This course involves studying what it means to be a linguistic minority and applying that knowledge to linguistic minorities in and around Berlin, Germany.  The first goal of the course is to develop a practical knowledge of the issues facing linguistic minorities in modern and post-modern societies, including issues of status, standardization, education, bilingualism, gender, and language loss.  The second is to explore linguistic minority issues in and around Berlin, using basic ethnographic field methods and available local resources.  The linguistic minorities that will be explored are Yiddish (historic), Turkish (west), Sorbian (rural), Russian (east), and English (everywhere). 

Following eight weeks of regular course work at CCSU that will focus on the study of linguistic minorities and readings about Berlin and its vicinity, the course will involve a nine-day visit to Germany over Spring Break to investigate Berlin’s linguistic diversity in local detail.  Students will use basic ethnographic methods to explore a range of sites (museums, monuments, schools, etc.), working also in smaller focus groups to gain a deep understanding of one of the minority groups in the city.  Two days will be spent in Bautzen, the center of Sorbian-speaking Lusatia to the south of Berlin, and the remaining seven days will be spent in Berlin. The course will have a final meeting about a week after our return in order to turn in formal papers on Berlin’s linguistic minorities and to share our observations.  Proficiency in the languages of Berlin, including German, although potentially helpful, is not required.