The 19th Oxford Conference on the teaching of literature
Oxford 2004 marks a return to discussion and exploration of literature in education.
- What is the importance of literature and the humanities in secondary and tertiary classrooms?
- What tools and knowledge do today's students need to read both traditional and contemporary work?
- Where can we make meaningful links with other disciplines, value systems and cultures?
- How are we to articulate the value of literature teaching and literary competence?
Oxford 2004 maintains the distinctive qualities of the Oxford Conference but also includes two interrelated professional tracks:
New writing, contemporary canons, critical reputations
We will be working in detail around the British Council's anthology New Writing 12, an exhilarating collection of new writing from the UK, though we will also be drawing on the previous volumes in the series. Reading and discussion groups, both virtual and real, will be set up in advance of the conference. This track will explore the politics of canon- and reputation-building, the role of creative writing in the classroom and the distinctive significance of reading contemporary work.
Value and assessment
This track will examine the variety of ways in which value and assessment are central to the reading and teaching of literature. It will address the relation between notions of value informing literary taste and issues of assessment – not only how as readers (and as teachers and students) we respond to and differentiate between texts, but also how we assess and evaluate those responses. What are the editorial and pedagogic criteria for the selection of literary texts? What principles underlie the design and delivery of our instruments of assessment?
Both tracks will continue as strong discussion threads that will inform and inspire people after the event.
The conference is designed primarily to meet the professional needs of teachers of literature at upper secondary and university levels. It is of interest also to curriculum designers, teacher trainers, textbook writers, head teachers and other educational managers concerned with the planning and delivery of literature syllabuses. Participants may be involved with using literature as an integral component of their teaching, or may simply be interested in broadening the pedagogical scope and didactic methods of their approaches.
We are looking for people who are prepared to collaborate in advance of the conference, to work together in conjunction with the Chairs throughout the week to propose and design elements of an 'Oxford Project', and who are willing to commit to developing projects in their own regions over the following year. Projects may involve anything from small curriculum changes involving contemporary writing, or developing specific critical work deriving from the conference debates, to building reading groups, or bringing together collaborative publications, to working towards major projects such as seminars, readings, conferences and festivals. Part of the Oxford conference programme will be given to practical discussion and support for such projects - and exploration of possible funding sources.
There will be opportunities for participants to present elements of their own work to the group: intending participants are encouraged to submit outline papers in advance of the conference.
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