Vernacular Literacy Today

Students will come to understand the role and importance of vernacular literacy both now and in the past, particularly in the English-speaking world. They will also learn why over one-fourth of the adult population of the world (close to 1,000 million people) is illiterate and why literacy is inaccessible to close to 100 million children.

This seminar is tentatively scheduled to meet during Full Session on T from 11:10 - 12:00.

Note: Please check the official timetable for the most up-to-date information about meeting times and locations and availability.

About the professor

Bethany K. Dumas
Bethany K. Dumas is a Professor of English specializing in linguistics with a focus on the role of language in our judicial system. She holds earned degrees in English, English/Linguistics, and Law. She has studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, U. of London and at Linguistic Society of America Summer Institutes (Variation, Computational Linguistics, and Syntax). Recent publications include “Reverse Engineering of Jury Instructions.” Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy (TJLP)5.2:185-197(2009) and “Consumer Product Warnings: Composition, Identification, and Assessment of Adequacy.” Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics, ed. Malcolm Coulthard and Alison Johnson. Oxford and New York: Routledge. [In press]. She teaches courses in Structure of Modern English, American English Dialects, Language & Law, Research Methodology (Qualitative & Quantitative), and Discourse Analysis (and occasionally one called “Talkin’ Trash: The Nature and Function of Contemporary Verbal Sparring.”).

Contact Information

Email: dumasb@utk.edu
Phone: 974-6965
Webpage: http://web.utk.edu/~dumasb/ [under construction], http://www.ljp.utk.edu/

 

This class is part of UT's Ready for the World initiative. Find out more about how UT is making its students Ready for the World.