Language and Identity

Grace E. Fielder
Summer 2020
Tuesdays |  
1 PM - 3 PM
June 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2020
Course Format: Hybrid
Tuition: $145

Please Note: Summer 2020 Course Registration Opens Online on Monday, May 11th at 8AM

This course explores the relationship between language and identity–how individual and group identities interact with language use. Language can show belonging/not belonging to a community, a “self vs. other” distinction both produced by speakers and interpreted by listeners. How do specific “ways of speaking” unite groups of people? How are these “ways of speaking” deployed not only to construct the speaker’s own identity but also to project identity onto others? Language has been critical to nation-building, which defines a “people” and assigns it a place, while the disintegration of empires has seen new nations and “new” languages emerge. The language-identity link also shapes day-to-day interactions between individuals and belonging on a broader level. Our sociolinguistic approach focuses on language ideology, the symbolic value of alphabets and orthography, regional and national identity, gender and sexuality, ethnicity and race, age and social status, language policing, performance, and style.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

  • All Summer 2020 courses will be ONLINE ONLY.
  • Courses will be delivered online via the Zoom video conferencing platform. All courses will be password protected and only available to enrolled students.
  • All class sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled students for a limited time to assist those who may not be able to attend the live class times.
  • Enrolled students may withdraw from a course and receive a full tuition refund if the request is received before the second class session. (Our normal refund processing fee of 15% will be waived).
  • The Humanities Seminars Program reserves the right to cancel any seminar that fails to meet registration minimums. If a course is canceled all students enrolled in the canceled course will receive a full refund.
  • Summer registration will open on Monday, May 11 at 8 AM (AZ Time)

Required Reading

No textbook is required. All readings and class materials will be distributed to students electronically.

Meet Your Instructor

Professor Emerita

GRACE E. FIELDER is Professor Emerita of Russian and Slavic Studies. A Fulbright and ACLS grantee, she specializes in the sociolinguistics of identity in the Balkans. Her research covers regional music, folklore, cuisine, and empire. Her courses on Balkan history focus on how distinct national identities emerged from the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Venetian, and Russian Empires. Grace has studied the local lore, music, and cuisine of this region and has also worked as a lavender harvester on the Dalmatian island of Hvar.

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