Following a first edition in 2008, the second Symposium on Teaching and Learning Indigenous Languages of Latin America (STILLA) will be held at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana USA, from October 30 to November 2, 2011. The symposium will bring together instructors, practitioners, activists, indigenous leaders, scholars and learners to focus on research and pedagogy related to the diverse languages and cultures of indigenous populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Numerous leading experts in various fields (education of course, but also language policy and planning, theoretical linguistics, Latin American studies, applied linguistics, anthropology, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, informatics…) will attend the event through multiple discussions, roundtables and workshops, in the final aim to contribute to the teaching, learning, dissemination, maintenance, and revitalization of the many minority languages spoken in this part of the world.

STILLA 2011 has issued a call for proposals. All applications are welcome, as long as candidates are able to clearly justify the relationship of their presentation to the core symposium themes, and that the presentations eventually provide an opportunity for symposium participants to engage with some of the challenging and fundamental questions at the intersection of research and the teaching and learning of Latin American indigenous languages. Priority will be given to proposals that address one or more of the following topics:

• Best practices, methodologies, and strategies in indigenous languages pedagogy

• The interplay of research, theory, and practice in teaching and learning indigenous languages

• Languages as vehicles to cultures and the world of living experience

• Language revitalization and documentation

• Distance learning / online courses

• Issues of dialectology and standardization in language instruction

• Impact of language attitudes and ideologies on teaching and learning indigenous languages

• Intellectual, cultural, and political role of indigenous languages in Latin America

• Indigenous languages, cultures, and identity

• Connecting, celebrating and maintaining traditions through teaching

• Assessment and evaluation of indigenous language learning

• Innovative technologies for teaching and learning indigenous languages and cultures

• Effects of language policy and planning on the teaching and learning of indigenous languages

• Language, literacy, and cultural practices

• Issues of bi-literacy and bilingual education in Latin America

• Music/musicology and the teaching and learning of indigenous languages

• Sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and pragmatics in the teaching and learning of indigenous languages

• Programmatic structure for Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) instruction

Proposals and presentations are welcome in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Call for proposals deadline: December 6, 2010.

Access general proposal guidelines here, and full details of the event here.

STILLA 2011
October 30 – November 2, 2011
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
USA