"In Latin America , most Indian [Note 1] peoples are still far from enjoying the fundamental indigenous rights which are considered essential to create a context for autonomous development and thus the survival of indigenous ethnias." (Hamel, 1995, pg. 271) [Note 2].
- Look on map quest or some other map program and find Mexico on the map.
- Review the following web sites
- http://www.azteca.net/aztec/lang.html
- http://www.hist.umn.edu/~rmccaa/chsind/chsind1.htm
- http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ILAC/ILAC_24.pdf
- Review the website of Universidad de las Americas or Universidad de Monterrey , to identify the work that is happening there around language policy, literacy, and SPPA services to diverse cultural and linguistic groups.
- Look up and review the Mexican Federal Ministry of Public Education to learn of the educational and language policies put in place for individuals living in Latin America .
- Is there an official language in Mexico ?
- What is the economic and political context in which language policies were established in Mexico ? In other words, what else was going on in Mexico that made the government perceive that it was necessary to establish a language policy, if one was established?
- What groups have immigrated to Mexico ? What role will these ethnic groups play in the linguistic aspect of Mexico ?
- What about the languages of the indigenous people in Mexico ? What is the status of their language?
- From your readings, what do you think the de facto language policy is in Mexico ?
- Discuss the impact that this language policy may have on effective services for individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
For the class presentation, lead us in a discussion about the situation in Mexico , and the three tasks outlined in the syllabus (page 3):
- Identify the problem(s) in Mexico
- Analyze the problems from various perspectives
- Propose various strategies for addressing the problem(s)
Notes
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Indigenous
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Hamel, R. E. (1995). Indigenous education in Latin America : Policies and legal frameworks. In T. Skutnabb- Kangas & R. Phillipson (Eds.), Linguistic human rights: Overcoming linguistic discrimination (pp. 271 - 288). NY: Mouton de Gruyter.
Copyright © Yvette D. Hyter May 2004