Inclusion of LGBTQ+ content in language materials
Join this event to hear David Rodríguez-Velasco and John Gray share the analysis of a set of contemporary published coursebooks for the teaching of English, Spanish and French across proficiency levels ranging from A1 to C1.
Inclusion of LGBTQ+ content in language materials
14 May 2024, 17:00 – 18:30
Despite significant progress in terms of legislative reform globally and the proliferation of inclusivity statements by universities and publishers, LGBTQ+ content and lives remain marginalised in the second language curriculum and in pedagogical materials. Research suggests that the pervasive cis-heteronormativity in second language education not only silences queer voices, impeding second language development, but also leads to the mischaracterisation and misunderstanding of queer people in general.
David and John will discuss how their research reveals some significant differences with a very limited degree of superficial LGBTQ+ representation in the materials. They will also talk about the nature of this superficial representation, and make some suggestions as to how these materials can be supplemented and adapted for use in the classroom in ways that provide greater representation for LGBTQ+ learners, while at the same time sensitising non LGBTQ+ students to issues of diversity.
Speakers
- Dr David Rodríguez-Velasco, Queen Mary University of London
- Professor John Gray, University College London
This in-person event will be particularly useful for researchers and teachers.