A Queer and Decolonial Gaze at Criticality in EAP

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    Abstract

    This presentation critiques the putative understanding of criticality – and corresponding pedagogical practices aimed at fostering it – in the British approach to teaching EAP. The theoretical framework for this research draws on queer theory, postcolonial theory, and Bourdieu to examine respectively: the manner in which normative academic identities are created and consolidated through hegemonic practices in academic writing; orientation or acculturation programmes in EAP that are directed principally, albeit not exclusively, at international students, which, when juxtaposed with the sector’s avowed commitment to diversity and internationalisation, creates a paradox; and criticality as a form of cultural capital accrued through sustained engagement with Socratic pedagogy with its implications for EAP curricula and assessments.

    Conceptual by design and nature, the presentation will nevertheless offer at its close reflections on practice at the University of St Andrews. In particular, the lecture shall consider how some of these complexities are addressed in the new Masters in International Education, of which I am the Programme Director, and showcase the university’s current efforts in applying for Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter award.
    While the presentation engages with several of the conference’s themes, it intertwines ‘critical pedagogy’, ‘identity, gender and equality’, and ‘current educational policies’ in its argument.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication statusPublished - 2022
    EventDiversity and Inclusivity in English Language Education -
    Duration: 1 Dec 2022 → …
    https://www.diele.org/

    Conference

    ConferenceDiversity and Inclusivity in English Language Education
    Period1/12/22 → …
    Internet address

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