Emory’s Fall 2022 entering class included approximately 1,424 first-year students who reported speaking 67 different languages (students could report up to five languages on their Common Application). This includes 444 Spanish speakers, 266 Mandarin speakers, 126 French speakers, 118 Korean speakers, and 85 Hindi speakers – and that’s just a small fraction of the language variety.
This panel, cosponsored with the Emory College Language Center and the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, offered classroom stories and strategies with a focus on the following questions:
- How does a “theory of language” shape our pedagogy, whether or not we make it explicit?
- How can our classrooms make space for and uplift the vast linguistic resources of the Emory student body?
- What does a translingual classroom look like?
- How do struggles for language reclamation shape our work as educators?
We were honored to be joined by guest speaker Ms. Melanie Frye. She is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Ms. Frye is also Bird Clan and from the Eufaula Canadian tribal town. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Native American Studies. She also has her Master’s in Native American Studies with an emphasis on language, history, and cultural knowledge from the University of Oklahoma. Her passion is to continue working in the revitalization and perpetuation of the Mvskoke (Creek/Seminole) language. She considers it a blessing to be able to work with and learn the Mvskoke language. While working with language she always feels like she is honoring her ancestors and mentors that have contributed to her knowledge of the Mvskoke language. She is the Mvskoke (Creek/Seminole) language instructor at the University of Oklahoma and is the Language Activities Coordinator at Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
Panelists:
- Cecilia Gómez (Center for Faculty Development and Excellence)
- Christine Ristaino (Emory College Language Center)
- Nesar Uddin (Writing Program)
- Mahmuda Sharmin (Writing Program)
- Melanie Frye (University of Oklahoma)