Course Syllabus
Bilingual Communities
Human Behavior
SPAN 826.701 Term 7B crn: 59031
Fall 2025 7B
Instructor: Joshua M. Pongan, PhD
The course syllabus will provide you with the course schedule, course objectives, explanations of assignments and assessments, grading policies, and instructor contact information. Please read it carefully. You should have a deep familiarity with the schedule and process of the course.
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Basic Course Information
General Education
This course fulfills the General Education area of Human Behavior
Welcome Message
Welcome to Bilingual Communities! We’ll be spending the semester together in an exploration of the intricacies of how language dynamics reflect and shape social dynamics.
Meeting Time and Location
This is an asynchronous course, with no scheduled meeting times.
Instructor Information
My Name:
Joshua M. Pongan, PhD
Please refer to me as Professor Pongan. My pronouns are he/him/his.
Instructor Biography
Language has always captivated me. Growing up, my Filipino father was trilingual, but he never taught himself or his children their local languages. However, exposure to them ignited an incredible curiosity and passion for languages within me. Since then, I’ve studied Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French. I hold a PhD in Hispanic Linguistics and am thrilled to collaborate with you this semester to connect with you all and work with you as you delve deeper into the dynamics of multilingualism and its connection to human behavior.
My Contact Information
Please reach out to me at any time for assistance with the course or just to chat about the field or navigating university life. The best way to reach me is to email me at jpongan@temple.edu. I will generally respond within 24 hours, Monday through Friday. Please do not send a follow-up email before 24 hours have passed.
My Office
https://temple.zoom.us/j/3315599903
Student Drop-In Hours
Seeking out individual assistance from the instructor is a normal part of the learning process. I set aside 9am to 10am on Mondays and Tuesdays for you to come to my office with no appointment necessary. We can discuss the course content, your progress on the assessments, your future in the field, or anything else you need to talk about. If my regular Drop-In Hours don’t fit your schedule, please email me to make an appointment. I want to help you succeed!
Purpose of the Course
Overall Purpose
This General Education, Human Behavior, course expands the breadth of your knowledge and skills, adding to the depth acquired in your major. This course emphasizes the critical competencies of critical thinking, oral/written communication, and information literacy while delving into the dynamics of multilingualism.
Overview of the Course
This course addresses issues involving language varieties, language rights and human behavior within bilingual and multilingual communities and nations. The course explores the complex relationship between power and solidarity in communities where two or more languages or varieties are spoken. In class, students will learn about bilingual communities throughout the world, and in a culminating project they will focus on a community of their choice, reinforcing the course themes and analyzing the challenges and richness of the linguistic context of the community. As this course is offered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, there will be a focus on the Spanish-speaking world.
Credit Hours: 3
Learning Goals
Upon successful completion of this General Education course, you will be able to…
- Describe how language plays a role in the shaping of identity and how identity plays a role in language practice.
- Apply theory from linguistics, anthropology, sociology of language and other related fields to a concrete situation of a multilingual society.
- Examine how an individual’s beliefs, behaviors and assumptions impact language practice and language policy.
- Apply one disciplinary method to understand human behavior or explain social phenomena.
- Access and analyze materials related to individuals, communities and language-related practices.
- Compare and contrast language-related social phenomena across individuals or communities.
REQUIRED READINGS (These may be found as PDFS on our Canvas Course site)
Selection from:
Fishman, J. A., & García, O. (2010). Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
“Latin America” by García, Lopez and Makar.
Selections from: Weber, Jean-Jacques and Horner, Kristine. (2017). Introducing Multilingualism; A social approach. 2nd ed. Routledge, NY.
General Education Competencies and Area Learning Goals
What is General Education?:
The General Education (Gen Ed) program is comprised of diverse areas of study and practice in which all undergraduate students must undertake coursework. These courses and the Areas they represent provide the place for students to develop academic and professional skills through the context of the course.
