AAAS 770: Language and Society in Africa

AAAS 770: Global Ethnics & Racial Relations

Examines issues and problems associated with language use in sub-Saharan Africa from a sociological perspective. Topics covered include an overview of the types of languages spoken on the continent: indigenous languages, colonial languages, pidgins and creoles, and Arabic as a religious language; problems associated with the politics of literacy and language planning, writing and standardization of indigenous languages; and the cultural and ideological dilemmas of language choice. Additional advanced-level coursework is required for students in this course beyond lower-level courses of the same name and/or description.