Invited Colloquium Chair
Will Baker
Centre for Global Englishes
University of Southampton (United Kingdom)
Panelists:
Will Baker, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Fan (Gabriel) Fang, Shanto University, China
Ayako Suzuki, Tamagawa University, Japan
Yasemin Bayyurt & Sebnem Yalcin, Boğaziçi University, Turkey
Title of Colloquium:
English as a lingua franca and intercultural communication: Implications for intercultural citizenship education, higher education and ELT
Abstract:
The expanding internationalisation of higher education (HE) has resulted in the intercultural dimensions becoming a core aim of many institutions. This is frequently represented though the concept of intercultural or global citizenship with students expected to engage with academic, professional and social communities across multiple scales from the local to the global. Interaction across these diverse groups entails extensive intercultural communication in which language use is crucial. The language though which both the internationalisation of HE and intercultural citizenships is expected to take place is often English, or more precisely ELF, especially in English medium education (EME). Therefore, given this key role for English, English language teaching (ELT) is a prime site for the exploration of intercultural citizenship in pedagogy and, in turn, ELF research crucial for conceptualising how English is approached in ELT for international HE. However, at present, this is an under-researched area. To address this gap, this colloquium aims to provide a ‘snapshot’ of current thinking and research from ELF perspectives. We include reports on the development of intercultural citizenship in international HE among university students and teachers from China, Japan and Turkey. Alongside the presentations, time will be provided for audience and panel discussion.
Brief Bio:
Will Baker is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Centre for Global Englishes at the University of Southampton, UK. His research interests are Intercultural and Transcultural Communication, English as a Lingua Franca, English medium education, Intercultural education, Intercultural Citizenship and ELT, and he has published and presented internationally in all these areas. Recent publications include Baker, W., & Ishikawa, T. Transcultural Communication and Global Englishes. (2021, Routledge), co-editor of the ‘Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca’ (2018), and co-editor of the book series ‘Developments in English as Lingua Franca’ (DGM) and ‘Cambridge Elements in Intercultural Communication’ (Cambridge University Press).