Week 1 Seminar. Analysis
Guide: Heath's "English in Our Language Heritage" and Fishman's "Language
Policy: Past, Present and Future".
General Information
* What do you know about the authors of the articles?
* What is the character of the collection that includes
these articles? What is the purpose of this collection? Who are the editors?
* What are the authors' sources? How do they use their
sources?
* Year of publication, publisher and any other relevant
information.
Heath's Article. Background information
* What does the Constitution of the U.S. state about
language? You will need to consult the Constitution to answer this question.
* Who were John Adams and Noah Webster?
* What was the "Americanization Campaign"? And the
"Nationality Act"?
Analysis
* Identify the thesis and the most relevant paragraphs
in the article.
* What kind of approach does the author use? Why?
* "Throughout the history of the United States, whenever
speakers of varieties of English or other languages ... " (10) Can you
provide examples to illustrate and prove true this statement?
* Establish the role of religion and education in
language policy and language use, according to the article. Compare with
more recent developments and identify similarities and differences.
* Is the U.S. tolerant of diverse languages? Yes.
No. Why?
Fishman's article. Background information
* What is the Whorfian Hypothesis?
* Read the Bilingual Education Act. Do you agree with
Fishman's conclusions?
* Who was Herder?
Analysis
* Compare Fishman's and Heath's articles. Do they
complement each other? What is the most salient difference?
* Identify the thesis. Does the author succeed in
proving it?
* What is the definition of bilingualism, according
to the article?
* What does the Irish example illustrate?
* Establish the role of ethnicity and diversity in
the author's argument about language policy. What is the relationship between
language, education and economy?
* Do you agree with Fishman's most categorical remarks?
Why?
Week 2 Seminar. Analysis Guide: Sink or Swim and "Part I. Historical Roots of U.S. Language Policy" in Language Loyalties.
Background Work and Information
* Establish a chronology of the most relevant events
related to bilingual education and language policy according to these two
sources.
* For each event explain its relevancy and consequences,
and research all those aspects that are unclear or unknown to you.
* What major historical, social and political events
were in direct connection with the development of bilingual education and
language policy?
* How much of this information is relevant to understand
other aspects of the educational system and policy of the U.S. in general?
Analysis
* What are the aims of each book?
* How did the authors select and use their sources?
* What are the main ideas behind Stein's book? Is
the author a proponent or a critic of bilingual education?
* How does Stein develop his argument throughout the
chapters?
* Identify the most crucial concepts and their definitions
in Stein's book. How do these concepts relate to each other?
* Identify in both books statements that present facts
and passages that are based on the authors' opinions.
* Chose one or two events from each book that impressed
you the most. Find more information in other sources that may modify or
support the presentation of the chosen event in the two books.
* Bring newspaper and magazine articles that illustrate
recent developments in language policy and bilingual education. Be ready
to outline them for your classmates.
* What specific information did you learn from each
book?
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