues in Schools
Readings:
1. Peterson, B. (2001). Tracking and the project method: Reflections on alternatives to tracking. In B.
Bigelow, B. Harvey, S. Karp, & L. Miller (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity
and justice (pp. 214-218). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools. (p. 214-218)
2. Palmer, M.T.U. (2007). (p. 120-144) “Desperate to learn”: The schooling experience of Latinos in North
Carolina. In E. Frankenberg, & G. Orfield (Eds.), Lessons in integration: Realizing the promise of
racial diversity in American schools (pp. 120-144). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.
3. Harklau, L. (1994). Tracking and linguistic minority students. Linguistics and Education. 6. 217-244.
4. Harklau, L. (1994). Jumping tracks. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 25:3. 347-363.
5. Begin reading Con Respeto by Guadalupe Valdes (1996).
6. Learning Module: Week 7
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Week 8 (10/08-10/12)
Culture, Identity, and Learning
Readings:
1. Continue reading Con Respeto (Book Discussion)
2. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 5 (pp. 156-176)
3. Morrell, E. & Duncan-Andrade, J.M.R. (2002). Promoting academic literacy with urban youth through
engaging hip-hop culture. The English Journal 91(6), 88-92.
4. Tenery, M.F. (2005). La Visita. In N. Gonzalez, L. C. Moll, & C. Amanti (Eds.), Funds of Knowledge:
Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms (pp. 119-130). Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
5. Mora, P. (2004). Elena. In O. Santa Ana (Ed.), Tongue-tied: The lives of multicultural children in public
education (p. 165). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
6. Learning Module: Week 8
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, October 12 by noon:
1. Please post your Internet Study of Cultural Group: "Religious beliefs," to the Internet Study of Cultural
Group folder.
2. Please post your Boundary-Crossing Field Experience to the appropriate folder in the Discussion area.
Week 9 (10/15-10/19) – Withdrawal deadline: Thursday, October 18
Multiple Perspectives
Readings:
1. Continue reading Con Respeto.
2. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 5 (pp. 177-209) - Divide the four case studies among the members
of your group. Each person is responsible for reading and preparing a summary for the group's
discussion.
3. Learning Module: Week 9
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
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Assignment Due:
*Be sure that you are progressing on your Book Review due on Week 11 (Friday, 11/02). Please make sure
that you carefully read the requirements for this assignment and respond accordingly!
Week 10 (10/22-10/26)
10/26 Fall Break
Linguistic Diversity in U.S. Classrooms
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 6 (pp. 210-253).
2. Wong-Fillmore, L. (2000). Loss of family languages: Should educators be concerned? Theory Into
Practice 39(4), (pp. 203-210).
3. Orellana, M. et al. (2003). Accessing assets: Immigrant youths' work as family translators or
“para-phrasers.” Social Problems 50(4), pp. 505-524.
4. Schwarzer, D. et al. (2003). Fostering multiliteracy in a linguistically diverse classroom: How does a
monolingual teacher support linguistic diversity in a classroom of children who speak many different
native languages? Language Arts 80(6), (pp. 453-460).
5. Serros, M.M. (2004). Mi Problema. In O. Santa Ana (Ed.), Tongue-tied: The lives of multicultural
children in public education (pp. 268-269). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
6. Learning Module: Week 10
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, October 26 by noon:
1. Please post your Internet Study of Cultural Group: "Marriage and Family" to the Internet Study of
Cultural Group folder.
2. Book Reviews are due on Friday, 11/02 by noon.
Week 11 (10/29-11/02)
Toward an Understanding of School Achievement
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 7 (pp. 254-293).
2. Peterson. S.S. & Heywood, D. (2007). Contributions of families’ linguistic, social, and cultural capital
to minority-language children’s literacy: Parents’, teachers’, and principals’ perspectives. The Canadian
Modern Language Review, 63, (pp. 517-535).
3. Learning Module: Week 11
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, November 2 by noon:
Book Reviews
Week 12 (11/05-11/09)
Learning from Students
Reading:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 8 (pp. 294-341).
2. Learning Module: Week 12
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
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Assignments Due on Friday, November 9 by noon:
Post your Internet Study of Cultural Group: "Social Hierarchy and Politeness" to the Internet Study of
Cultural Group folder.
Week 13 (11/12-11/16)
Adapting the Curriculum for Multicultural Classrooms
Readings:
1. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Chapter 9 (pp. 342-377)
2. Nieto, S. (2007). Curricular Adaptation: Hurricane Katrina and the Opportunity for Change (pp. 1-9).
3. Learning Module: Week 13
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignments Due on Friday, November 16 by noon:
Initial posting of DEBATE argument (please include your position in the correct folder “pro” or “con”).
Week 14 (11/19-11/23) – THANKSGIVING BREAK! ENJOY!
Week 15 (11/26-11/30)
Race, Ethnicity, and Language
Reading:
1. Nieto & Bode – Chapter 10 (pp. 378-401).
2. Learning Module: Week 15
Weekly Discussion:
Please post by following pre-established online discussion standard for weekly posts (see info above on
week 2).
Assignment Due on Wednesday, November 28 by noon:
DEBATE response posting.
Assignments Due on Friday, November 30 by noon:
1. Post your Internet Study of Cultural Group: "Learning and Schooling" to the Internet Study of Cultural
Group folder.
2. Complete LLED 5040/7040 Course Evaluation – To complete the course evaluation, log onto UGA's
online course evaluation site (https://portal.coe.uga.edu/apps/authorize/) by using your MyID (just like
eLC) and then choose Course Evaluation from the left-hand side. Select Evaluate Courses & Take Surveys,
then fill out the evaluation for LLED 5040e/7040e (some of you may have several eLC courses this
semester so be careful when you select!).