TEACHING AND COURSEWORK

Linguistic anthropology does not constitute an independent subfield in Yale's Department of Anthropology, and those interested in graduate work predominantly in that subfield are advised to seek out other programs. However, language-related courses like those listed below are offered on a regular basis for both graduate and undergraduate students who recognize the importance of language for anthropological fieldwork and ethnography.

2009-2010 Courses

ANTH 120b Language, Culture, & Identity
Spring 2009, MWF 10.30-11.20
Introduction to the role of language in the consitution of gendered, class, ethnic, and national identities. Ethnographic and linguistic case studies are combined with theoretical and comparative approaches.

ANTH 333/533b Billingualism in Social Context
Spring 2010, T 1.30-3.20
The linguistic phenomenon of bilingualism presented through broad issues in social description inseparably linked to it: growth and change in bilingual communities; bilingual usage, social identity, and allegiance; and interactional significances of bilingual speech repertoire use.

ANTH 413/513b Language, Culture, & Ideology
Spring 2010, W 9.25-11.15
Review of influential anthropological theories of culture, with reference to theories of language that inspired or informed them. Topics include American and European structuralism; cognitivist and interpretivist approaches to cultural description; and the work of Bakhtin, Bourdieu, and various critical theorists.

ANTH 432/632a Politics of Language
Fall 2009, Th 1.30-3.20
Aspects of language difference and inequality considered as often neglected but crucial shapers of political dynamics and social change in plural societies. Broad comparative and theoretical approaches to the politics of sociolinguistic difference, followed by case studies focusing on specific issues. Topics include 'problems' of substandard languages, bilingual identities, globalization and language shift, and language death.