Lecture by B. Schmenk, November 7, 2019

Barbara Schmenk, Professor, Applied Linguistics and German, University of Waterloo

Coming to Terms: Sloganization in Language Education Discourse

This presentation looks at one neoliberal trend in academic discourse: the sloganization of concepts and terms, i.e., the use of slogans rather than clearly defined terms in language education discourse. While sloganization is not entirely new, its use has increased noticeably in the course of/in the wake of the marketization of education and the academe. Slogans and catchy tag lines have gained currency in many areas of academic discourse. After a brief introduction to the notion of sloganization, the presentation will discuss some slogans in the field of language education and track some of the developments that led to their popularization (e.g., innovation, digital native, autonomy). The final part of the presentation will focus on some of the implications of sloganization, both in theory and in practice.

Download Schmenk’s presentation as a PDF

Thursday, November 7, 2019
3 – 5 pm
B-4 Dwinelle Hall

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