Deans' Service Scholars: Language & Power

Catalog description

Linguist James Paul Gee has described English language teachers as standing ‚ “at the heart of the most crucial educational, cultural, and political issues of our time.” This Deans’ Service Scholars course places students at the intersection of service learning, English language teaching, and critical applied linguistics. It is designed to integrate experiential learning with an exploration of the broader forces which influence educational settings. The course is both a study and application of service-learning, a pedagogy combining academic inquiry and engagement with a community outside the university. In the fall semester, with the support of faculty and in partnership with a local volunteer organization, Scholars will teach English at a local school for migrant communities in Shanghai. At the same time, through discussion seminars, readings, and reflective writing, Scholars will explore the social, cultural, and political factors which often intersect with language teaching, and consider how these factors operate in the context of their service learning project. Seminar topics will include linguistic imperialism, language stigma and status, English as a lingua franca, and the recent rise of global Englishes. In the spring semester, Scholars will organize a community engagement project which is based on their experiential and course learning in the fall. Through coursework, volunteer teaching, and community engagement, Scholars will also gain experience in the pedagogical and service approaches of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Participatory Action Research (PAR). Notes: Application is required for course enrollment. The link can be accessed on the course webpage. Language and Power course webpage, https://shanghai.nyu.edu/page/language-and-power. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: General Elective.