Lecture

All societies, and especially diverse ones like the US, are multilingual; translingual communication mediates life and professions and makes knowledge grow and work. Yet, myths about language set up barriers, inhibiting free exchange and application of knowledge. These myths not just adversely affect knowledge production and application but undermine justice and harm societies. Drawing on the research and his own efforts to counter harmful language ideologies in academe, Dr. Shyam Sharma will present a framework and share practical strategies, showing how to move in the right direction toward greater language justice and thereby social justice in the world. The session will include strategies for advancing social justice by approaching language, genre, and modes of writing more mindfully.

Speaker Bio: Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey is an Assistant Professor of English at Montana State University Billings where she teaches a broad range of literature and writing classes including Shakespeare and Transatlantic Literature. Raised in Missoula, Montana, she received master’s degrees in English and History from the University of Montana before earning…

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