ELN101: Introduction to Bilingualism

The original German translation of Declaration of Independence. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was distributed in multiple languages, notably to German-speaking Americans in Pennsylvania. Image from the Gettysburg College (https://gettysburg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16274coll3/id/153/).

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Course information

Class Modality and Announcements

The class is conducted as a hybrid class (in-person + online asynchronous). Please see the information below for information and policies about the instruction modality.
  1. ELN101.0390 (16454) is a hybrid (in-person + asynchronous online) class.
  2. Each lesson cycle (each week) is in the following structure.
    • Reading: Each lesson has required readings. Links to the reading assignments will be posted on Blackboard.
    • Reading comprehension (RC) questions: You will take the RC questions (multiple choice questions about your reading assignments) during class. The RC is open-book (you can use the reading and your notes), but it is timed (usually 5-10 min). The RC questions are graded.
    • Mini lecture on the reading assignments: This must be watched before the synchronous meeting. Links to the mini lectures will be posted on Blackboard.
    • In-person meeting: During the in-person, we will review the topic(s) of the week and engage in group/individual work.
    • Post-lecture comprehension (PLC) questions: PLC questions will be conducted at the end of the in-person meeting. These questions are graded.
    • Post-lecture activity (PLA): Each topic has a post-lecture activity (PLA), which must be submitted before the deadline. The post-lecture activity is graded.
  3. Course communication will take place on two platforms on this website and Blackboard.

  1. The Spring 2025 semester begins on Thursday, March 6, 2025 (see the academic calendar for important dates in Spring 2025)

Weekly schedule

Class Topic
  • Course outline, grade policy, syllabus, homework & exams
  • Linguistic Diversity in the U.S.
What you should do this week Deadline is on Sunday, March 16, 2025
  1. In-person meetings on Wednesday
  2. Submit your information on the following forms
  3. Read (link to the readings is in the welcome e-mail):
    • Wiley, T. G. (2010). The United States. In J. Fishman (Ed.), Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity - Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives (Volume 1). (pp. 302-322). Cambridge, UK: Oxford University Press.
    • [optional] Nagano, T. (2015). Demographics of Adult Heritage Language Speakers in the United States: Differences by Region and Language and their Implications. The Modern Language Journal, 99(4), 771-792. (read only p.772 and pp.788-791)
  4. PLC (on BlackBoard )
    • Do the post-lecture comprehension (PLC) questions on Blackboard.
  5. PLA (on BlackBoard )
    • PLA: Linguistic autobiography (see here for a copy of the instructions)
  6. Q&A
    • Ask questions via e-mail, visiting the instructor's office (B-234), or texting the instructor's cellphone (see the welcome message for the number)

Class Topic
  • Linguistic Diversity in New York City
What you should do this week Deadline is on Sunday, March 23, 2025
  1. In-person meetings on Wednesday
  2. Read (link to the readings is in the welcome e-mail):
    • Labo, A. P. & Salvo, J. J. (2013). A Portrait of New York's Immigrant Mélange. In N. Foner (Ed.), One Out of Three: Immigrant New York in the Twenty-First Century. (pp. 35-63). New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
  3. RC (in class)
    • You will take the RC assessment in class.
  4. PLC (on BlackBoard )
    • Do the post-lecture comprehension (PLC) questions on Blackboard.
  5. PLA (on BlackBoard )
    • PLA: MTA language access mini-project (see here for a copy of the instructions)
  6. Q&A
    • Ask questions via e-mail, visiting the instructor's office (B-234), or texting the instructor's cellphone (see the welcome message for the number)
  7. Bonus activity (in class)

Class Topic
  • Different Types of Bilingualism
What you should do this week Deadline is on Sunday, March 30, 2025
  1. In-person meetings on Wednesday
  2. Read (link to the readings is in the welcome e-mail):
    • Wei, L. (2007). Dimensions of bilingualism. In L. Wei (Ed.), The Bilingualism Reader. (pp. 3-25). New York, NY: Routledge.
  3. RC (in class)
    • You will take the RC assessment in class.
  4. PLC (on BlackBoard )
    • Do the post-lecture comprehension (PLC) questions on Blackboard.
  5. PLA (on BlackBoard )
  6. Q&A
    • Ask questions via e-mail, visiting the instructor's office (B-234), or texting the instructor's cellphone (see the welcome message for the number)
  7. Bonus activity