The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of the role of language in human cultural differences and cognitive styles, and in doing so to characterize the notion of "human language." We will begin to investigate assumptions about what language is and what language does in religion, governance, and society. We will consider the ways in which religious practices structure investigations into language. The course also examines how ideas about language form public policy both positively and negatively, for example in the Oakland School District Ebonics controversy, or, on a larger scale, in the development of language policies in the European colonization of Africa. Subtopics are: linguistic diversity and its social consequences; documenting language through writing; the implications of literacy.
