November 1st,2019

Plurilingual Scholarly Writing: Politics and Practices

By

Dr. James Corcoran 

YH-A304- Center of Excellence  from 12 pm to 1:30 pm

Glendon College- York University 

( delivered in English)


Plurilingual Scholarly Writing: Politics and Practices

James Corcoran, Assistant Professor of ESL & Applied Linguistics, York University

 In a global market of academic knowledge production increasingly dominated by English, a growing body of research has emerged charting the challenges faced by scholars using English as an additional language, particularly those working at universities in the global peripheries (Bennett, 2014; Corcoran, 2019; Corcoran, Englander & Muresan, 2019; Englander & Corcoran, 2019; Hanauer, Sheridan & Englander, 2019). However, as is often the case in the field of applied linguistics, much of this work has taken a quick snapshot rather than a wider-lens view of plurilingual scholars’ research writing over time (Bazerman et al., 2017; Curry & Lillis, 2019; 2017). My recent work (Carrasco, Kent, Englander & Corcoran, in press; Corcoran, forthcoming) has attempted to add to the scant literature on plurilingual scholars’ research writing beliefs, strategies, and processes over the span of their academic trajectories.

 

Drawing on data from a 2015 mixed methods case study and follow-up qualitative work (ongoing) investigating the research writing experiences of Latin American scientists at a prestigious Mexican university, this presentation describes the research writing beliefs, strategies, and processes of plurilingual scientists as they pursue publication of their work at international, English-medium journals over a five-year period following participation in an intensive research writing course. Originally, a post-course survey (n=55) and interviews (n=19) were carried out with multiple stakeholders (journal editors; plurilingual scientists; research writing instructors) connected to an intensive three-week research writing course offered at a Mexican university in 2013. Findings pointed to specific challenges faced by scholars attempting to publish their work in an additional language as well as particular ideologies of language and science that influence and are influenced by increasing pressures to publish (in English). Further findings pointed to a range of particular strategies and processes employed by plurilingual scientists as they attempted to disseminate their work to domestic and international audiences. Recent data (analysis ongoing) from follow-up interviews with two emerging (early career) and one established (late career) environmental scientists point to evolving critical language awareness and personal (often plurilingual) research writing strategies and processes over time. This data highlights a diversity of plurilingual processes and strategies these scientists engage in when producing their work for publication in scientific journals, suggesting the potential ancillary, longer-term impact of intensive research writing courses. This presentation concludes with a discussion of the implications of this work for a variety of stakeholders (plurilingual scholars, writing researchers, journal gatekeepers, university language and writing support staff) in an era of increasing English hegemony in academic knowledge production.

 

12 novembre 2019 

de 15 h 30 to  16 h 30 | Pavillon York- A201

Conférence-Atelier

Le balado (podcast) comme dispositif et objet d’enseignement du français langue seconde. 

(delivered in French)


Dr. Francis Langevin, professeur adjoint (educational leadership)

Department of Languages and World Literatures
Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
University of British Columbia (Okanagan)


Comment le balado – comme genre discursif – peut-il être utilisé à la fois comme objet et comme dispositif d’enseignement? Alors que les recherches empiriques se multiplient pour tâcher de mesurer l’impact de l’utilisation du balado dans les cours de L2 (motivation, prononciation, compréhension, etc.), relativement peu de modèles pédagogiques ont réfléchi aux caractéristiques discursives du genre lui-même. Cette conférence-atelier souhaite proposer des pistes de réflexion sur les compétences pluriculturelles et plurilinguistiques qui peuvent être développées, mises en valeur et évaluées dans la production et l’étude du genre balado en classe de français, langue seconde.

