SLS 680-U, Topics in Second Language Studies: Use
Introduction to multilingual and multicultural perspectives on Hawaiʻi
Instructors: Graham V. Crookes & Dina Yoshimi
Day & Time: M/W 9 to 12:25 from June 13-July 22, 2022
Two sections: ONLINE only (with instructor approval) and HYBRID (with in-person meeting dates on 6/13, 7/6, and 7/22).
SLS 680-U - Introduction to Multilingual and Multicultural Perspectives and Practices
This course introduces students to concepts, theories, policies and practices of multilingual language use (spoken and written), supported by multicultural orientations and practices, within the contemporary context of Hawaiʻi as a society with substantial linguistic and cultural diversity, including indigenous populations, homegrown Pidgin speakers, sojourners and tourists, the results of successive waves of migration, colonization, and globalization. Though recognizing Hawaiʻiʻs unique features, the course also locates Hawai’i within a world in which multilingualism and multiculturalism have become (or always were) the norm in many communities.
The course will be of interest to graduate students with professional interests in language, arising from professional schools or areas such as education, law, social work, medicine, or business as well as those primarily interested in languages, multilingualism, multiculturalism, and applied linguistics.
About the instructors
The course will be co-taught. Graham Crookes is Professor, Department of Second Language Studies. Resident in Hawaiʻi since 1982, he is a graduate of the UHM Dept of ESL/SLS and the College of Education (Educational Psychology).
Dina Yoshimi is Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Languages and Literature and Director of the Hawai'i Language Roadmap. Her research explores the discourse pragmatics of everyday conversation, the linguistic expression of affective stance, and usage-based approaches to teaching a second language (Japanese).
Both instructors are interested in what multilingual and multicultural people do with their cultural and linguistic resources, and influencing Hawaiʻi educational policy so that it more energetically reflects the multilingual nature of Hawaiʻi as potential and as responsibility. We will aim for a friendly and interactive online environment.