Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Syllabus
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
This syllabus is a work in progress developed by Tania Avilés, Evelyn Durán Urrea, and Beatriz Lado. We adapt the traditional grammar-focused course to introduce the study of the Spanish language through a critical sociolinguistic and language-education lens. This approach responds more directly to the needs of our students, many of whom speak language varieties that have historically been stigmatized or marginalized and are training to become Spanish-language teachers.
Students will examine the structure and grammar of Spanish across key domains, including phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, discourse, and variation. At the same time, the course situates this structural knowledge within broader questions such as how languages are taught, standardized, and evaluated in academic and social contexts.
Beyond formal analysis, the course fosters students’ Critical Language Awareness by foregrounding the social, political, and cultural dimensions of language. We will explore how Spanish intersects with identity factors such as race, class, gender, and migration, and how ideologies surrounding “correct” or “standard” Spanish influence access, power, and belonging, particularly within educational systems.
Through readings, audiovisual materials, linguistic data analysis, and collaborative discussion, students will develop analytical tools to reflect on their own linguistic repertoires and educational experiences. They will also engage with broader debates about language, inequality, and justice in the Spanish-speaking world and in language education more broadly.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
CUNY OER Funding
CUNY OER Initiative
Comments
Our syllabus is designed as a dynamic document that evolves to meet students’ needs. This proposal integrates free-access and OER materials (with direct links in the PDF) alongside activities developed by the authors (in the appendixes). The use of both English and Spanish aligns with the critical sociolinguistic lens informing the course.
This OER was funded in part by the CUNY OER Initiative.