This course introduces students to concepts, theories, principles and skills for understanding communication between people with different language(s) and from different cultural backgrounds. Emphases are on  language variation and change; the relationship between social identity and language use; linguistic diversity; language contact; language and gender; code-switching/mixing; language attitudes, biases, prejudices; language policy and planning; intercultural communication in a globalized world; society, power and implications for pedagogy.

This course presents an introduction to sociolinguistics (the study of the relationship between language and society) and intercultural communication (communication across languages and cultures). The overall aim of this course is to understand sociolinguistic, intercultural, and communication issues that English language users, learners, and teachers are likely to encounter within and beyond the classrooms. Therefore, it provides an emphasis on sociolinguistic and intercultural communication issues as they are connected to the using, teaching, and learning of English as an international language in various ethnolinguistically diverse contexts and communities around the world.