Politics, Power, and Society: Thomas Leddy-Cecere

Bennington Early College Program: Politics, Power, and Society 
Endangered Languages: Threats, Extinction, Survival?
Taught by Thomas Leddy-Cecere
10:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00-3:00 pm EST | August 9-13

Q&A with Thomas Leddy-Cecere

What excites you about teaching Endangered Languages: Threats, Extinction, Survival?

I'm excited to bring students together in awareness of a fundamental change happening to what human language looks like. I'm excited to talk with them about what's happening, why it's happening, and if there is anything we as individuals can/should/need to do to shape what happens next.

...a fundamental change [is] happening to what human language looks like.

What do you hope students will gain from this course?

I hope students will gain the ability to recognize and describe language endangerment—in all its nuance—from both their own perspectives and those of others, and that they will engage in critical thought about how we talk about language more generally (which can teach us a lot about ourselves!).

What are you reading right now?

Al-Su'aal [The Question] by Ghalib Halasah; The Rise and Fall of Ergativity in Aramaic by Eleanor Coghill. (I'm not so good at "leaving work at work!")

What publications have you had recently?

"Interrogating the Egypto-Sudanic Arabic Connection" (Languages 6(3)); "Contact-induced grammaticalization between Arabic dialects"; "Egyptian Arabic"

Do you have any pets?

No pets, but I am growing a lemon tree!

About the Bennington Early College Program

The Bennington Early College Program is a suite of one-credit online courses for high school, gap year, and college students. Programs are offered in Literature and Writing, Social and Environmental Justice, and Politics, Power, and Society. 

Bennington Early College Program course fees are refundable for students who later apply to Bennington's undergraduate program.