Berkley Center

Spanish Sociolinguistics was a seminar conducted in Spanish that focused on the dynamic interaction between language, society, and identity. It took a hands-on, discussion-based approach to understanding key sociolinguistic issues that affect individuals' daily lives and shape their immediate surroundings. Topics covered include: bilingualism, language contact, and language shift in the United States, Spain, and Latin America; ethnography of communication among Spanish-speaking communities; endangered languages and language death; political discourse analysis, and more. Students had the option to take on an additional fourth credit, incorporating a Community Based Learning (CBL) project into the seminar’s coursework. CBL students could choose between different projects in the fields of bilingual education (DC Schools Project), advocacy (the NGO Carecen or the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor & the Working Poor's Day Laborer Exchange program), or policymaking (DC Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs). The seminar attracted a diverse group of Spanish-speaking students from many majors and concentrations. No background in sociolinguistics was necessary. This class fulfilled the Social Science requirement for CULP majors. This class (SPAN-396) was taught by Maria Cristobalina Moreno as a Doyle Seminar (small upper-level classes that foster deepened student learning about diversity and difference through research and dialogue).