Linguistic anthropology is the study of socially situated language use and other forms of expressive culture such as song, dance, and oratory. Coursework in Linguistic Anthropology at Iowa provides a strong foundation in theories of language and ways that these have informed understandings of culture and society. Current faculty research includes the cultural politics of native Amazonian expressive performance in national and international arenas and the politics of language revival in S. Asia. Current student projects focus on the politics of language revitalization among native North Americans, identity formation through the use of American Sign Language in Deaf communities, and Country and Western music and the creation of post-colonial identities. In addition, students can take advantage of a large network of faculty outside of the department that engage issues of language and culture. The linguistic anthropology lab is a state of the art facility available for student use.