Zoom: https://msu.zoom.us/my/cinaglia

Title: 

Investment in Studying Spanish at a U.S. University: Linguistic Identities and Discourses about Language Learning

Description:

Amid recent discussions about declining enrollment in U.S. postsecondary world language programs and subsequent concern for language program survival, understanding why students pursue or discontinue additional language study is essential in order to advocate for world language education. This dissertation study combines linguistic ethnography and narrative inquiry to examine how university students’ investment in additional language study shifts across spaces and over time. The study’s findings highlight the complexity of students’ enrollment decisions and inform recommendations for advising, curriculum development, and classroom instruction.

Committee: 

Peter De Costa, Meagan Driver, Shawn Loewen, Rachel Showstack, Anne Violin-Wigent