In these courses, we explore culture and traditions of Mam communities, both in Guatemala and Oakland, through the Mam language. For each topic, we will learn the standard cultural practices surround the topic, learning new words and phrases along the way. Each week we will also learn a new aspect of Mam grammar. Class activities will include videos, stories, quizes, games, activities, small group discussions, and individual presentations. The goal of this course is to gain confidence in listening and speaking skills in Mam, as well as understanding Mam cultural norms, through practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The variety of Mam taught in this course is from San Juan Atitán, Guatemala.

Instructors: Silvia Lucrecia Carrillo Godinez, Tessa Scott (UC Berkeley, linguistics), Cristina Mendez (UC Berkeley, education)

UC Berkeley undergraduate linguist apprentinces: Nina Sirna, Jay Urbano Gonzalez, Marisa Benedito, Yanira Garcia, (formerly: Xingyue Tu, Samba Kane)