[EDLING:2356] Binational Symposium: “Spanish in the U.S. and English in Mexico”

[Shannon Sauro]

The Second Binational Symposium: “Spanish in the U.S. and English in Mexico”
March 1-2, 2007

Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
http://simposio.asu.edu/

Linguistic competency in second and third languages has become an essential 
tool for cross-cultural communication. The particular case of language contact 
and use in the United States and Mexico is no exception:  

1.	In Mexico, curriculum reform and policy development address the 
instruction of English at various educational levels, to prepare individuals 
for interaction in the economic, technological, and scientific fields with 
English-speaking users. 

2.	In the United States, Spanish is the second most common language, and 
educators face the challenges of preserving and promoting higher levels of 
biliteracy in Spanish-speaking communities. 

Developing a thorough understanding of these issues is an urgent topic. A 
binational focus on discussions will allow U.S. and Mexican researchers, 
practitioners, administrators, and policy makers to share visions, solutions 
and knowledge to improve the teaching of Spanish in the U.S. and English in 
Mexico. 

Participating institutions in addition to include 
•	Arizona State University, US
•	The University of Arizona, US 
•	University of California, Los Angeles, US 
•	University of Tennessee, Knoxville, US 
•	Bronx Institute, City University of New York, US 
•	University of Texas, El Paso, US 
•	University of Texas, San Antonio, US 
•	Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, México 
•	Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, México 
•	Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, México 
•	Universidad de Sonora, México 

Through various colloquia, the symposium will provide for conversation between 
U.S.-based and Mexico-based researchers and practitioners, including

1.	Researchers and practitioners in the area of English/Spanish language 
instruction. 

2.	Coordinators and faculty of language teaching programs at the higher 
education level. 

3.	Administrators, teacher trainers and practitioners in the English 
section at the K-12 level. 

4.	Government agencies and education officials. 
 Colloquium topics include: 

1.	Building a Binational Teaching Force: Problems and Possibilities 
2.	Cultural Dimensions in Pedagogical and Research Perspectives 
3.	Teachers and Administrators: Current Experience and Visions 
4.	Migration, Multilingualism, and Language Policy: Transnational Visions 
and Challenges 
5.	Politics and Policies: Challenges and Prospective 
6.	Where we have been, where we are, and how we will work together 

For registration and other information, please visit the Binational Symposium 
website: http://simposio.asu.edu/

Contacts are Jorge Aguilar Rodríguez (jorge.aguilarrodriguez at asu.edu; 965-7134) 
and Gustavo Fischman (fischman at asu.edu, 965-5225).

Or you can provide your contacts if you’d like to.