This course is designed to be a gateway course in linguistic anthropology geared toward freshmen and sophomores. Language permeates our lives, identities and relationships, yet most of us take it for granted. This course introduces students to some of the foundational concepts, methods, and issues addressed in linguistic anthropology. Starting with the basic premise that language, thought and culture are inextricably intertwined in practice, we take a fundamentally comparative and global perspective on the study of language. We will consider language not as a simple means of communication, but as a medium through which values, subjectivities, and sociopolitical relationships are created and transformed. We ask: how do differences in language affect how we think and act? How do people do things with language, and how does this vary across cultures, times and places? How does linguistic communication interact with nonverbal or embodied forms of communication? What ideologies of language shape our understandings of difference and hierarchy? In exploring answers to these questions, we will draw on media resources, natural language examples, and recent ethnographic analyses from around the world to consider the ways in which language is implicated in power struggles within specific domains of social relationships (race, class, gender, sexuality) and institutions (education, policing, law, immigration, electoral politics).

Please complete the form below to register for a virtual class visit. You will receive a confirmation email after you submit your registration, which will include a link to the pertinent Zoom connection information. Please note that all times are listed in Pacific Time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Office of Admission at 503/777- 7511. We look forward to connecting with you!