Instructor: Joshua Babcock

How has whiteness shaped language—not specific languages or sub-varieties of languages, but the very idea of language itself? This class will not presume either whiteness or language as stable or self-evident categories. Instead, we will explore how both have emerged together in and through projects of (racial, ethnic, gendered, sexual, classed, religious, etc.) colonial modernity. The class will introduce students to a critical interdisciplinary toolkit that they will collaboratively apply to a selection of case studies drawn from global colonial situations, culminating in an original mini-research project.

Instructor: Christopher Ball

ANTH 0530 examines the varying roles of psychoactive substances and altered states of consciousness in both past and present cultural practice. Students will critically engage with current archaeological and anthropological research to gain an understanding of how psychoactive substance production and consumption has operated within a myriad of social, ideational, religious, medical, and recreational contexts. Class discussions will cover a diverse range of topics including the use of psychoactive substances in ritual practices; power relations and control over production, distribution, and use; the practical, quotidian applications of psychoactive plants; medicinal applications; and the use of psychoactive substances in social settings. Class discussions will also draw connections to important current issues and topics including addiction & the opioid crisis, recent medical studies and research findings, prohibition and controlled substance classifications, and global legalization movements.

Instructor: Michael Berman

Language is a site of struggle. What we say, how we say it, and to whom matters. How we hear matters. It can make the difference between life and death. When you hear the news or a teacher talking, do you feel directly addressed? Do you feel like you are a “they” in your classes and in popular discourse? We feel when we are being talked to, talked with, or talked about, and that makes a difference in how we relate to ourselves and each other. In this class, we talk together. We make language and we make space. This class is an experiment in empowerment that comes from using reading in linguistic anthropology to analyze linguistic oppression, appropriation, and exploitation.

Instructor: Felix Kpogo

*This course may be of interest / relevant to concentrators 

English is spoken by various groups worldwide. In postcolonial contexts, such as Africa, there are four distinct types of English: pidgin, creole, second-language, and first-language varieties, all part of global Englishes. This course surveys the linguistic variations in African Englishes and their divergence from other global English varieties, including African American English (AAE). Students will explore different forms and pronunciations and examine the historical, political and social contexts of these varieties, including speakers’ attitudes, identity construction, and connections to other global English identities. Additionally, the class will discuss how multilingualism influences English use in Africa and how English use affects language choice and policy in sectors such as education and governance across the continent. Overall, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the linguistic diversity of African Englishes and their impact on language, identity, and policy across the continent.