This course offers an introduction to the pedagogical and sociocultural issues surrounding the teaching and language learning of heritage language learners. The course highlights Spanish heritage language (SHL) learners as the primary lens through which to view heritage language pedagogy and emphasizes a critical language awareness approach. The course will begin by defining the field and SHL learners and will address issues related to the goals of SHL instruction and methods available for its teaching, sociolinguistics processes common in SHL students' Spanish and the sociopolitical position of Spanish in the US. This course incorporates a practical component of classroom observation and lesson and activity planning to prepare future teachers for effective SHL teaching practices.
This class is suitable for any graduate student interested in teaching college-level heritage language classes and current or future K-12 teachers of Spanish heritage learners.