AAUSC Volume 2010
Editors:
Glenn S. Levine, University of California, Irvine
Alison Phipps, University of Glasgow
Series Editor:
Carl Blyth, University of Texas at Austin
1. Title
Critical and Intercultural Theory and Language Pedagogy
2. Scope and Focus
Critical theory, cultural studies, postmodernity as a label for today’s
world, and postmodernism as an intellectual movement have come to mean
many things to diverse academic fields of inquiry and different sectors of
society. Yet many of those who study and teach languages in the North
American context have largely ignored crucial theoretical issues that have
been taken up in a wide range of fields, from literary studies to
anthropology to management. And on the “other side of the fence,” those in
literary and cultural studies often have viewed what happens in language
classrooms as irrelevant to the intellectual work of the academy. This
dilemma was recently fleshed out in the MLA ad hoc committee report,
“Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed
World” (http://www.mla.org/flreport); language departments and
professionals were challenged to find new ways to bridge the gap between
conventional language instruction and more advanced ‘content’ courses, to
better integrate and articulate language instruction with the goals and
mission of a liberal arts education, and to pursue new ways for language
instruction at all levels to contribute to students’ development as global
citizens.
To foster this important endeavor, the goal of the volume is to explore
the role of language teaching and learning in a postmodern world and the
ways that literary theory, critical theory, social theory, cultural
theory, and other theories, can or already do contribute to our thinking
about curriculum, teacher training, and language teaching and learning.
The volume should inform language program directors and instructors about
these theories, as well as provide fuel for discussion and debate in
language departments as they work toward addressing and implementing
proposals put forth in the MLA Report. The volume thus seeks to bridge the
language-literature/culture divide that is still the reality of many
language departments. The group of projected contributors, who come from
diverse fields within and outside of applied linguistics and SLA,
represents a new direction for the AAUSC series. The twofold purpose is to
provide a forum for those scholars to weigh in on issues of second
language teaching and learning, and to foster a dialogue among scholars
from many fields who are concerned with critical issues of language,
learning, and education.
With regard to the place of theory in language pedagogy, the volume aims
to bring theoretical debates center stage for language professionals and
to tackle the suspicion in which theorists are thought to hold
practitioners and in which practitioners are thought to hold theorists.
The editors take the view that for new forms of belonging to be imagined
for our plurilingual times, and for political questions of language to
truly inform language practice, then theories are needed which are strong
enough to bear the weight of collective and individual self-reflection.
There is, in language studies, an urgent need for thinking which may bring
about a new consciousness of the import, place and incontestable
profundity of the activity—practical and engaged—of language learning.
Indeed, it is the editors’ view that much of the theory which has been
fashionable during the last few decades in the humanities and social
sciences has overshot the political and practical realities of classrooms
and language learning practices. This volume, then, seeks to think about
the fundamental textures of shared intercultural experience in teaching
and learning languages. Without such a focus, then language pedagogy risks
being left with little to say, and little conceptual novelty with which to
say it, when faced with the profound questions raised by the politics of
our current age.
3. Suggestions for Possible Topics
Manuscript proposals are welcome that consider any aspect of how theory
can, should, or does relate to, inform or impact language curriculum,
program direction, teacher training, or teaching practice. The intended
readership includes language program directors and coordinators, basic
language instructors, and language department faculty at large. Though we
envision most contributions to be in essay form, we also welcome empirical
research reports exploring connections between theory and issues of
language teaching and learning. The focus may be as broad or narrow as the
author(s) choose; they can deal with broad concepts or with specific
features or aspects of language, culture, teaching, learning, etc.
Specific questions of interest include but are not restricted to the
following:
Theory and theories
o An accessible ‘introduction’ to a specific theoretical framework in
terms of its relevance for language education and/or language program
design and direction
o How do specific theories (e.g., social theory, critical theory,
sociocultural theory, cultural theory, complexity theory) relate to or
inform particular aspects of language curriculum and teaching?
o How can language program directors and language teachers best make use
of or ‘apply’ theory in designing curricula and teaching?
Postmodernism and postmodernity, and preparing global citizens through
language education
o Investigations/interrogations of issues of race, gender, class,
postcolonialism etc. as these relate to collegiate language education o
Issues of globalization and language education
o Critical pedagogy and/or contribution of collegiate language instruction
to social change
o Transcultural communication and intercultural communicative competence
as a vehicle and goal for collegiate language education
o Language socialization and literacy perspectives
Whatever the specific focus, each contribution should address in concrete
terms the implications or applications of particular theories for language
program directors and language teachers, and ideally, each should also
speak to scholars working in the author’s field of inquiry, highlighting
what they could learn from issues and aspects of language teaching and
learning.
4. Timeline
Interested parties should submit abstracts to both editors by May 1, 2009.
Potential contributors will receive feedback through a blind peer-review
process by June 1, 2009. The deadline for full-length manuscripts is
September 15, 2009, and final revisions will be due by March 15, 2010.
Please note that the deadlines for full- length manuscripts and final
revisions may be subject to change. The volume will appear in November,
2010 at the annual AAUSC meeting held in conjunction with the MLA
Convention.
Please direct inquiries to Glenn S. Levine (glevine at uci.edu) or Alison
Phipps (A.Phipps at educ.gla.ac.uk).
