SPAN 430: Spanish in the United States

SPAN 430-DL1: Spanish in the US
(Fall 2020)

12:00 PM to 01:15 PM MW

Online

Section Information for Fall 2020

According to the US Census Bureau, more than 40 million people over the age of five speak Spanish at home, making Spanish the unofficial second language of the US, as well as one of the countries with the most Spanish-speakers in the world.

This class focuses primarily on sociopolitical aspects of Spanish in the US, including the history of the language and its speakers in North America, the demographics of Spanish in the US (including the characteristics of the largest Spanish-speaking groups, as well as patterns of language maintenance and shift), attitudes and ideologies towards Spanish, Spanish-speakers and Latinxs, and the relationship of Spanish to ethnic, racial and other identities. We will also examine the portrayal of Spanish in public discourse and the media, educational and other policies that impact Spanish and Spanish-speakers, the Census Bureau’s treatment of Latinxs and Spanish, and the origins and meanings of labels such as Hispanic, Latino/a and Latinx. In addition, the course also covers the varieties of Spanish spoken in the US, as well as the linguistic features and practices associated with bilingualism and contact between Spanish and English (but no background in linguistics is required). The course concludes with a consideration of the future of Spanish in the US.

In addition to learning about Spanish and Spanish-speakers in the US, students will gain a foundation in issues such as ethnolinguistic vitality, language ideologies, linguistic variation, language contact, code switching and translanguaging, language and identity, official languages, and minority language education.

Taught in Spanish.

Course Information from the University Catalog