Traditional approaches to language instruction are often based on monoglossic principles, raising students’ language awareness about the dominant forms and properties of the language of instruction. While these approaches remain important for language development, they are insufficient from a social justice perspective. We argue that Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC), as a curricular model and growing movement to revolutionize learners’ access to languages, responds to recent calls for reimagining language education through Critical Language Awareness (CLA) approaches. In the context of one recently established university LAC program in the northeastern United States, this study focuses on some participating teachers’ and students’ perceptions. Framing LAC as a third space for multilingual and diasporic individuals, we examine ways that its participants critically reflected on language in relation to the model. Analysis draws on interviews with 10 teachers and 16 students of Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish, as well as ethnographic classroom observations during 2022–2023. Participants’ reflections reveal ways that taking part in LAC elevated the status of languages, while also critically nuancing their awareness about the (in)adequacies of available institutional spaces and resources to support marginalized linguistic identities. We conclude with recommendations on how LAC instructors can promote CLA in their courses.
Britton et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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