Future Prof Workshop: Introduction to Global Englishes and Linguistic Justice

This workshop explores how understanding the concepts of Global Englishes and Linguistic Justice can help graduate instructors better support undergraduate student writers across a variety of learning environments. Global Englishes is a paradigm that recognizes that English is spoken in many legitimate dialects, accents, and varieties around the world and challenges the idea that a single "standard" form of English should be privileged above others. Meanwhile, Linguistic Justice is an antiracist framework for teaching and learning that focuses on creating equitable learning spaces by acknowledging and mitigating/eliminating the ways that language hierarchies often advantage some students while marginalizing others, including racialized students and those whose first or primary language is not English. These perspectives are especially important for TAs and instructors, who play key roles in shaping student participation, assessing writing and communication in courses, and nurturing a sense of belonging in the classroom. Together, we will explore practical strategies such as designing inclusive classroom discussions, responding constructively to language differences, developing equitable assessment practices, and creating learning environments where students across linguistic and cultural backgrounds can draw on their full linguistic repertoires as learners. 

By the end of this session, we will collectively aim to do the following:

1. Identify barriers to engagement across linguistic diversity in higher education 

2. Describe how Global Englishes and Linguistic Justice frameworks might offer a way to mitigate or eliminate barriers and foster inclusion, accessibility, and whole-person learning

3. Co-develop a menu of strategies for engaging in linguistic justice approaches to teaching and learning in higher education