Language Acts and Worldmaking Language Debates Series
The Language Acts and Worldmaking Language Debates Series was originally conceived for the Language Transitions research strand of Language Acts and Worldmaking, an Arts and Humanities Research Council Open World Research Initiative (OWRI) project (www.languageacts.org). The first two-year programme of Debates culminated in a collective publication, Language Debates. Theory and Reality in Language Learning, Teaching and Research (Ana de Medeiros and Debra Kelly (eds), John Murray Learning/Hodder & Stoughton, 2021), which includes themes such as gender, activism, multilingualism, digital culture and linguistics.
The aim of the Language Debates Series is to foster a dialogue on the traditions and innovations and the synergies and fissures within Modern Languages, Language Education and allied disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The emphasis is on the benefits and challenges of exploring inter-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary and cross-sector educational perspectives to enrich learning, teaching and research in Modern, Community and World Languages at all levels and both inside and outside the academy. The Debates, therefore, seek to re-energise the field by examining current concerns and pedagogies to discuss and develop new directions and possibilities for the future.
Each Debate combines a panel of short papers, responses from invited speakers and open discussion with all participants.
Language Acts and Worldmaking Debates Series Spring/Summer 2023
All Debates take place 6-8pm GMT in hybrid form with a drinks reception for those able to attend in person.
Debate 1 | Tuesday 14th March: Language Acts and Worldmaking. Back to the Debates Panellists discuss topics such as languages activism, challenging the university curriculum, digital culture, how language was used globally during the pandemic. Full details here
Debate 2 | Tuesday 25 April: Inclusive Pedagogy Based on the experiences of the Languages Acts and Worldmaking Laboratory where students put skills acquired in their degrees into practice through projects that take place outside the walls of the university. Full details here
Debate 3 | Wednesday 17 May: Precarious Voices in Language Studies The discussion seeks to better comprehend the creativity and ingenuity of precarious ECR researchers across the range of Modern Languages and allied disciplines as well personal and professional impact in the face of adversity.
Debate 4 | Thursday 1st June: Inclusive Language Learning Varied aspects such as research on and experiences of ambassador schemes, widening participation in studying languages and the mismatch between the languages learnt in an educational context and the languages spoken in our communities.