our words make worlds

Digital Modern Languages (Virtual) Seminar

The Digital Modern Languages convenors are planning a series of virtual events to bring together research and teaching in Modern Languages which engages with digital culture, media and technologies. For our first event, we would like to showcase the new and exciting research currently undertaken by PhD students across Modern Languages departments. The aim is also to provide a forum for doctoral researchers to present and receive feedback on their work in a supportive environment, particularly at a time when such opportunities may be more limited than in normal circumstances.

As a result, we are planning to host a virtual seminar from 3-5pm (GMT) on Wednesday 3 June 2020, including four 15-minute presentations from doctoral researchers, followed by a Q & A session with all presenters. If you’re interested in contributing to the seminar, please submit a title and brief abstract of around 150 words (200 max) on your proposed presentation, with your name, institution and year of PhD study/completion.

Presenters should be either current or recently completed PhD students (within 1 year of their viva) from a languages or closely related department. In line with the series’ aim, we will adopt an inclusive approach, both thematically and in terms of the languages of specialism of seminar speakers. Areas of potential but not exclusive interest include: digital cultural studies, digital archives and databases, digital ethnography, digital discourse analysis, language teaching and digital technologies, translation technologies and digital/computational approaches to the study of language and text (all with a primary focus on languages other than English).

Proposals should be submitted by email by 30 April 2020 to naomi.wells@sas.ac.uk and paul.spence@kcl.ac.uk

In the first instance, we will select four presentations for the seminar on 3 June, but if there is significant interest we will look at hosting additional seminars in the near future. If you’re currently supervising digital research in Modern Languages, please also share this opportunity with any of your own PhD students who might be interested in contributing.