You might be wondering what Critical Discourse Analysis is and, most importantly, why you are supposed to learn it in a Spanish language class.

Well, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a methodology that analyzes language in discourse (any type of text or oral component in which language is embedded) and examines the intentions behind the use of language to achieve certain goals. Language is used to express how we feel, what we think, and, importantly, to achieve specific purposes: to persuade, convince, demonstrate, contest, create tension, discuss, debate, or even gossip. Language plays a pivotal role in the way we interact with others and behave in society. In any social situation, you know what is appropriate to say based on social rules that regulate your way of speaking. Therefore, language is always tied to a social construction in which we are immersed. The sociocultural context in which we live today determines how language is used to shape realities and identities in society. A clear example of this is the way politicians use language to persuade us to vote for them. Thus, the main goal of Critical Discourse Analysis is to interpret how language is used to create a version of reality that is socially constructed to favor certain groups, often at the expense of diminishing others.

Given the current sociopolitical climate in the United States, it is essential to recognize the need for antiracist education at all levels of schooling. Hate speech targeting Latinx and other racialized communities has escalated beyond mere discrimination, particularly following the public killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. This tragic event marked a turning point, highlighting how overt racism and xenophobic behavior may be becoming more accepted in American society. Given this reality, it is crucial to address these issues in higher education, encouraging a critical analysis of the origins and persistence of these harmful beliefs, as well as the political forces that support them. By doing so, we can better understand how racism and racialized ideologies manifest in daily interactions and work toward combating the prejudices that contribute to violence, discrimination, and a lack of social mobility.

This project will guide you through step-by-step activities, readings, and homework assignments designed to help you achieve the language objectives of this course while developing a more critical understanding of the political dimensions of language. All the activities are designed to help you build the necessary skills to carry out a Critical Discourse Analysis Project over six weeks. Through teacher-led lectures, you will gain the tools to become a language interpreter and critically address the racial stereotypes that shape the representation of Afro-Latinx and Indigenous peoples in Spanish language textbooks used in New York City colleges.

As a language educator, an immigrant, and a mother whose daughter has faced racialized offenses in Mexico due to her physical appearance, I am deeply committed to contributing to efforts aimed at implementing this curriculum intervention. This project seeks to explain the context in which notions of nation are strengthened at the expense of marginalized communities, perpetuating stereotypes and exclusionary practices that undermine the richness of cultural diversity. Through this project, we aim to challenge these harmful representations and provide a more inclusive, critical approach to understanding language, identity, and power.

 

Initial Procedures (03/27)

1. Consent Form: (in progress)

This project intends to be used as a curriculum intervention for future professors who are interested in applying critical pedagogies in the future. The main goal is to know if you have found beneficial this project to enhance your language skills while applying this new perspective to teach Spanish at the end of the course. Follow the link below to agree (or not) to be part of this research project

2. Critical Language Awareness Questionnaire: (in progress)

This questionnaire will help to compare your awareness of Spanish in society and its relation to race and identity creation at the beginning and at the end of the course. Your answers and your opinions are of pivotal importance to make sure this final project has created a positive or negative impact on your language studies. Follow the link below to complete your questionnaire. (bibliography)

 

Lecture Requirement (04/01)

1. Power Relations and Representations through Discourse. 

Through these activities, we will discuss the beliefs and prejudices that are manifested towards minority groups, creating ethnic stereotypes, which are acquired, reinforced, and expressed through discourse by majority groups. Additionally, you will identify the influence of the media in creating, shaping, and manipulating the identities of marginalized and racialized groups.

Lecture Requirement (04/03)

2. Organizando la caja de herramientas para un Análisis Crítico del discurso 

In this activity, you will gain a general understanding of the objectives of critical discourse analysis. You will also be able to observe the linguistic tools used to conduct a linguistic analysis and its interpretation, considering the social, cultural, and political context surrounding them to reach an interpretation.

Lecture Requirement (04/08)

3. Explorando creencias dentro de Latinoamerica a través de la historia.

In this particular section, you will explore assumptions based on race in Latin America, focusing on an attempt to hide facts from history.

Lecture Requirement (04/10)

4. Analizado libros de texto a través del Análisis Crítico del Discurso.

Lecture Requirement (04/22)

5. Estudiando el mundo editorial en su contexto sociopolítico.

In- Lecture (04/24)

6. Primeras impressiones del análisis de los libros de texto.

In- Lecture (04/29)

7. Resumen de las primeras impresiones y preparación de presentación.

In-Lecture (05/01)

8. Presentación de las primeras impresiones (Presentación oral)

In-Lecture (05/06)

9. Escritura del ensayo argumentativo (Parte 1)

In-Lecture (05/08)

10. Escritura del ensayo argumentativo. Entrelazar resultados con teoría. (Parte 2)

In-Lecture (05/13)

11. Presentaciones finales

In-Lecture (05/15)

12. Una propuesta sobre la creación de materiales críticos.