Gen Ed program goals include:
- Critical Thinking
- Contextualize Learning
- Interdisciplinary Thinking
- Communication Skills
- Scientific & Quantitative Reasoning
- Civic Engagement
- Information Literacy
- Lifelong Learning
SPAN 826: Bilingual Communities falls into the Human Behavior Area of the Gen Ed Program. Human Behavior courses address the relationships between individuals and
communities. Human Behavior courses are intended to teach students how to:
- Understand relationships between individuals and communities;
- Understand theories or explanations of human behavior used to describe social phenomena;
- Examine the development of individuals’ beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions and how these affect individuals and communities;
- Apply one disciplinary method to understand human behavior or explain social phenomena;
- Access and analyze materials related to individuals, communities or social phenomena; and
- Compare and contrast similar social phenomena across individuals or communities.
The Learning Environment
How Class Will Be Conducted
This is a fully asynchronous, online course with no set meeting times. Readings for each week are posted on Monday as well as narrated videos that will be posted at the start of each module. These videos introduce each module, contextualizing the included readings. Additionally, on Mondays, discussions questions will be posted for the readings. For the discussion questions the class will be divided into groups. By Friday initial everyone most post their initial response discussion group. By the Friday of the following week, you must upload responses to your classmates.
General weekly schedule for readings and discussions. :
Watch narrated videos at start of each module: I will post these the Monday that starts each module.
Sample:
Monday 1:
- Module video posted (when start of new module)
- Readings made available for the week
- Discussion questions made available
Friday 1:
- Reading quiz for the week
- Students respond to reading prompts in discussion board
Monday 2:
Start of new content
- Module video posted (when start of new module)
- Readings made available for the week
- Discussion questions made available to students
Friday 2:
Connected to previous week’s content
- Students respond to a minimum of two students’ post from the previous week.
Connected to new content
- Reading quiz
- Students respond to reading prompts in discussion board
This is an online asynchronous course with no set meeting times. You can choose when to complete your work throughout the week, but most successful students block off specific times in their schedule to dedicate to the class and log in several times a week.
I will post weekly announcements to keep you on track and informed, and I will check discussion boards regularly to engage with student posts and answer questions. Written or video feedback on assignments is typically provided within one week of the submission deadline. I aim to be present and responsive throughout the course, and you are encouraged to reach out with any questions or concerns at any time.
Classroom Civility
NETIQUETTE: All communications between you and your instructor and you and your classmates must be professional, appropriate, and respectful of distinct viewpoints, ideas and interpretations. Please contact me by email if you feel this has been violated. All communication must meet the following expectations:
Emails should include:
- A greeting (e.g. Dear Professor name)
- A concise, clear message in professional language
- A closing (e.g. Best, Thank you, Sincerely etc.)
- Your name
- Your class and section (e.g. Spanish 826 Section 2)
Software or Other Supplies
Required Technology: The below technologies are required for the course. A cellular phone or tablet cannot be used for the course to replace a computer / webcam etc.
- Computer
- Webcam
- Microphone
- Speakers
- Microsoft Office (available free on TUPORTAL)
- Broad-band/high-speed internet
Accessibility
It is important to me that every student has the opportunity to succeed in this course. Please reach out to me if any obstacle is in the way of your success.
Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) located in the Howard Gittis Student Center South, 4th Floor at drs@temple.edu or 215-204-1280 to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential. Students can learn more about the accommodation process and pre-register on the DRS website. Students may register at any time during the semester, but accommodations are not active until you register, so I recommend doing so as early in the semester as possible.
Information regarding accessibility for additional technologies is provided below:
Resources and Support
Sometimes the biggest factors impacting student success are things happening beyond the scope of the individual classroom. Temple provides a wide array of resources both to help you overcome academic challenges and those not directly related to the educational challenges of the course. Please reach out to me if you need help deciding which resources might be right for you.
Undergraduate Research Support
Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry is in operation, as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.
Library Resources*
Temple University Libraries provide resources to assist Temple students with their class projects and research needs. Visit the Libraries’ website to find millions of articles, books, video, and other resources, both in print and online.
The site also provides tutorials to help you start your research, as well as subject and course research guides to help you identify resources that may be particularly useful for this class.
Contact the library at any stage of the research process. You can chat with a librarian 24/7 or make an appointment with your subject librarian, who can help you explore a topic, craft a research question, and identify and cite sources.
