Carnegie Mellon University

Uju Anya

Uju Anya

Associate Professor of Second Language Acquisition

Address
Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics
4980 Margaret Morrison St
Posner Hall 341
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Education

Ph.D., Applied Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles
M.A., Brazilian Studies, Brown University
B.A., Romance Languages, Dartmouth College

Bio

I am a scholar of language learning and Black experiences in multilingualism. My primary fields of inquiry are critical applied linguistics, critical sociolinguistics and critical discourse studies examining race, gender, sexual and social class identities in new language learning through the multilingual journeys of African American students. I also have expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion in instructional practices and curriculum design, language study abroad, applied linguistics as a practice of social justice, intercultural communication and service-learning in secondary and university-level language programs.

My book "Racialized identities in second language learning: Speaking blackness in Brazil" (Routledge 2017) examines how students shape and negotiate different identities in multilingual contexts, and it proposes how a multilingual approach (e.g. translanguaging, plurilingual practice) can be utilized for effective language pedagogy. My book was the first single-authored volume of sociolinguistic analysis and critical examination of the African American experience in language learning and won the 2019 American Association for Applied Linguistics First Book Award recognizing a scholar whose first book represents outstanding work that makes an exceptional contribution to the field. My second book, a co-edited volume titled "Racial equity on college campuses: Connecting research to practice," was released by SUNY Press at the end of 2021.

  • Critical Applied Linguistics
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Critical Sociolinguistics
  • Critical Discourse Studies
  • Study Abroad
  • Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Class in Second Language Learning
  • Language Diversity and Cultural Identity
  • Theories of Language Learning and Teaching
  • Hip Hop and Funk Discourses of Black Womanhood in Brazil and the U.S.
  • Language Program Administration
  •  Penn State College of Education Outstanding Teaching Award, 2020
  •  American Association for Applied Linguistics First Book Award, 2019
  • ACTFL/Middlebury Research Forum Invited Scholar, 2019
  • USC Rossier School of Education Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award, 2015
  • Centro Latino for Literacy Manos Amigas Volunteer of the Year Award, 2008

Department Member Since 2021