Blog Archive
A novel conversation … Talking with Dr Emma Venables about Fragments of a Woman (Aderyn Press)
If you’re interested in historical fiction and in the Nazi era then this new book Fragments of a Woman, may be for you. I recently had the chance to chat with author and academic Dr Emma Venables about her debut novel, the inspiration for it, and the PhD that’s behind it. Ahead of its publication…
In the time and space between jobs. A user guide.
This morning marks a full week that I’ve been out of work. Conscious of the fact that this is a relatively common experience, particularly in academia (though far from exclusively), I’ve drafted a user guide on how to deal with this period. I hope it is of use. I’ve put a downloadable version on the…
Reflecting on NCELP and what comes next.
If you follow language education news, you will likely have seen the Department for Education’s announcement that the latest tender for the Centre of Excellence to support MFL teaching has not been awarded to NCELP, the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy, but to a competitor, meaning NCELP, who were awarded the 2018 tender,…
Review: Written. How to keep writing and build a habit that lasts by Bec Evans and Chris Smith, Icon Books, 2023
g. Written. How to keep writing and build a habit that lasts is the book I wish I’d had way back at the start of my PhD, that I’m very glad to own a copy of now, and which I’ll keep coming back to as I continue to write.
Dropping Languages
Did that title make you think – WHAT? If ‘Hilary’ and ‘dropping languages’ in the same sentence made you incredulous, then that is because the prospect of me dropping languages and thereby limiting my ability to speak (cue jokes from my Dad here) is ludicrous. Aside from my unwillingness to do so, I can’t unlearn…
So you think language and gender is a new topic? Historical fiction reminds us it is otherwise.
How does gender impact on language or language on gender? Is it just to do with the gender of nouns? English learners of other languages have been known to remark in amazement that nouns have genders… well actually English does, too – it has masculine, feminine, and neuter genders as well as metaphorical genders. For…
Guest Podcast. Ideas in Academic Practice: Assessment, Inclusivity, and Audio Feedback
I know we’re all winding down for Christmas, or at least trying to. Assessment is hopefully not at the top of your list of things to think about over the coming weeks. However, if you fancy escaping Christmas preparations for a bit, or even fancy something to listen to whilst doing the dishes or preparing…
What’s in a grade? Some Friday thoughts…
What’s in a grade? Our lives are organized around them, pass or fail, grades A*-U, 1-9, distinction, merit, first-class, second-class first division, second class second division, third class and so on. They can be a source of joy and one of torment, but how much do they really matter? I’ve been thinking about this a…
In conversation with…Dr Phil Armstrong
In the second of my In conversation with … series I talk with Dr Phil Armstrong, arguably the UK’s leading scholar on MMT, modern monetary theory. Phil is a graduate of the universities of Leeds, Hull and Southampton Solent, the author of Can Heterodox Economics Make a Difference? Conversations with Key Thinkers, (Edward Elgar Publishing,…
Striking Support
From 1st-3rd December, academic and academic-related staff will be walking out on strike once again. https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/11872/Universities-to-be-hit-with-three-days-of-strikes-in-December I usually take part but this year I won’t. The only reason I won’t be on the picket line is simply that I am not in an academic role and not eligible to participate. I do however, believe in…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.