Course Schedule
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Week |
Readings
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Assignments due Fridays at 11:59pm unless otherwise stated (check of items as you complete them) |
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Week 1 10/14/25 |
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Week 2 10/20/25 |
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Week 3 10/27/25 |
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Week 4 11/03/25 |
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Week 5 11/10/25 |
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Week 6 11/17/25 |
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Fall Break 11/24-11/28 |
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Week 7 12/1/25 Last day to withdraw |
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Final project: |
Due Friday, December 5th at 11:59pm uploaded to Canvas |
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*Maybe subject to change |
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Grading & Assessment Guidelines
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Discussion and Participation |
20% |
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Quizzes |
15% |
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Information Literacy Project |
10% |
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Language Biography |
20% |
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Your “Bilingual” Community project prep |
10% |
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Your “Bilingual” Community Project |
25% |
Grading Scale
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Percentage |
Letter Grade |
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94-100 |
A |
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90-93 |
A- |
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87-89 |
B+ |
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84-86 |
B |
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80-83 |
B- |
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77-79 |
C+ |
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74-76 |
C |
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70-73 |
C- |
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67-69 |
D+ |
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64-66 |
D |
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61-63 |
D- |
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0-60 |
F |
Course Minimum Grade*
A grade of “C-” or better is required in all GenEd courses for you to satisfy a General Education requirement.
I will do my best to warn you if you are in danger of not meeting this minimum, but you should reach out to me if you become worried about not achieving the minimum needed grade.
Assessment Summary
The assessments in this course have been created for two reasons: (1) For you to demonstrate your progress towards the learning goals for the course and receive useful feedback. (2) For you to practice skills and develop ways of thinking that will be of use to you in the future.
- Discussion & Participation: Every week students will engage in a dialogue between their instructor and their peers based on the readings of the week.
Aligned with course objectives: a, b, c, f.
After the first week, you must post twice. One is to directly engage and respond to the posted questions and the second post should respond to two other group members’ comments.
- To receive full credit as a discussant you must:
- Respond to three of the questions posted
- Comment meaningfully on two of your groupmate’s answers incorporating relevant material from the readings.
- Cite any relevant references to the week’s readings or previous readings.
Rubric for discussant (10 points based)
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Response to three questions |
6 |
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Relevant to readings and course theme |
2 |
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Responded to groupmates’ answers |
2 |
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Total points: |
10 |
- B. Quizzes (Readings and videos): Approximately each week there will be a short quiz based on the narrated video presentations and course readings. These quizzes will be taken on Canvas after the videos are watched and readings done. They will be due Fridays at 11:59pm.
Aligned with course objectives: a, b, c, f.
- Information Literacy Project: A project will be given developing information literacy by assessing sources that may or may not be utilized for your language biography. Aligned with course objectives: e
- Language Biography: This project is a 4–5-page paper that captures your experiences with your own language and observing the language of others, reflecting on those experiences, and effectively connecting them with the concepts presented in the course readings and discussions .
Aligned with course objectives: a, b, c, d, e.
- Your “Bilingual” Community (and preparation): If we’re talking about communities, it makes sense to explore your own. This is your chance to take the themes we’ll have explored in this class and see them in action in your community. More details to come.
Aligned with course objectives: a, b, c, d, e.
When planning your semester, I recommend adding all due dates to your calendar. For the more extensive assessments, I recommend scheduling at least two separate hour-long work/study sessions per week for the two weeks before the due date. The final project will require more time. You should schedule time beginning just after the midterm.
Late Submissions/Missed Exams & Quizzes
LATE ASSIGNMENTS: All assignments are expected to be submitted on time. There is a 50% reduction per day late for all assignments except the final essay. No late submissions of the final project will be accepted.
INABILITY TO COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS: There will be no opportunity for extensions to recover missed work for undocumented sickness, vacations, weddings etc. If a religious holiday will conflict with a deadline this must be discussed in the beginning of the semester with the instructor so that the assignment(s) can be handed in prior to the missed dates. Work can only be made up after a deadline with a medical note stating specific dates the student could not work on the course. The dates must be listed individually and the note must be provided to the instructor by the first date the student is able to resume work according to the note or it will not be accepted.
