Registration is open for a series of online workshops on the theme of identity as part of the DAAD-funded project 'Teaching German in a Transcultural World' at the University of Birmingham, UK. The events on European identity are open to students, teachers, academics and others. The first workshop already took place on 18-19 January. The next events take place at 16:00-19:00 UK time on 1-2 February and 22-23 February.
The events will be held online (on Zoom). To receive the Zoom link, please register using the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KLNGYKN
Workshop 2
Wednesday 1st - Thursday 2nd Feb 2023: 16.00 - 18.00 each day:
Reflecting on Power (the concept of ‘power’ in different academic disciplines; cultural imaginaries; language as power, power as and in language; power through terminology; power in the classroom)
Lead: Dr Julian Paenke (University of Birmingham, UK)
Wednesday 1st February, 16.00 - 16.50
Dr Vera Ahamer (University of Vienna, Austria)
Identifying ‘Power’ in DaF teaching material
17.00 - 17.50
Dr Ruth Whittle (University of Birmingham, UK)
The power of terminology on the ‘Integration’ discourse - accent, mother tongue, native tongue, Bildungssprache,Verkehrssprache, Umgangssprache - with excerpts from Yoko Tawada’s writings and their translations
Thursday 2nd February
16.00 - 16.50
Professor Christopher Pietrioni (University of Birmingham, UK)
Working with internalised identifications
In this workshop we will explore the concept of ‘internalised identifications’ and how this material can be used with learners. While the material will be presented in the context of leadership development, it has the potential to be adapted for a range of other settings where questions of identity are central to learning. The material is rooted in a theoretical understanding of ‘internalised identifications’ as concepts to which we are frequently ‘subject’ i.e. they shape our worldviews without our being aware of it. Through a process of structured reflection it is possible to gain some perspective on these identifications and so more clearly hold them as ‘object’. This in turn allows for greater scope for action and understanding of ourselves and others. (Kegan & Lahey, 2009)
We will look at internalised identifications as they relate to gender, authority, power and self-validation. Participants will have the opportunity to apply this material to themselves so that they experience the pedagogy. We will then take time to reflect on that experience, the opportunities and challenges for applying it in different settings and what adaptations may be required.
17.00 - 17.50
Dr Julian Paenke (University of Birmingham, UK)
Power and notions of Germanness
Collective identities are strongly connected with how politics are understood and enacted. In this session we will explore changing notions of Germanness since the 2000s. Germany has been on a self-conscious journey to adopt a more diverse image of what ‘being German’ may entail, impacting who is considered to belong or not belong. But, as the recent violence on new year’s eve in Berlin has shown, there appear to be lasting difficulties for Germany to fully arrive in a transcultural world. While Germany is the number one destination for migrants in Europe and has been modernising its citizenship laws, the country remains torn between welcoming diversity and demands of cultural assimilation – lived experiences of migrants are still challenging. We will discuss if this enduring denial of Germany as a country of immigration is linked to persistent legacies of German identity constructs – heavily infused with notions of power – which impede a genuine opening up of German society.
Workshop 3
Wednesday 22nd - Thursday 23rd February 2023 16.00 - 19.00 each day:
Questioning truth (What is ‘truth’; does it still exist? Hidden hegemonies in academic and non-academic discourses; what do we teach when we do …?)
Lead: Dr Ruth Whittle (University of Birmingham, UK)
Wednesday 16.00 - 16.50
Dr Charlotte Galpin (University of Birmingham, UK)
Whose stories do we tell in academia? Knowledge production, national identity, and marginalised voices in EU debates
17.00 – 17.50
Mrs Britta Schrader
Tandem working as a melting pot - conceptualising the 'other's' culture'
Thursday 23 February, 16.00 - 16.50
Dr Ash Stokoe (University of Birmingham, UK)
Power in the classroom (Lightning talk)
17.00 - 18.30
Show and Tell
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