Undergraduate Certificate in Pidgin and Creole Studies
Department of Second Language Studies
University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Aim:

The Undergraduate Certificate in Pidgin and Creole Studies was established in 2007 to encourage undergraduate students to learn more about Hawai'i Creole English ("Pidgin") and other pidgin and creole languages around the world. Students who complete the certificate will have a greater understanding of some of the socio-cultural, political, and educational issues concerning both the historical development of Pidgin in Hawai'i and its important role in contemporary society.   Students majoring in disciplines such as literature, Hawaiian studies, sociology, ethnic studies, and linguistics will find the certificate very useful to their disciplinary interests if they have an interest in local language and culture issues. All students planning to become teachers will find the certificate very helpful if they plan to teach in Hawaii's schools since most K-12 students use some degree of Pidgin in their daily lives.

Requirements:

• 15 credit hours of course work (5 courses) at the 300-level or above with grade C or better. Core courses must be taken prior to or concurrently with electives

• 2 required core courses (offered every semester)
  
• SLS 430 Pidgin and Creole English in Hawai'i
• ENG 404 English in Hawai'i
  
• 3 electives (choose from below):
  
  

  Elective Courses:
  ENG 370		Ethnic Literature of Hawai'i
  HIST 484		The Hawaiian Kingdom 1819-1893
  HIST 485		History of 20th-Century Hawai'i
  HWST 343		Political Myths and Hawaiian History
  SOC 456		Race and Ethnicity in Hawai'i
  SLS 499		Directed Reading and Research (or the equivalent)
  Up to two of the following courses in Ethnic Studies:
  ES 330		Japanese in Hawai'i
  ES 331		Chinese in Hawai'i
  ES 333		Filipinos in Hawai'i
  ES 360		Immigration to Hawai'i
  ES 495		Hawaiian Labor History

Administration:

The Certificate in P/C Studies is administered by the Department of Second Language Studies at UH-Manoa, and coordinated by the Director of the Charlene Sato Center for Pidgin, Creole and Dialect Studies, Kent Sakoda (sakoda@hawaii.edu).   For more information, contact Kent Sakoda or SLS faculty member Christina Higgins (cmhiggin@hawaii.edu)