Language is not simply a means of expressing ideas and exchanging information. As we move through our daily lives, our words and gestures continually construct, negotiate, and contest our identities, social worlds, and political conditions. In this course, we explore the powerful role that communication (and miscommunication) play in the formation of gender dynamics, class relations, racial hierarchies, social institutions, and national boundaries. Through ethnographic readings and firsthand observations of linguistic forms and language practices, students gain an appreciation for the anthropological subfield of linguistic anthropology. Class readings examine ideas about language and the complex power dynamics and multiple layers of meaning in everyday language use, ranging from dinnertime conversations and asylum interviews to political humor and online rants. Semester-long projects enable students to conduct an analysis of a speech event of their own choosing.