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

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
Second Language Acquisition
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: 16
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
Second Language Acquisition
Education and Sociolinguistics
Introduction to ELD/Bilingual and Special Education
Education and Sociolinguistics
Language Issues 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. 23
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 Methods I
Qualitative Methods II
Data 1: Introduction to Social Statistics
Data 2: Data Analysis
Qualitative Methods
Feminist Research Methods
Qualitative Analysis
Feminist Methodology
Total Credit Hours12