Speaker
Abstract section 5: References
Cogo, A., Crookes, G., & Siqueira, S. (2023). English for a critical mind: Language pedagogy for social justice. Delta.
Bates, L. (2020). Men who hate women: The extremism nobody is talking about. Simon & Schuster.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Autonomous learning has accelerated in recent years as language learning moves outside of the classroom and onto the internet. At the same time, the rise of a violently misogynist online community in the guise of the manosphere (Bates, 2020) means that language students are exposed to vocabulary acquisition in the form of misogynist language, listening exercises through hate-filled, anti-feminist tirades, and reading practice of women-hating violent rhetoric. Critical language pedagogy (CLP) (Cogo et al., 2023) offers language teachers a toolkit to resist these pernicious ideologies and allows students to use their language skills to produce much-needed counter-narratives.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
The purpose of this presentation is to outline the dangers that utilizing the manosphere for vocabulary acquisition, listening practice, and other language skills presents to language learners, with particular reference to young adult male learners. It will also use concepts from critical language pedagogy to provide concrete practical ideas for creating safe spaces within the language classroom to directly tackle this pernicious ideology, while also allowing for local context, nuance and mutual respect between students.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
This presentation will act as a warning to teachers of the very real and present danger that the manosphere poses to the lives of young people around the world. By outlining the extent of the manosphere community and the potential for hateful discourse to spill over into autonomous language learning, attendees will be made aware of a pernicious discourse that is often hidden. In addition, by providing concrete, practical examples of suggested classroom activities, attendees will leave with not only an increased understanding, but also a toolkit for learners to construct counter-narratives while also building language skills.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This presentation will begin by giving an in-depth overview of the manosphere and the various online spaces that it inhabits in the lives of young people. I will then place the varied content that comprise the manosphere within the sphere of autonomous language learning. This will be followed by practical advice on how language teachers can confront this pernicious ideology head on in the classroom in a safe and nuanced way.
| Title | English language learning and the manosphere |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |