Uju Anya
Associate Professor of Second Language Acquisition
Director of the Language Program Administration Certificate Program
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 AngelesM.A., Brazilian Studies, Brown University
B.A., Romance Languages, Dartmouth College
Bio
Uju Anya is a scholar of language learning and Black experiences in multilingualism. Her primary fields of inquiry include critical applied linguistics, critical sociolinguistics and critical discourse studies, with a focus on how race, gender, sexual and social class identities intersect with language learning. Her research explores the multilingual journeys of African American students and how these experiences inform identity formation in new language learning contexts. Dr. Anya also brings 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 both secondary and university-level language programs.
Her book, Racialized Identities in Second Language Learning: Speaking Blackness in Brazil (Routledge, 2017), examines how students shape and negotiate identities in multilingual contexts. It also proposes multilingual approaches—such as translanguaging and plurilingual practices—as tools for effective language pedagogy. This groundbreaking volume was the first single-authored sociolinguistic study to critically examine the African American experience in language learning and received the 2019 American Association for Applied Linguistics First Book Award for its exceptional contribution to the field. Her second book, a co-edited volume titled Racial Equity on College Campuses: Connecting Research to Practice, was published by SUNY Press in 2021.
Areas of Interest
- Critical Applied Linguistics
- Second Language Acquisition
- Critical Sociolinguistics
- Critical Discourse Studies
- Study Abroad
Courses Taught
- 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
Selected Awards and Honors
- 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
Selected Publications
- Anya, U. (2021). "When the foreign is very familiar: An Afro-Dominican-American woman’s experience translanguaging race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage learning Portuguese in Brazil." In E. Trentmann & W. Diao (eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn, pp. 43-70. Multilingual Matters.
- Anya, U. (2020). "African Americans in world language study: The forged path and future directions." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 40, 97-112.
- Anya, U., et al (2019). "Improving Spanish language teacher retention and success among Black Spanish-language learners: An HSI-HBCU collaboration." Commissioned paper for the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).
- Anya, U. & Randolph, L.J. (Oct/Nov, 2019). "Diversifying language educators and learners." The Language Educator. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
- Anya, U. (2017). "Racialized identities in second language learning: Speaking Blackness in Brazil." Routledge.