Exploring translanguaging events through a multilingual writing course design

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article describes the translingual theoretical underpinnings guiding the design of a multilingual writing course. The course was offered at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a Hispanic Serving Institution. The design of the course challenged monolingual ideologies in academic writing through community partnerships with non-profit community organisations committed to social justice on the US-Mexico border region. I explore translingual pedagogies in community partnerships as an approach to build students’ linguistic awareness of monolingual, multilingual, and translingual ideologies (Ayash, N. B. (2019). Toward translingual realities in composition: (Re)working local language representations and practices. Utah State University Press). Through reflections on my course design, specifically the syllabus design, introductory activities, and major course projects, I explore teaching practices that fostered self-reflection on language choices. Through translingual dispositions, we can highlight multilingual students’ abilities to negotiate, resist, and question languages as they advocate for social issues that affect their communities through writing, research, and collaboration.