Fall 2013 : African American Studies 115 Language and Social Issues in Africa

(3) The course deals with the relevance of language to social issues in African societies. The focus will be on political developments in Africa and the use of language in fostering national identity, attaining cultural emancipation, as a tool of oppression, of maintenance of social relations, and of addressing issues of education, literacy, childhood development, etc. The course will examine such issues as the roots of national language policies as influenced by Africa’s reaction to colonialism; the role of western languages in African society and the attitudes towards African languages and cultures; the challenges of nation-building in modern African states; the use of African languages in government, education, technology; the role of language in gender issues, in religion, sports, as well as cultural responses to migration and African diaspora. There will be a review of the impact of globalization and information technology on African languages.