The recent decision of the Oakland (California) School Board declaring
Ebonics a separate language has put the controversy over African-American
English in the national limelight.  The controversy is multi-faceted.  There
is the basic question of just what is Ebonics or African American English.
Is it a separate language, a dialect, slang, bad grammar, broken English, or
really not a distinct entity?  There is the matter of its origins and
history.  Are its origins traceable to the language systems of Africa or is
it a variant of Southern English?  Further, there is the practical question
of how to approach the education of African American children whose home
speech is Ebonics.  Should a goal in the education of these children be the
purging of Ebonics so that it does not interfere with the mastery of
Standard English, or should Ebonics be used as a vehicle for learning
Standard English?  This course will deal with these and other issues
regarding Ebonics through readings, films, small and large group
discussions, writing assignments and lectures.  There will be regular
reading assignments, three or four essay assignments, and a term project.