Supporting Teaching and Learning in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies: Introduction to LLAS

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Supporting Teaching and Learning in Languages,
Linguistics and Area Studies Introduction to LLAS

• John Canning and Shoshannah Holdom
• Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and
  Area Studies
• Life and Work in Academia An event for new
  lecturers
• Clare College, Cambridge, 15 April 2008

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Background

• LLAS is one of 24 Subject Centres based at
  institutions throughout the UK
• Funded by UK funding councils via the Higher
  Education Academy
• Hosted at University of Southampton, but remit to
  support teaching and learning in languages,
  linguistics and area studies for all higher
  education teaching staff in the UK

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Website www.llas.ac.uk

• Guide to good practice for teaching and learning
  in languages, linguistics and area studies
• Materials Bank
• Conference and workshop registration
• News blog
• Discussion forum
• Publications and reports

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Events www.llas.ac.uk/events

• Workshops, conferences and seminars
• Intercultural dialogue the way forward, Bristol,
  April 2008
• Research methods workshop, Glasgow, May 2008
• Mark my words creative assessment and effective
  feedback in linguistics, June 2008, London
• Languages in higher education conference
  Transitions and connections, July 2008, York
• Languages of the wider world valuing diversity,
  September 2008, London

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Recruitment and cross sector work

• Why Study Languages? CD aimed at 14-18 year olds.
  
• Discover American Studies CD-ROM (launched March
  2008)
• Partnership with CILT, the National Centre for
  Languages and Routes into Languages

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Current and recent projects

• Transition from school into higher education (in
  progress)
• International Approaches to Islamic Studies
• Employability and entrepreneurship projects (with
  English and History Subject Centres)
• Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning Group
• The Language Café
• Language Network for Quality Assurance (LanQua)

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Funding opportunities

• Action/ pedagogic research projects
• Materials development projects
• Mini-projects (suggest a project at any time)
• Workshops to go

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Publications

• Liaison. New magazine from June 2008
• Five years on the language landscape in 2007.
• Hard-going but worth it A snapshot of attitudes
  to reading among languages undergraduates.
• 700 Reasons for Studying Languages
• Here be dragons? Enterprising Graduates in the
  Humanities

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Summary

• Driven by demand of practitioners in the field
• Sharing good practice, not prescriptive
• Activities by LLAS community for the community
• No charge for most workshops/ one-day conferences
  free of charge

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Contact

• Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and
  Area Studies
• University of Southampton
• Highfield
• Southampton
• SO17 1BJ
• llas_at_soton.ac.uk
• 023 8059 4814
• www.llas.ac.uk