Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2018 - LING 481 D100

Topics in Linguistics II (3)

Language & Migration

Class Number: 7294

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 7 – Aug 3, 2018: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. This course may be repeated once for credit if the subject is different.

COURSE DETAILS:

In this course we will examine different aspects of the relationship between language and migration. We will start by analyzing the ways in which language has become central to regimenting and restraining the mobility of particular populations. For instance, language testing has often been used by nation-states to decide who is welcome and who can be granted citizenship. Language testing rests on the implicit correlation usually made between migrants’ competence in the host country’s language(s) and the extent to which they can be “integrated” in the host country’s socioeconomic structure. Through a close examination of language testing in different parts of the world, we will address the following questions: Which form or kind of knowledge is tested? How is this knowledge tested, by whom, and for what purpose? How is language conceived of in these tests? How is language proficiency constructed? What do these tests tell us about the ways in which nation-states are construed? How is integration understood?

We will review cases of asylum-seeking procedures, in which language is used to verify an applicant’s place of origin and therefore the truthfulness of their application. Why is language taken as an unmistakable index of a migrant’s origins? Does one always speak the vernacular of their ancestors or one associated with their homeland (fluently)? Can one’s vernacular change over the years?

We will also deconstruct the traditional correlation between socio-economic integration and language competence in the discourse produced by politicians and some academics alike. Among the questions we will address here are the following: What does such a correlation tell us about the ways language is conceived of? Does language indexicality matter? If yes, how? To what extent does treating the acquisition of the host language(s) as the migrants’ main door-opener to employment (not) construct host society as free of race- or ethnicity-based discrimination?

Finally we will analyze how different types of mobility (e.g., colonization, slave trade, and free individual migration) produce, at different times, differing sociolinguistic dynamics. We will review the relevant factors that must be taken into account to understand the emergence of new varieties such as creoles and the differential spread of major lingua francas.

The syllabus is subject to change: some topics may require more time than others, depending on the students’ interests and level of difficulty.

Grading

  • Class participation 20%
  • Mid-term exam 25%
  • Research paper submitted at end of the quarter 40%
  • Presentation of research paper to class during the second half of the quarter 15%
  • No final exam

NOTES:

Students are expected to read all the assigned articles and participate in class discussions.

It is strongly recommended that you see the Student Advisor regarding your degree requirements at least two semesters before you plan to graduate. Unless you meet both faculty and major/minor requirements, your graduation cannot be approved.

Students should familiarize themselves with the Department's Standards on Class Management and Student Responsibilities at http://www.sfu.ca/linguistics/undergraduate/standards.html.
Please note that a grade of “FD” may be assigned as a penalty for academic dishonesty.
All student requests for accommodations for their religious practices must be made in writing by the end of the first week of classes or no later than one week after a student adds a course.
Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities (778-782-3112 or csdo@sfu.ca).

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

No Textbook is Required. The readings will be available at Canvas.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS