1,121 research outputs found
Health care access for Mayan communities in Kansas
No full textShowstack, R., Rangel, R., & Francisco, M. (2025). Health care access for Mayan communities in Kansas. In Arnold, L., Avera, E., Corwin, I., & Guzmán, J. (Eds.), Language and health in action. Oxford University Press
Addressing the big picture as a community-engaged linguist: Community-engaged scholarship and applied learning for systemic change
No full textThis Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by EngagedScholarship@CSUCover Page Footnote: "The article is based on the presidential address I delivered at the LII Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest (LASSO). The publication is supported by Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $375,000 by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health with 100 percent funded by OMH/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor endorsement by OMH/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/"Through a narrative about the formation and advancement of Wichita State University’s community-based health equity initiative Alce su Voz (‘Speak Out’), this article presents a reflection on the author’s role as a community-engaged scholar and the multiple levels of work in which linguists can engage to support linguistic social justice. The paper begins with a discussion of the role of the applied linguist in social change and a discussion of community-engaged scholarship, including community-based learning and community-based research. Then, using Alce su Voz’s approach to improving health equity for speakers of Spanish and Indigenous languages as an example, the author discusses how linguists can bring people together to uplift communities. She next presents the initiative’s three-pronged approach to improving health equity for speakers of minoritized languages, which includes (1) community engagement and education, (2) policy maker engagement and policy research, and (3) workforce development. Finally, the discussion returns to the linguist’s role as a teacher-scholar to explore possibilities and challenges for public scholarship and student engagement and consider how we can overcome the challenges of leadership in scholarship for social change
Language ideologies and linguistic identity in heritage language learning
No full textFirst editionLanguage Ideologies and Linguistic Identity in Heritage Language Learning addresses the ways in which discourses about language value and identities of linguistic expertise are constructed and negotiated in the Spanish heritage language (HL) classroom, and how the classroom discourse shapes, and is shaped by, the world outside of the classroom.
The volume examines the sociopolitical contexts, personal histories, and communicative practices of Spanish teachers and students in two diverse geographic regions: the US states of Texas and Kansas. Adopting an integrated sociocultural approach, it considers the ways in which individuals draw from multiple linguistic resources and social practices in daily interaction and how they articulate their beliefs about language through storytelling. Rich interactional data, examples from social media, and stories of community engagement are utilized to demonstrate how Spanish heritage speakers use language creatively and proactively to legitimize and claim power in their home and community linguistic practices.
This is an invaluable resource for applied linguists who seek to better understand the relationship between language, ideology, and identity and for graduate students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, Spanish, and HL education.Preface -- Chapter 1. Language, Identity, and Heritage Language Learning -- Chapter 2. Spanish as a Heritage Language in Texas and Kansas -- Chapter 3. Teachers' Personal Histories and Classroom Praxis -- Chapter 4. Heritage Language Students' Experiences, Ideologies, and Social Positioning -- Chapter 5. Heritage Language Learning and Symbolic Power -- Chapter 6. Heritage Language Education in Specific Context
Author Heid E. Erdrich: A Reading and a Conversation (LAI)
No full textThe Literary Arts Institute presents author and interdisciplinary artist, Heid Erdrich, a week-long writer-in-residence. Heid will read from her work, followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by LAI associate director, Rachel Marston.Heid E. Erdrich is the author of seven collections of poetry. Her writing has won fellowships and awards from the National Poetry Series, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Bush Foundation, Loft Literary Center, First People’s Fund, and other honors. She has twice won a Minnesota Book Award for poetry. Heid edited the 2018 anthology New Poets of Native Nations from Graywolf Press which won an American Book Award. Her most recent poetry collection, Little Big Bully, won the Balcones Prize. Heid grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota and is Ojibwe enrolled at Turtle Mountain
Oligarchy, cultural warfare, and stagecraft in William Shakespeare’s Measure for measure
