Language, Culture, and Education in a Global Society

Catalog description

This course explores the complex relationship among diversity, (in)equity, and educational contexts by focusing on the conceptual categories including language, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, class, age, ability, sexual orientation, and religion. Students will also be introduced to the diverse ways in which these categories intersect in people’s lives including identity development and academic achievement and in which people use language, in particular, to communicate with and influence one another in the dynamic, social context of education. Among the topics covered are understanding diversity, creating an inclusive educational culture, developing culturally responsive/relevant curricula, materials, and practices, and educating and leading towards individual growth and global social justice and prosperity. Students will gain a deeper understanding of languages and cultures with their powerful relevance to and impact on education and beyond through asynchronous online discussions on scholarly literature and popular cultural films, discussion leads, and research projects.