Course Details

The course offers several perspectives on bilingualism. From personal to global, from the linguistic aspects of code-switching to cultural aspects of living in two languages. We examine how bilingual children acquire two languages, consider the experiences of bilingual adults, and study bilingualism as a societal phenomenon (diglossia and language choice, language policies, linguistic identity, language rights, linguistic minorities, etc.). Students do not need to speak a Slavic language. The bilingual experience of emotions and language maintenance and linguistic diversity in the Pacific Northwest are two important topics of the course. There is a service-learning project, in which students conduct a survey of a minority language spoken in our community, i.e., the greater Seattle area. It can be a language of an immigrant community or a Native American language.

Grading:
25% – Study Activities
50% – service-learning project
25% – quizzes