This course fulfills the Sociocultural dimensions of L2 learning requirements in the Core Courses section of the SLAT Map, or can be used towards the Sociocultural Dimensions major or minor requirements. The course can only be used towards one of the requirements (Core, Major, or Minor).
The overarching goals of this course are two-fold. First, it aims to introduce students to the continuity as well as heterogeneity of the Chinese language(s) in the Sinophone world, including not only Mainland China but Taiwan and Hong Kong as well. Through highlighting issues related to language variation and change, and their relationship to social identity, the course is intended to guide students to understand the complex interaction between linguistic practices and social stratification as well as cultural changes. It focuses on sociolinguistic aspects that are particularly salient to Chinese, such as language and dialect, place, gender, pragmatics, cross-cultural communication, as well as language policy and planning. Secondly, this course strives to provide students with a comparative approach by incorporating studies on Chinese sociolinguistic and those based on other languages such as English. In so doing, it hopes to encourage the students to reflect upon their everyday linguistic experience here in Tucson and compare that with what is happening in the Sinophone world. Graduate-level requirements include reviewing a book and presenting it to the class as well as extra reading in Chinese.
May be convened with: CHN 485