No full textWilliam Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure builds upon reception conditions in the Globe Theater to convey radical political messages to the audience. The drama successfully depicts the societal problems resulting from England’s unique middle class expansion and heavily localized instances of cultural and class warfare. After providing substantial historical context, this thesis explains why the central villain, Angelo, embodies the severe nature of the new oligarchy. Furthermore, the problematic Duke represents crucial flaws inherent in paternalistic rhetoric that sustained institutionalized power imbalances. As social stratification continued to expand, state sanctioned abuses were inflicted upon the lower classes, including capital punishment, whipping, and lengthy prison sentences. Shakespeare speaks out against class oppression by manipulating his audience’s collective emotions. Mistress Overdone, Kate Keepdown, and Pompey experience harsh reprimands, and their performances encourage sympathy from the groundlings. Lastly, carnival values are championed against local instances of oppression. This essay focuses on the importance of stagecraft and language, and the ways these techniques are politically valuable in Shakespearean drama.M.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Rachel E. Mille
Language Ideologies and Linguistic Identity in Heritage Language Learning
No full textLanguage Ideologies and Linguistic Identity in Heritage Language Learning addresses the ways in which discourses about language value and identities of linguistic expertise are constructed and negotiated in the Spanish heritage language (HL) classroom, and how the classroom discourse shapes, and is shaped by, the world outside of the classroom. The volume examines the sociopolitical contexts, personal histories, and communicative practices of Spanish teachers and students in two diverse geographic regions: the US states of Texas and Kansas. Adopting an integrated sociocultural approach, it considers the ways in which individuals draw from multiple linguistic resources and social practices in daily interaction and how they articulate their beliefs about language through storytelling. Rich interactional data, examples from social media, and stories of community engagement are utilized to demonstrate how Spanish heritage speakers use language creatively and proactively to legitimize and claim power in their home and community linguistic practices. This is an invaluable resource for applied linguists who seek to better understand the relationship between language, ideology, and identity and for graduate students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, Spanish, and HL education. © 2024 Rachel Showstack, Diego Pascual y Cabo, and Damián Vergara Wilson
"Speak American": linguistic discrimination against Latino residents of Garden City, KS
No full textThesis (M.A.)-- Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of EnglishCarter (2014), Phillips (1998), and Zentella (1997) have extensively discussed the ways that linguistic discrimination functions to suppress the maintenance of minority languages like Spanish in the U.S. This study analyzes perceptions of linguistic discrimination reported by Spanish-speaking residents of Garden City, Kansas in order to understand more about how discrimination may contribute to displacement. By focusing on the ideologies and experiences of Spanish-speaking residents, I explore Spanish as a minority language in Garden City in ways that previous literature (Broadway, 1990; Grey, 1990; Stull, 1990; etc.) has not: with language as the focus and from the perspective of the participants themselves. Data was collected from 31 first- and second-generation Latino residents using sociolinguistic interviews and two questionnaires. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2008; Glaser & Strauss, 1967), whereby sociolinguistic methodologies were combined with ethnography to paint a larger picture of the data presented. The findings show that experiences of discrimination can influence language practices and family language policy, and may contribute to the displacement of Spanish in the community. This thesis contributes to sociolinguistic discussions about language practices and policy, linguistic discrimination and Spanish in the U.S. Specifically, it helps expand debates about interpretation services within healthcare, ESL and dual-language education, community policing in regions with high non-English-speaking populations, the politics of Spanish as a minority language in the U.S., and the connections between all of these concepts and the maintenance or displacement of Spanish. This work adds to the database of linguistic research into "new" Latino sociolinguistic regions of the United States, and contributes to highlighting the differences and similarities between these and more established Latino sociolinguistic regions
Culture and language diversity education in the obstetrics course curriculum of Wichita State University School of Nursing
