University of Montana

Call for proposals
June 15–26, 2020, CoLang Workshops

Deadline for receipt of proposals:
May 31, 2019

Selection of proposals:
August 30, 2019

We are seeking workshop proposals for topics related to language documentation, maintenance, and revitalization for the seventh Institute on Collaborative Language Research (CoLang) in 2020. CoLang 2020 will be held on the campus of the University of Montana, co-hosted by the University of Montana and Chief Dull Knife College, a tribal college in Lame Deer, Montana. The two weeks of workshops will be followed by three weeks of intensive language documentation practica.

CoLang is an international institute for language activists, teachers, linguists, and students from language communities and academia to obtain hands-on skills in language documentation and revitalization as practiced in collaborative contexts as well as in technology and basic linguistics in community-based research contexts. The institute creates multi-dimensional networks among community language workers, teachers, researchers, and students. Previous institutes have been hosted by the University of Florida-Gainesville (2018), the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (2016), the University of Texas at Arlington (2014), the University of Kansas (2012), the University of Oregon (2010), and the University of California, Santa Barbara (2008).

Major themes for CoLang 2020

Language reclamation
Native perspectives
Indigenous language pedagogy
Interdisciplinarity
Technology

Goals of CoLang 2020

The core members of the CoLang 2020 local organizing committee are conducting the Collaborative Language Planning Project (CLPP), supported by NSF-DEL and TCUP grants [BCS-1800820/BCS1800617]. We are reaching out to tribal colleges throughout the state of Montana to exchange ideas and to collaborate on language-based activities. We envision CoLang 2020 as a venue for language workers and teachers to enhance their skills and expertise. Reports on the CLPP activities can be viewed on ScholarWorks UM: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/clpp/.

CoLang 2020 also is inspired by the Natives4Linguistics initiative and welcomes workshops that address concerns discussed in the project. Participation in this initiative assisted in shaping the goals of CoLang 2020. An organizing committee member presented the goals of CoLang at a panel organized by the Natives4Linguistics at LSA 2019. A summary of the presentation can be found on our website, http://hs.umt.edu/colang/colang2020/themes.php (under CoLang Spirit). Please visit the Natives4Linguistics website, https://natives4linguistics.wordpress.com/ for more information.

Note that CoLang 2020 uses the term ‘facilitators’ instead of ‘instructors,’ as this better describes the role of the staff and the nature of CoLang workshops. CoLang 2020 aims to offer workshops facilitated by teams of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars/activists. We are especially interested in finding facilitators who will work as a team including at least one Indigenous scholar/activist. We encourage those who have participated in previous CoLangs, have participated in the Natives4Linguistics workshop, are practicing community-based research, and/or have participated in the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) https://aildi.arizona.edu/— or similar Indigenous language training Institutes — to serve as facilitators or workshop organizers.

We are also interested in workshops designed to have a large component of hands-on activities that will provide immediate assistance to community members and students in their work after the institute, so that they have something useful to take back to their home communities.

A CoLang workshop meets 1.5 hours per day for four days. Approximately five new workshops will be selected to complement the currently listed courses and fit with CoLang 2020’s themes and goals. A list of workshops already staffed is online at http://hs.umt.edu/colang/colang2020/workshops.php.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Workshop proposals should be a maximum of 2 pages long and include:

The general topic and working title of the proposed workshop.
A brief description of workshop content, including: general lesson plan, target audience (language workers, linguistics scholars and students, revitalizationists, etc.), and expected background of the participants.
How you plan to facilitate it (presentations, discussions, examples, hands-on exercises).
How your workshop fits the theme and goals of CoLang 2020.
Your qualifications for offering this workshop (previous courses taught with similar content, CoLang participation, etc.).

REVIEW PROCESS

All proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the CoLang Advisory Circle (AC). Based on the AC’s suggestions, the local organizing committee will make the final decision in consultation with the AC. Preference will be given to proposals that successfully address the themes and objectives of CoLang 2020.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

The applicants for the successful workshop proposals will serve as facilitators for CoLang 2020. We can provide for two facilitators per workshop. We will pay for travel expenses, meals, and lodging during the week of the workshop. A workshop proposal with more than two facilitators may still be considered. However, only two facilitators can be funded through CoLang. A modest honorarium will be provided.

Questions should be directed to colang2020@gmail.com. Proposals should be submitted as a PDF to colang2020@gmail.com with the subject line “CoLang 2020 workshop proposal.”

Co-directors: Mizuki Miyashita and Susan Penfield
Email: colang2020@gmail.com
Website: http://hs.umt.edu/colang/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Colang2020/

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Linguistics Society of America, University of Montana, Chief Dull Knife College, and the Endangered Language Fund.