ANTH 2400 Language Matters

This course focuses on the uniquely human capacity to use language and the complex interrelations of language and power. Students will explore the evolutionary roots of language, the universal features of language, and the relationship between language, thought, culture and society. They will examine how people use language to enact race, class, ethnicity, gender and sexuality in everyday life, and how language is used to construct difference and reproduce, manipulate and contest social inequalities. Through reading and analysis of ethnographic material, the primary objective of the course is to recognize the power that language has on its speakers and the power that speakers can exert by means of language. This is a writing intensive course. Course is UCC - Area 4 Diversity and Justice.
Credits: 3.0