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Oxford 2006 will investigate what it means to teach an increasingly international English language and literature, and will also consider the contribution that literature can make to intercultural awareness. We will look at recent developments in post-colonial theory and at what the fast-changing international context means for literature as a channel for intercultural understanding. How far can we say that there is a ‘standard’ form of English and that this is what we should be teaching? What are the challenges of texts produced in unfamiliar cultural contexts, for both teachers and students? How do we encourage students to become more aware of their own cultural context and of what this could bring to the creative reading and writing process?
We will also examine the role of translation in intercultural understanding. We will be looking at two key critical and pedagogical questions:
1.What are the theoretical and critical implications of the New World Englishes for contemporary readers?
2.What are the implications concerning text selection and teaching approaches?
The Oxford Conference offers an unrivalled opportunity to establish relationships with people involved in literature teaching at upper secondary and university levels from around the world. Our aim is to help bridge gaps between the two levels of education and to bring practitioners and policy makers together to work towards the same goals.
There will be opportunities to hear eminent writers read and discuss their work, discussions between guest speakers and between chairs and participants, as well as informal reading groups and project presentations. In all of this, the focus and direction of the conference will depend heavily on the creativity and involvement of the participants. Participants are strongly encouraged to share their experiences and teaching contexts throughout the conference, particularly during the group work sessions. The purpose of these is to discuss texts previously explored with authors and academics in small groups, and to establish approaches for their use in the classroom.
Previous participants have stayed in touch for many years following the conference and have left Oxford with new resources, new texts and new approaches. This is what a participant of the 2005 Oxford Conference thought:
"[...] the Oxford Conference in April, [...] gave me an immeasurable intellectual gift by enabling me to meet poets, novelists and critics active in literature today. The discussion groups and writing sessions I attended will change the way I teach literature and language.”
Contributors to past conferences have been:
Margaret Drabble
Richard Hoggart
A L Kennedy
Ali Smith and many more.
The conference is designed primarily to meet the professional needs of teachers of literature at upper secondary and university levels. It is also of interest for curriculum designers, teacher trainers, textbook writers, head teachers and other educational managers working on the development of literature syllabuses. Participants will have the opportunity to broaden the scope of their pedagogy and approaches. The essence of the conference is collaborative and we would like participants to be involved in discussions with the Chairs and with each other, possibly before and after as well as during the conference. Part of the Oxford programme will be dedicated to discussing long-term project development and support.
For further information regardingthe British Council Film & Literature Department, please see their website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature-oxford-conference.htm
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