Foundational Documents for Culture Without Borders Language Collective, LLC, A Sustainable World Language School

Lindsay Szper

Lindsay Szper used her time at OHMA — and the knowledge, resources, and community this program provided — to think through and establish a sustainable world language school, Culture Without Borders Language Collective (CWB). This thesis is foundational documents for CWB. It has four parts: a Philosophy of Language [and] Education essay; a business plan; a community-generated language-learning text; and a methodological reflection, constructed as a dialogue between friends, advisors, and other admired thinkers. This project asks and responds to the following questions: How can we teach and learn languages in ways that are fun, effective, enriching, empowering, worthwhile, sustainable, and rooted in friendly and mutually supportive human relationships? How do we craft a work life for ourselves that is fulfilling, agreeable, sustainable, flexible and human? How do we transform the economy to a more just and equitable system for distributing resources and sustaining life? What is the purpose of school?

THESIS-Lindsay-Szper-Jan-16-2023-Final-Full-Draft-compressed

Lindsay Szper is a linguist and a language teacher. She’s fluent in English, Spanish and French, conversational in American Sign Language, and a beginner in several other languages. She has a BA in Spanish, French and Cross-Cultural Studies, a national certification in English/Spanish healthcare interpreting, and a Certificate in Teaching English. Her professional experience is in language teaching, conflict mediation, translation/interpreting, legal case investigation, and interview-based research and writing. In July, 2021 Lindsay co-founded Culture Without Borders Language Collective, a community school that teaches world languages through friendship. She’s currently developing a conversation-focused language-learning program based on materials co-produced for her OHMA thesis. Learn what we’re up to at CWB (and join our language-learning community!) at CWBcollective.com