Konrad Szymanowski
Title of Program:Linguistic Anthropology and Sociolinguistic Identity
E-mail Address: kszymano@vols.utk.edu
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Year:Senior
Anticipated Graduation Date: Spring 2023
Description of Program:My program focuses on the intersections of language, culture, and identity, seeking to understand how people create linguistic identities based on their sociocultural surroundings. In particular, I seek to analyze and understand how multilingual speakers - minority groups such as immigrants and their descendants, as well as indigenous peoples - construct, interact with, and are influenced by the institution of language. Within the scope of my intended research, I engage with the phenomenon of multilingualism in both individuals and communities, the ‘right to language’ and language preservation efforts, and the power dynamics of majority-minority language interactions in social and political institutions. By understanding the complex ways in which people utilize language both to draw lines in the sand and to break down borders between each other, I hope to illustrate the significance of our languages in an increasingly globalized, multicultural world.
Departmental Emphases: Linguistics, Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology, German, Hispanic Studies
Faculty Mentor:Tanita Saenkhum (Department of English)
Plans after graduation (career, graduate/professional school, etc.):After UT, I intend to pursue these areas of research further through graduate programs in linguistics and anthropology, in addition to participating in international fellowship and research opportunities such as Fulbright. In my post-graduate academic career, I aim to conduct longitudinal ethnographies addressing linguistic identities among diglossic/multilingual communities, primarily in Europe and the Americas, as well as projects with immigrant communities regarding generational language transfer. My chief goal is to contribute to the collective academic understanding of how both individuals and society construct multilingual identities, to break down the legal and societal barriers and stigmas surrounding minoritized multilingualism, and to provide knowledge and support to communities seeking to protect and revive their native languages for future generations.
Other Academic Interests: Minority Studies, Memory Studies, Slavic Languages and Cultures
Prior Enrollment at Other Colleges or Universities: Governor’s School for International Studies at the University of Memphis, Summer 2018
Study Abroad: I studied abroad at the University of Bonn, Germany in the spring semester of my junior year (March-July 2022), where I immersed myself in the German language and participated in German society and culture. In Bonn, I took several masters-level linguistic and anthropological courses, contributed to professional translation-based research projects, and invested time exploring other European nations and their cultures, refining my personal academic and professional goals through intercultural experiences as well.
Part-time employment; Hobbies; Campus Clubs/Activities:I am currently employed as a Student Library Assistant at Hodges Library, Department of Resource Sharing (2022-current), where I help find, prepare, and send off materials in the UTK Library system to our partner universities locally, nationally, and abroad. In addition, I am a member of the Chancellor's Honors Program. I also participate in the SPARK for German Program operated by the Goethe Institute, helping to promote German language education and awareness in the US with after-school programs for K-12 students.
