Seminar series - Gender and Sexuality: The Discursive Limits of Equality in Higher Education

Fri Nov 21 11:30:09 UTC 2008

Dear all

Please see below for details of a forthcoming seminar series to be held
at the University of Birmingham, UK in Spring/Summer 2009. The series is
free to attend and open to all.

Best wishes
Helen

Seminar Series - University of Birmingham, Spring/Summer 2009

Gender and Sexuality: The Discursive Limits of 'Equality' in Higher
Education

Funded by the University of Birmingham Deans' Funding Initiative

This seminar series investigates a number of areas of concern, regarding
gender and sexuality, which are identifiable in the current British
higher education environment. The series explores how current dominant
'neoliberal' discourses, which emphasise the commodification of higher
education in the UK, function to set limits upon 'equality'. Ironically,
while these discourses often suggest a widening of opportunities within
higher education with an emphasis upon unlimited individual freedom and
choice, the lived experience can be rather different for women and
sexual minorities. The seminar series will explore the impact such
discourses are having upon gender and sexuality identities and practices
in the academy. The aims of the seminar series are:

*	To identify the characteristics of neoliberal discourse and its
influence in the UK academy
*	To identify effects which impact on women, sexual minorities and
gender/sexuality scholarship 
*	To examine effects of on constituencies of scholars who are
marginalised by neoliberal discourse
*	To examine patterns of fiscal loss or reward as a result of
neoliberal strategies of HEI management and planning

There will be an Introductory session followed by three seminars in the
series. Each seminar will consist of a presentation by a keynote speaker
followed by a structured discussion between the keynote speaker and 2 or
3 discussants. There will be time for general open discussion and
opportunities for participants to talk informally. 

Details of the Introductory session and the three subsequent seminars
are included below:

Friday 23rd January 2009 10.00-12.00 (Selly Oak campus)

Dr Liz Morrish and Dr Helen Sauntson

Introduction to Neoliberalism

This session introduces key themes and concepts in neoliberalism which
are developed in the following three seminars in the series. We
specifically focus on those areas of neoliberal theory and practice
which have relevance to issues around gender, sexuality and education.
This session is open to those who wish to learn more about neoliberalism
before attending the rest of the series. 

Friday 20th February 2009 10.00-12.00 (Selly Oak campus)

Professor Mary Evans, University of Kent

For Us or Against Us: Coercion and Consensus in Higher Education

In debates about the admissions of state school pupils to Oxbridge those
defending Oxbridge have challenged the idea that universities should be
'engines of social change'. At the same time Oxbridge, and other
universities have accepted the responsibility of 'enabling'
entrepreneurship and other market led initiatives. I want to explore
some of the implications of this position in terms of the 'making' of
the person in higher education and in particular the ways in which
conservative refusals of radical gender and class change re-inforce
structural inequalities.

Friday 6th March 10.00-12.00 (Edgbaston campus)

Richard Johnson, Nottingham Trent University

Title and abstract TBA

Friday 8th May 2009 10.00-12.00 (Selly Oak campus)

Dr Joyce Canaan, Birmingham City University

Resisting the Neoliberal University: Discursive and Practice-based
Strategies

Many of us working in UK universities (as in others) increasingly find
and feel ourselves stymied, depleted and oppressed (if not depressed) by
the seeming inevitability   and expansion of neoliberal discourses and
practices that require us to demonstrate endless productivity and
continuous improvement of teaching, research and administrative
capacities that derail our efforts to engage as fully as possible with
at least teaching and research.  In  this context some 'academic' or
'scholar activists' are beginning to develop critiques that articulate
how neoliberalism profoundly harms academics, students,  HE institutions
and the capacity for critical thinking about and egalitarian
transformation of the world-sorely needed in the current climate of
economic and ecological crisis. Some of these academic/scholar activists
are beginning to create counter-discourses and practices.  This paper,
based on interviews with academic/scholar activists, explores these
activists' efforts to critique and implement progressive alternatives
within, beyond and against the neoliberal university. The paper aims to
encourage others to work with these and other activist/scholar academics
to help create a more humane, dignified and enabling Higher Education
system in future. 

Further information about venues will be circulated nearer the time.
Information about travelling to the University of Birmingham can be
found at http://www.about.bham.ac.uk/maps/sellyoak.shtml
<http://www.about.bham.ac.uk/maps/sellyoak.shtml>  (Selly Oak campus)
and  http://www.about.bham.ac.uk/maps/edgbaston.shtml
<http://www.about.bham.ac.uk/maps/edgbaston.shtml>  (Edgbaston campus).
On the Edgbaston map, the School of Education is building R19 in the red
zone. 

For further information, please contact Helen Sauntson
(h.v.sauntson at bham.ac.uk).

____________________________
Dr Helen Sauntson
School of Education
The University of Birmingham
Weoley Park Road
Selly Oak
Birmingham, B29 6LL
____________________________

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/gala-l/attachments/20081121/1bbbfa49/attachment.htm>