CU Boulder is home to the Graduate Certificate in Culture, Language and Social Practice (CLASP). This program provides an interdisciplinary forum on language and society for CU students and faculty. This is facilitated through regular colloquia on the subject of language and society, as well as the diverse course offerings in the CLASP graduate certificate program.
The CLASP program brings cohesion to empirical and theoretical research currently conducted on campus in varied analytic traditions that focus on the study of culture, language and social practice. These traditions include sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, literacy, bilingualism, second language acquisition, language endangerment and revitalization, narrative studies, symbolic interactionism, language variation and change, ethnography of speaking and diverse forms of discourse analysis, such as conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics and multimodal discourse analysis.
The program currently has over twenty affiliated faculty members from a variety of schools and departments, among them anthropology, communication, education, French and Italian, German and Slavic, linguistics, political science, Spanish and Portuguese, sociology and speech, language and hearing science.
For more information on the application process and program requirements, visit the CLASP: Culture, Language & Social Practice website.
Requirements
Twelve credit hours of graduate-level coursework are required for the graduate certificate in culture, language and social practice. Three credit hours must come from the list of approved core courses (Group A); six credit hours must come from the list of elective courses (Group B); and the three remaining credit hours must come from a course in either social theory or research methods (Group C), subject to approval by the CLASP curriculum committee. The course chosen to fulfill the Group C requirement, while not necessarily language-related, should be a methodological or theoretical course that informs the student's research interests in the relationship between language and society. At least one of the three selected courses from Lists A and B must be from outside the student's home department.
A student may opt to substitute a CU Boulder MA thesis on the subject of culture, language and social practice for one of the Group B courses, if approved by the curriculum committee, which is constituted by the CLASP faculty advisor and CLASP director. An independent study may also be substituted for a formal course, if approved by the committee.
A number of new and unlisted seminars on the subject of language and society are taught within individual departments each year. Students should check with the CLASP program director each semester for a list of additional courses that fulfill the requirements. Students wanting to substitute an unapproved course for one of the courses listed below must receive approval from the CLASP curriculum committee.
The acquisition of a CLASP certificate is dependent on the successful completion of all courses in the academic curriculum with a grade of B or higher.
Required Courses and Credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Group A: Core Courses | ||
| Students will choose one core course from the list below. | 3 | |
| Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Discourse Analysis | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Ethnography of Communication | ||
| Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics | ||
| Sociolinguistic Analysis | ||
| Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Language Acquisition for Bilingual Learners | ||
| Education and Sociolinguistics | ||
| Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Group B: Elective Courses | ||
| Students will choose two elective courses. Recently offered courses that fulfill this requirement include: 1 | 6 | |
| Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Readings in Communication Theory | ||
| Readings in Community and Social Interaction | ||
| Discourse Analysis | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Ethnography of Communication | ||
| Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education | ||
| Literacy for Linguistically Different Learners | ||
| Language Acquisition for Bilingual Learners | ||
| Education and Sociolinguistics | ||
| Introduction to ELD/Bilingual and Special Education | ||
| Education and Sociolinguistics | ||
| Designing for Linguistic Diversity in Education Research | ||
| Sociolinguistic Analysis | ||
| Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Language and Gender in Cultural Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Group C: Courses in Social Theory and Research Methods | ||
| Choose one course in either social theory or research methods that is appropriate for research goals, in consultation with their CLASP faculty advisor. 2 | 3 | |
| Examples of social theory courses include: | ||
| Theoretical Foundations of Sociocultural Anthropology | ||
| Anthropology of Neuroscience | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Latin American Politics and Culture through Film and Text | ||
| Science, Technology and Society | ||
| Cultures of Expertise: Science, Power and Knowledge | ||
| Core Course-Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Seminar: Contemporary Theory in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Seminar: Ethnography and Cultural Theory | ||
| Social and Cultural Theory | ||
| Sociology of Education | ||
| Anthropology of Education | ||
| Seminar: Cultural Geography | ||
| History of Sex and Sexuality | ||
| Seminar: Political Theory | ||
| Graduate Seminar in Sociological Theory | ||
| Cultural Sociology | ||
| Sociology of Sex and Gender | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Seminar in Social Psychology | ||
WGST 5000 | ||
| Advanced Topics in Gender ad Sexuality Studies (AH) | ||
| Advanced Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies (SS) | ||
| Critical Inquiries in Transgender Studies | ||
| Feminist Theories | ||
| Special Topics in Gender and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Queer Theories | ||
| Examples of seminars in methods include: | ||
| Seminar: Current Research Topics in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Seminar: Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Community-based Research Methods | ||
| Ethnographic Methods in Educational Research | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods in Education | ||
| Qualitative Methods II | ||
| Statistics 1: Introduction to Social Statistics | ||
| Stats 2: Statistic Analysis | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Feminist Research Methods | ||
| Qualitative Analysis | ||
| Feminist Methodology | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
| 1 | The courses listed in this category have been offered at CU Boulder in the recent past. They are not necessarily offered on a regular basis, and they often have rotating faculty members and are subject to change. Students may also substitute an approved independent study with a CLASP faculty member as one of the required electives. |
| 2 | This is a working list of possible courses offered in these areas at CU Boulder, as listed in the catalog. Note that these are not CLASP-approved courses. Unlike the courses specified in Categories A and B, these courses are listed as suggestions only, to provide examples of the kinds of seminars that might be used to fulfill this requirement. Because many of these courses are taught by revolving faculty members who are not CLASP-affiliated, the course content is subject to change from semester to semester. In addition, some of these seminars have prerequisites or limit student enrollment on the basis of disciplinary background. |