The bilingual/multilingual population in the world is possibly larger than the strictly monolingual population, and yet in monolingually-oriented countries such as the United States, bilingualism is still considered something of an anomaly. This course provides basic principles and theories of bilingualism, demystifying the bilingual development process along the way, and goes on to examine the relationship between bilingualism and identity and the role of schooling in the development and educational possibilities of bilingual learners.

The course covers four areas: (1) basic principles and theories of bilingualism; (2) bilingual education; (3) multilingual and multicultural identities, and (4) politics of bilingual education. The course will provide an ample opportunity for novices in this field to familiarize themselves with the basic typologies and psycholinguistic theories of bilingualism and bilingual education. However, the main spirit of the course is to critically examine why bilingualism tends to be evaluated and judged by monolingual standards; what range of identity options are available to bilingual individuals; how the opportunity to develop additive bilingualism is related to issues of socioeconomic class; and what role schools play in increasing or limiting the educational possibilities and bilingual development of language minority students.

Texts:

• Baker, Colin. Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Multilingual Matters, 4th Ed. 2006. [1-85359-864]