ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#108 | December 19 | ISSN 0975-3036
Aliteracy, the condition of being able to read but not doing so, is a problematic fact in education, with particular repercussions in the teaching of language, literature, linguistics and translation studies. This lack of reading, with the attendant problem of delayed acquisition of necessary vocabulary impedes understanding of course content across programs. How then do we transfer knowledge to students who simply don’t read? How do we accommodate aliteracy within an academic setting that depends on reading? Reading is a laborious process in a second language – how does that affect students? How can students acquire research skills in an age of effortless access to information? How do we teach students how to separate the wheat from the electronic chaff? How do we engage students without compromising quality and competition? Connected to this is the equally troublesome emergence of electronic epistemology, where knowledge is cut and pasted from web sources like Wikipedia. What are the consequences of a process-free access to knowledge? Instead of lamenting these facts, this conference is aimed at finding ways to impart knowledge in an increasingly aliterate age, recognizing the often difficult transition from oral-based transmission of knowledge to literary-based transmission.
The University of Nizwa is an emerging institution of 8,000 students dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in higher education in the Sultanate of Oman. This conference is centered on Foreign Language Learning, Arabic Language Studies, English Literature, Linguistics and Translation Studies, but is not exclusive to these areas and disciplines.
The dates for this conference are tentative, but the conference is planned for late November 2012. This CFP will be updated shortly to include definite dates and an accompanying website dedicated to conference information. Please submit a 200-300 word abstract, including your name, email address, and affiliation, by June 30 2011 to Chairman:
Topics may include but not are restricted:
Language Teaching and Aliteracy:
– Assessment Practices in Language Teaching.
– Electronic Pedagogies.
– Reading Between the Lines
– English and New Trends in Education
– Curriculum Design and Needs Analysis
– Effective Teaching Methodologies in Language and Literature Classrooms
Culture, Literature and Aliteracy:
– Cultural Referents in Foreign Language Study
– English as an International Language
– Cultural Production and Foreign Language Learning.
– Interdisciplinary Studies in Language Teaching and Learning.
– New Varieties of English.
Translation Studies and Aliteracy:
– Reading for Translation
– Linguists and Translators
– Using Linguistics for Translation Purposes.
– Effective Teaching Strategies in Translation Studies.
New Media, Communications and Aliteracy:
– E-teaching Strategies and Techniques.
– Technology in the EFL Classroom.
– Foreign Language Studies and New Media
– Kindle and Book Burning.
For more details, please send an email to alitunizwa@gmail.com.
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