Multilingualism in Individuals, School and Society

About the course

Immigration to Sweden in recent decades has meant that the linguistic and cultural diversity in the country has increased. Meetings between people who have Swedish as their first language and people who have Swedish as their second language are becoming more and more common in the increasingly multilingual Sweden. We meet at workplaces, in school and higher education, as neighbours, in healthcare, sports, association life and more. In all these situations we need to communicate and understand each other. The course focuses on language and cultural encounters in and outside the school. It is aimed at student teachers, already active teachers and anyone interested in multilingualism issues.

During the course, we discuss how different forms of integration policies set the framework for the teaching models offered to multilingual students. The school subjects Swedish as a second language and Mother tongue instruction are examined from historical and societal perspectives. Furthermore, we analyze elusive phenomena such as language, culture, ideology, ethnicity, and identity, as well as the relationships between them.

From a societal perspective, we explore, among other things, the status of different languages in Swedish society. What functions does Swedish serve, and when are other languages used? What measures are taken in Sweden to guarantee everyone's right to language? What role does language policy play in promoting linguistic diversity? How do we view indigenous minority languages and new immigrant languages? To what extent are we influenced by various language ideological notions, such as the belief that monolingualism is the norm?

From an individual perspective, we discuss the linguistic resources and practices of multilingual speakers, including code-switching and various forms of migration-related linguistic variation. Who engages in code-switching? When and why is code-switching used? What function does urban slang serve? What other types of "Swedish with a foreign touch" do we encounter in Sweden today?

Outline for distance course: The course is a distance course and is carried out in a learning platform. Access to internet connected computer and headset is necessary. The course is based on self-study and communication in the web-based teaching environment and is aimed at those who feel comfortable with digital teaching formats. Learning, knowledge control and supervision takes place via the internet and online meetings are scheduled for the evening. You work both individually and in groups. Keep in mind that a distance learning course requires just as much work as a regular campus course. You are expected to have the ability to plan and manage your own study time.