Course Description:
Many language teachers have values that support democratic social transformation. Becoming slightly more visible lately, at least in academic circles, critical language pedagogy provides concepts and strategies in this area, but it may need a transformative update. Originally concerned mainly with oppression seen in terms of class, it is now broader and considers matters of gender, race, and sexual orientation as well. It is also consistent with older alternative trends in curriculum such as peace education and environmental ("green") education. However, it is possible that it gives insufficient conceptual and practical attention to the full range of possible activity聽types that could support the transformation of L2 learners and teachers that are implied by the prioritizing of democratic aims and values. A related area (developed since 1978), transformative learning, could assist, and will be one focus of the course. There is also the question of the overall social theories or indeed worldviews that are implied or contemplated by specialists in this area. The course will give some attention to alternative worldviews and theories, such as feminist, planetary, indigenous, and posthumanist, that represent directions towards which transformative and critical efforts could be directed.