 Les balados sont nés d’une pratique DIY (do it yourself) au tournant de notre millénaire. Le magazine Syntone définit le balado comme un « Son à emporter. Sous-produit numérique de l’ancien monde hertzien ou premier mode de diffusion d’un programme dans le nouveau monde du web, le podcast se veut moderne et conquérant. Ne connaissant pas le direct, il transforme le flux radiophonique en fichiers individuels et le public en abonné-e-s. Synonyme : balado(diffusion). Antonyme : direct » (Petit lexique récréatif de la création sonore et radiophonique | Syntone)

La définition, un peu humoristique, permet tout de même d’identifier quelques traits génériques essentiels. D’abord, il y a une filiation assez forte avec la radio, dont la caractéristique principale était de se dérouler en direct. La modification de la relation de communication est très sensible : l’on passe du direct au différé, de l’éphémère au durable, du professionnel et relativement centralisé à la production amateure et décentralisée; les publics aussi se diversifient, puisque les frontières du « réseau » se sont transformées : l’accès au discours s’est, d’une certaine manière, démocratisée (même si on peut aussi dire que l’accès à la technologie et le mode d’archivage limitent encore l’accès aux personnes dont la litéracie – techonologique, linguistique – est problématique). Ces premières observations sur la circulation du discours permettent déjà de dégager un premier objet d’apprentissage : le rapport entre le médium, le genre, et les contenus. En effet, puisque les conditions pragmatiques de distribution et de consommation du balado sont différentes de celles de la radio hertzienne, on pourra observer des modifications dans les thèmes développés par les balados – de même que les idées qui y seront véhiculées. À cette relative démocratisation (de la production, de la consommation), semble pouvoir correspondre une certaine liberté d’expression.

November 14th from 12 to 1 pm 

Room: TBA 

( Presentation will be delivered in english)


 

Language Education in Contemporary Brazilian Educational Policies:

Teachers between Conflicting Epistemologies

Professor Ana Paula Duboc

School of Education, University of São Paulo, Brazil

 

Despite contributions from Social Sciences research in the past decades, we now witness the emergence of neoconservative educational policies under the far-right Bolsonaro government, which clearly undermine the notions of democracy and secularism in Brazil. Within the field of language studies, in particular, this renewed emphasis  on structuralist, cognitive orientations to language can be seen as promoting religious and salvationist agendas that attempt to erase awareness of power, ideology, and critique in schools and in the broader society. The recently approved National Literacy Policy (2019) is an example of such a move as its focus on phonics-based literacy instruction, underpinned by scientific, evidence-based discourses, is a clear attack against critical perspectives to language education. The policy is part of an orchestrated set of neoliberal, militaristic and political actions which are highly ideologically driven despite official claims of neutrality. For many language teachers, these developments have led to a sense of hopelessness, confusion, and incapacity. Out of these highly polarized times emerges the need for sustained critical self-reflection for both language teachers and researchers, in particular, on the relevance and effectiveness of past curricular efforts to bring about a truly inclusive and democratic society through education. This talk aims at presenting a brief analysis of current Brazilian educational policies, followed by the discussion on how decolonial thought might help language teachers to think language education otherwise.

 


Biodata

Ana Paula DUBOC holds a PhD in English Language Studies from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, having conducted part of her research at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She teaches the undergraduate course “English Teaching Methodologies” in the Department of Teaching Methodology and Comparative Education at the School of Education from the University of São Paulo (FEUSP). In the graduate program, she is responsible for the course “Language, (Super)Diversity, and Coloniality: Pedagogical Implications”. Her research interests comprise critical literacy studies, language and decoloniality, language assessment, language policies, curriculum issues, language teacher education. Email: anaduboc@usp.br

INTERNATIONAL TRANSLATION DAY

POETRY AND TRANSLATION : On the Translation of Seymour Mayne’s Wind and Wood into French, Portuguese and Spanish

 María Laura Spoturno
Universidad Nacional de La Plata – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones
Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina)

Thursday, September 26, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Room A201, Glendon

María Laura Spoturno is Associate Professor of Literary Translation at Universidad Nacional de La Plata and a Researcher with Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina). Since 2017, she is the principal investigator of the research project and group “Escrituras de minorías, ethos y (auto) traducción” (UNLP, H/825, 2017-2020). Her current research focuses on the study of subjectivity and gender in minority writing and (self) (re) translation practices. Her most recent publications include the edited monograph Escrituras de minorías, heterogeneidad y traducción (La Plata, FaHCE, UNLP, 2018) and a collaborative translation of Seymour Mayne’s poetry in four languages (Wind and Wood /Viento y madera… La Plata, Malisia, 2018).

 

TRANSLATION AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
September 26, 2019, 18:30, BMO skyroom, Glendon

Guest speaker : elder Shirley Williams, York University alumni, professor at Trent University, translator and interpreter.