Current arguments in the field of applied linguistics have brought to light the need to develop learners’ critical awareness with regards to the linguistic and cultural practices of underrepresented communities (Randolph & Johnson, 2017). Pedagogical initiatives that foster discussions about the roots and manifestations of social inequalities (e.g., Arnold & Faudree, 2019; Alim 2007; Charity et al. 2008; Wolfram 2011) challenge the notion of a primarily proficiency-based curriculum. Additionally, they pave the way for a critical approach to curriculum development, one that acknowledges the social, historical, and political dimensions of foreign language study. Inspired by this work, a cultural curriculum aimed at making visible agentive practices of minoritized communities was designed. This session examines how university learners use multimodal texts and translingual practices to engage with issues of social justice in the Spanish-speaking world.

Using a multiliteracies approach (New London Group, 1996) and translanguaging as a theoretical framework (Prada, 2022), learners in third and fourth-semester Spanish courses were tasked with completing a 3-step project that captured their cultural awareness of one of the cultural topics examined during the semester (e.g., hegemonic ideologies about language purity, linguistic sexism, inclusive language, racial representations in the Spanish speaking world, erasure of non-dominant groups, or Hispanic local communities). Data collection included videos of learners describing their project, instructor and peer feedback, participants’ written cultural reflections, and their multimodal texts. Activity Theory was used to examine how learners display and develop critical awareness over the course of a semester. Specifically, we analyzed 6 participants’ personal experiences of and how they constructed meaning using multimodal texts and translingual practices (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Preliminary results indicate that the situated and negotiated nature of the creative process, characterized by the interaction of community, rules, tools, and division of labor, helps emergent multilingual individuals develop their critical awareness.

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Abstract Summary
Pedagogical initiatives that foster discussions about the roots and manifestations of social inequalities (e.g., Arnold & Faudree, 2019; Alim 2007; Charity et al. 2008; Wolfram 2011) challenge the notion of a primarily proficiency-based curriculum and pave the way for a critical approach to curriculum development. Inspired by this work, a cultural curriculum aimed at making visible agentive practices of minoritized communities was designed. This session examines how university learners use multimodal texts and translingual practices to engage with issues of social justice in the Spanish-speaking world.

Authors:
Marta Tecedor, Arizona State University, United States
Idoia Elola, Texas Tech University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Marta Tecedor is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Arizona State University in United States

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