Specific Spring 2026 Semester Topic: Global Englishes
English has been referred to as a lingua franca, a global language, a commodity, and a tyrannosaurus rex. Though exact estimates of English users vary, native English speakers are most certainly outnumbered by English as an additional language (EAL) users today. This online course is an introduction to the paradigm of Global Englishes, including the study of World Englishes (WE), English as a lingua franca (ELF), English as an international language (EIL), and the implications of English’s worldwide reach. In our study of Global Englishes, we will also consider related issues, such as language variation, globalization, linguistic bias, the “native speaker” construct, language policy, and language teaching. Although our focus is primarily on English use and instruction, class participants are welcome to explore implications for learning and teaching other languages through their individual projects.