Class Attendance & Participation
Because this is an online asynchronous course, there are no required meeting times. However, consistent engagement throughout the week is expected and counts as your "attendance" in the course. At a minimum, students should log in at least two to three times per week to view course materials, complete assignments, and participate in discussions. Most assignments will have weekly deadlines, and some activities, such as discussion boards or collaborative projects, may require you to log in more frequently. Staying active and on schedule is essential for your success in the course.
School-Life Conflict
Many unpredictable things can happen over the course of a semester. If you find yourself struggling to balance your education and your other commitments, please reach out to me immediately so that we can work together to build a plan for your success. Some of the resources in the next section may also be of use to you.
Religious Holidays
It is your right to observe religious holidays without impacting your opportunity to learn and succeed in this course. Please reach out to me at the start of the semester so that deadlines can be reviewed in advance of your religious observations. You will still be held responsible for course content and any assignments, but you will not lose points for attendance and participation on days important to your faith.
Withdrawal
If you are considering withdrawing from the course after the add/drop date, please don’t make that decision alone! Withdrawing from the course without talking to me first eliminates the possibility of finding a path to success for you. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you consult your academic advisor before withdrawing. They will be able to walk you through how the withdrawal would impact your progress towards your degree and your graduation date.
Please check the academic calendar for the last day to withdraw from a course.
Incomplete
A student will be eligible for a grade of “Incomplete” only if the student: 1) has completed at least 51% of the work at a passing level, 2) is unable to complete the work for a serious reason beyond their control, and 3) files a signed agreement with the instructor outlining the work to be completed and the time frame in which that work will be completed. The student is responsible for initiating this process, and all incomplete forms must be sent to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs prior to the start of study days in that semester.
Please refer to the following for further details: Temple University’s Incomplete Policy. (Policy #02.10.13).
Technology Guidelines
Technology Requirements*
To participate in this course, you will need the equipment, software, and internet access necessary to reliably use Zoom and Canvas, as well as “productivity tools” like word processors and slide show creators.
Limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or insufficient Wifi access, should submit a Student Technology Assistance Application located in TUPortal and linked from the Dean of Students Support and Resources. The University will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access.
Note that there are technology resources available for students, including on-campus computers available for student use, the Tech Center computer labs and free laptop and battery borrowing at Charles Library, software that is available for free download and other specialty software that may be available for remote access through ITS.
Technical Support
For a listing of technical support services available to Temple University students, see the Tech Support page.
Live Chat or Request Help: help.temple.edu
Phone: 215-204-8000
Email: help@temple.edu
Website: its.temple.edu
Location: The TECH Center, Room 106
Technology Usage
Statement on AI:
The use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Dall-e, etc.) is permitted in this course for the following activities:
- Brainstorming and refining your ideas;
- Finding information on your topic;
- Checking grammar and style.
The use of generative AI tools is not permitted in this course for the following activities:
- Impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as by using the tool to compose discussion board prompts assigned to you or content that you put into a Zoom chat.
- Completing group work that your group has assigned to you, unless it is mutually agreed upon that you may
- utilize the tool.
- Writing a draft of a writing assignment.
- Writing entire sentences, paragraphs, or papers to complete class assignments.
You are responsible for the information you submit based on an AI query (for instance, that it does not violate intellectual property laws, or contain misinformation or unethical content). Your use of AI tools must be
properly documented and cited in order to stay within university policies on academic honesty.
Privacy and Data Protection
Please see the links below to become familiar with the privacy policies for each of the following:
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Academic Guidelines
Academic Freedom
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. I have the freedom and responsibility to design and facilitate our learning environment to best achieve the promise of the course as outlined in its official description. You have the responsibility to engage with the course in good faith and freedom from mistreatment when your opinion differs from mine. Note that it is not an abuse of this freedom for me to require that you support relevant opinions with clear argumentation and solid evidence. For more on academic freedom, consult the official Temple policy on the matter.
Academic Integrity
Temple University believes strongly in academic honesty and integrity. Plagiarism and academic cheating are, therefore, prohibited. All work you submit for assessment should be your own efforts. For more on this topic, consult the relevant portions of Temple Bulletin and the Student Conduct Code.