No full textHonors thesis (HB)-- Wichita State University, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College.Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate with concentrations in Psychology, Spanish, and Health Management.Increasing culture, language, and population diversity requires health care professionals to be educated to provide equitable care. Many approaches to educating health care professionals only explore issues of racial and ethnic diversity without addressing linguistic and social factors that influence health care encounters. The aim of this research is to explore how issues of culture and language diversity are addressed in the obstetrical nursing education at Wichita State University. This study focuses on (1) culture and language variables of patient experiences, clinician experiences, and interpretation services, (2) evaluation of clinically applied culture and language education, and (3) evidence-based recommendations for incorporating cultural humility into nursing education
Assessment and interpreting services in discharge of Latino patients in Kansas
No full textPresented to the 13th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Rhatigan Student Center, Wichita State University, April 28, 2017.Research completed in the Department of Social Work and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and SciencesCase managers consist of social workers and nurses who plan dismissals. No known social workers or nurse case managers speak Spanish at Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph in Wichita, KS, which can contribute to the inefficient and unsafe discharge of Latino patients. Kadushin and Kuly (1993) report that 80 social workers in 36 not-for-profit acute care hospitals spent more time assessing patients than providing them with out-of-hospital services. The purpose of this pilot study is to identify assessment methods used with Latino patients, and case manager attitudes toward the current interpreter service system at Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph. Thirty-five case managers will be recruited to complete an electronic survey about their attitudes toward these issues, and preliminary data will be presented. There are implications for financial efficiency of the hospitals, educating case managers about interpreter usage, and informing policies on interpreter usage.Graduate School, Academic Affairs, University Libraries, Regional Institute on Agin
Identity, Discursive Positioning, and Investment in Mixed-Group Spanish Language Classes: A case study of five heritage speakers
No full textResearch in identity and heritage language (HL) education focuses on the experiences of heritage speakers (HS) and how certain classroom discourses can devalue the skills and proficiencies that they bring with them to the class (García & Torres-Guevara, 2010; Leeman, 2012; Showstack, 2016). These dominant and monoglossic language discourses often focus on the teaching and acquisition of a “standard Spanish language” (Train, 2007; del Valle, 2000). Although scholarship on HL education has long advocated for separate specialized courses to meet the needs of HSs (Potowski, 2002; Valdés, 1997), many HSs remain in courses designed for second language (L2) learners because institutions do not consistently offer specialized instruction. Some research has investigated the experiences of HSs in mixed L2-HL classes (Harklau, 2009; Potowski, 2002), but there is a need for an examination of the classroom discursive practices in courses tailored for L2 learners and how those practices shape how HSs of diverse backgrounds position themselves as Spanish speakers within and outside of the classroom. The present study explores the representation of identity among HSs enrolled in university-level Spanish language classes. This investigation examined the relationship between HSs’ perceived instructional objectives in a Spanish as a second language class, the ways HSs positioned themselves as knowledgeable of the language concerning these objectives, and finally, their subsequent investment in their Spanish studies. The data come from a classroom ethnography and were analyzed within a grounded theory methods approach (Glasser & Strauss, 1967) and showed the extent to which classroom activities were inclusive to HSs’ pedagogical needs. Further, from a social identity and positioning lens, I considered how language ideologies that value the standard linguistic repertoires of monolingual native speakers’ affected individuals’ perceptions and relationships to their heritage community, and the expert or novice identities they negotiated during social interaction. Classroom observations and interviews revealed that the instruction that HSs received often promoted a linguistic hierarchy that devalued the non-standard language forms that reflected the participants’ ethnolinguistic backgrounds. The findings show that each HS navigated classroom discursive practices and negotiated multilingual identities in interaction with their peers, teachers, and the curriculum in different ways. Some of the participants became ambivalent toward the language and its speakers as their backgrounds went unacknowledged in classroom practice, while others found value in the Spanish classes because of past experiences. Findings suggest that there is a need for methodologies in mixed-group classrooms that reflect and acknowledge the sociolinguistic variation of the class (Gutiérrez & Fairclough, 2006).Spanis
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