“Culturally Empowering Education through Language and Literature” (CuEEd-LL) funded by The Swedish Research Council during 2021–2026. Application Deadline: 15 October 2021 CuEEd-LL – led by Jönköping University in collaboration with:
- University of Gothenburg,
- Malmö University
- Stockholm University
welcomes applications for the nine PhD positions soon to be advertised. The PhD positions will be situated as follows:
- Jönköping University, JU: 3
- positions University of Gothenburg,
- GU: 2 positions Malmö University,
- MAU: 2 positions Stockholm University,
- SU: 2 positions
The PhD positions will be funded for a period of five years and will include 20% teaching in teacher training programmes at each of the participating universities. The call for applications will be issued by each university separately starting from 1 September 2021. The deadline for all applications is 15 October. The successful PhD candidates are expected to commence their studies on 1 February 2022.
CuEEd-LL Research Themes The overarching purpose of the CuEEd-LL research school is to strengthen teacher education by studying and developing culturally empowering education through language and literature. Regardless of their school placements, disciplines and teaching levels, all teachers must be competent in using language and literature to develop communicative practices and create inclusive environments in heterogenous educational contexts.
CuEEd-LL’s research themes are informed by the fields of Southern Multilingualism and Diversities, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and Decoloniality. These fields view language and literature as critical for shaping and articulating cultures and (inter)cultural understanding. With these fields as a point of departure, CuEEd-LL research aims at illuminating how language- and literature-based pedagogical interventions can culturally empower pupils and help them understand and confidently participate in complex and diverse cultural contexts. Communication is a meaning-making enterprise that builds on the entanglement of resources from singular/multiple language modalities and embodiments: reading, writing, signing, seeing, listening, speaking, etc.
Literature is also understood as communicative and an aesthetic and multilingual expression in different genres and media, that gives voice to human experiences and emotions. According to the current steering documents (in Sweden), practising language teachers shall adopt a holistic view of language and literature. The CuEEd-LL research school explores how language and literature can support cultural understanding, literacy, and core values in today’s digitised (Swedish) school. Focussing on the different school levels and subjects, the PhD candidates will investigate how language and literature are used in meaning-making, communication, and identity work. CuEEd-LL aims to support equitable, high-quality education and participation in a globalised and digitised world. We welcome applicants from various disciplinary backgrounds of relevance to teacher education who are interested in combining language and literature perspectives in their research. CuEEd-LL is interdisciplinary and involves several disciplines of relevance to language and literature studies. The candidates will be admitted into one of the following third-cycle subjects:
- Pedagogy with the specialisation in language and literature (JU)
- Swedish as a Second Language (GU) – Literary Studies (GU)
- Language and Literature Didactics (MAU)
- English (SU)
- Bilingualism (SU)
The following lists possible examples of research themes that can be explored within CuEEd-LL:
- Language and literature in school and other educational contexts, and in teacher education;
- Culture through language and literature in different teacher education programmes;
- -Opportunities and challenges of using language and literature in school and other educational contexts, and in teacher education;
- Historical and contemporary perspectives on multilingualism, literacy and literature;
- Reading and writing processes in children and adults;
- The impact of digital processes on communication, culture, and diversity in different fields of education.
CuEEd-LL constitutes a dynamic, multilingual and international research environment formed by senior researchers from five continents. CuEEd-LL plans to organise several retreats and a study trip to South Africa. Moreover, CuEEd-LL offers the following, collaboratively developed compulsory courses:
1. Culturally Empowering Education for a Global 21st Century: Research and Practice (5 credits)
2. Decolonizing and Southern Theories: Implications for Swedish Education (7.5 credits)
3. Rethinking Methodology in Language and Literature Educational Research (7.5 credits)
4. Ethical Research Design for a Post-digital and Globalized Era (7.5 credits)
5. Guiding and Mentoring Practitioner Research (2.5 credits)
Please contact a CuEEd-LL representative with further questions: Professor Ylva Lindberg, ylva.lindberg@ju.se, at the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University. Professor Sangeeta Bagga-Gupta, sangeeta.bagga-gupta@ju.se, at the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University.
Professor Stefan Helgesson, stefan.helgesson@english.su.se, at Stockholm University.
Professor Christopher Stroud, christopher.stroud@biling.su.se, at Stockholm University.
Professor Tommaso Milani, tommaso.milani@svenska.gu.se, at the University of Gothenburg.
Professor Anna Nordenstam, anna.nordenstam@lir.gu.se, at the University of Gothenburg.
Professor Magnus Persson, magnus.persson@mau.se, at Malmö University.
Associate Professor Anna Wärnsby, anna.warnsby@mau.se, at Malmö University.
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