Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · 29d

"Modern Foreign Languages have the largest cold spots in the UK ... with Linguistics, Anthropology and Classics showing similar declines. If current trends continue, subjects like English, History and Drama could follow." @britishacademy.bsky.social

The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · 29d

Humanities, arts and social sciences degrees are disappearing in many UK regions.

With more young people than ever studying close to home, course cuts are narrowing their choices at university.

@timeshighered.bsky.social covers our 'Cold Spots' report today. Read more at https://bit.ly/46e3wOy

Humanities and arts degrees disappearing in parts of UK

Students from rural and disadvantaged areas disproportionally affected by subject cuts, British Academy warns

bit.ly

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 29d

We've got a chunky @britishacademy.bsky.social report out looking at the emergence of 'cold spots' where you can't study arts, humanities or social science subjects close to home. We call for an urgent review of HE funding & monitoring of at risk subjects
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...

University course closures leave students unable to study many SHAPE subjects close to home - report

A new report shows that students are shut out of SHAPE education in their home regions, as large swathes of the UK are ‘cold spots’ for humanities, social sciences and arts degrees.

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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Robbie Love @robbielove.org · Sep 6

After a brilliant week in Glasgow @baal2025.bsky.social, we’re already looking forward to next year’s conference at Aston University! #BAAL2025 ➡️ #BAAL2026 @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Aug 7

My new special issue "At the interface: discourse at the intersection of digital design and user agency" published by @dcmjournal.bsky.social, co-edited with Göran Eriksson and Camilla Vásquez www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Free access to the editorial: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Introduction: discourse at the intersection of digital design and user agency

www.sciencedirect.com

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Jenni Hyde @wallyberry.bsky.social · Jul 30

Hello UK friends - please, please could you sign this petition against the job cuts at my place of work - 1 in 4 us will be out of a job by August next year if we don't stop the cuts. And once you've signed it, please share. We need your help! www.change.org/p/stop-mass-...

Sign the Petition

Stop Mass Redundancies at Lancaster University – Hold Senior Management Accountable

www.change.org

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Agnes Kukulska-Hulme @agneskh.bsky.social · May 12

Upcoming GenAI conference at OU in November - in person and online! Submit now: eurocall-languages.org/events/genai...

GenAI Conference @ The Open University UK - Eurocall

Shifting Power in Language Learning and Applied Linguistics with GenAI A conference at The Open University UK, School of Languages and Applied Linguistics, in Milton Keynes and online November 13t...

eurocall-languages.org

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Rachele @racheledf.bsky.social · Apr 28

📣 Call for papers! Shifting Power in Language Learning and Applied Linguistics with GenAI - Deadline May 16

Hybrid @The Open University 13-14 Nov'25

Details & submission: eurocall-languages.org/events/genai...

GenAI Conference @ The Open University UK - Eurocall

Shifting Power in Language Learning and Applied Linguistics with GenAI A conference at The Open University UK, School of Languages and Applied Linguistics, in Milton Keynes and online November 13t...

eurocall-languages.org

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Mar 12

A compelling case for linguistic and cultural skills in a 'precarious and rapidly changing world' and against damaging recent university course closures

Emma Cayley 谷曦 @emmacayley.bsky.social · Mar 12

‘Language is not an ancillary service. It is crucial for expanding understanding of key issues of our age beyond anglophone perspectives and assumptions.’ A response by @ilcs.bsky.social @ucflangs.bsky.social
and St. Andrews School of Modern Languages. www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/mode...

Modern languages departments are neither colonial nor obsolete

Advanced linguistic and cultural skills remain essential for deep insight into how people see themselves in the world, say five modern languages academics

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Mar 4

Thoroughly enjoyed making this podcast with @oliviakellyou.bsky.social on WhatsApp and wellness - I hope you enjoy listening to it 😊

Olivia Kelly @oliviakellyou.bsky.social · Mar 3

Delighted to publish the third episode of my @welspraxis.bsky.social podcast interviewing Dr Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social on wellbeing in private messaging apps. To win a copy of Caroline's book, head over to the @welspraxis.bsky.social feed for more info 😀 open.spotify.com/episode/2wkg...

Episode 3 - Wellbeing and Messaging apps with Dr Caroline Tagg

Praxis Scholarship Hub Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Society for Renaissance Studies @srsrensoc.bsky.social · Feb 11

CFP for the GOTH* SYMPOSIUM 💀

*Gender and Otherness in the Humanities

Open University, 15-16 May
Deadline for submission: 28 February

All info: www.rensoc.org.uk/event/5th-an...

The Annual GOTH Symposium welcomes scholars from within and outside The Open University for two days of productive interdisciplinary discussion and debate. The Program Committee invites proposals for presentations focusing on any aspects of gender and/or otherness in creative writing or pre-modern drama, literature and visual culture, in two formats:

Postgraduate students only: 5-minute lightning papers on any aspects of human gender and otherness in creative writing or drama, literature and/or visual culture.
Open call: 15-minute papers focusing on any aspects of gender and otherness in creative writing or drama, literature and/or visual culture, with particular emphasis on:
Gender, race, disability and/or human physical otherness in religious and secular medieval and early modern theatre, with topics including but not limited to:
performed otherness
otherness in secular dramatic texts
otherness in religious drama (eg convent drama, liturgical drama within the church, performances of Biblical episodes or Saint’s lives in religious and/or secular spaces).
understanding performed otherness through the study of performativity, gesture, costume, crossdressing and/or textiles.
Gender, race, disability and/or otherness in creative writing, with topics including but not limited to:
Dark tourism
Ekphrasis
Milton Keynes
Female patrons and the fashioning of gender in medieval and early modern literary, dramatic and visual arts, with topics including but not limited to:
the role of gender in cultural creation, performance and patronage
cultural patronage as a pathway to female legal power and status.
Ways of using gender, costume, cross-dressing and textiles to study and reframe dramatic narrative (eg women as ’story-weavers’ /embroiderers of vestments/costumes).
The Open University Medieval and Early Modern Research Group guest panel:
Radical Otherness?

Utopia and other ideal societies in the medieval and early modern world, with topics including but not limited to:

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Christopher P. Hood @hoodcp.bsky.social · Feb 6

Learn more about why modern language degrees at Cardiff University should be saved at www.savecardifflanguages.org

#Languages #SaveCardiffLanguages #CardiffUniversity #Japanese #JapaneseStudies #French #German #Italian #Portuguese #Chinese #Spanish #Translation #TranslationStudies

Home | SaveCardiffLanguages

Save Cardiff Languages is a campaign to save the teaching of Modern Language degrees and Translation at Cardiff University.

www.savecardifflanguages.org

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BAAL Conference 2025 @baal2025.bsky.social · Feb 5

Hi All! The call for papers for this years BAAL conference has now been published on our website. Please follow the link to find out more:
baal2025.wordpress.com

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Feb 5

The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts | Letters www.theguardian.com/education/20...

The deep cultural cost of British university job cuts | Letters

Letters: Arts and humanities are being hit hardest by cuts in higher education, write Prof Thea Pitman and Prof Emma Cayley, and Dr Ronan McLaverty-Head and another letter writer comment on cuts at Ca...

www.theguardian.com

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Feb 3

@artsandhums.bsky.social Challenging reckless HE cuts on behalf of BAAL and other #artsandhumanities associations

Arts and Humanities Alliance @artsandhums.bsky.social · Feb 3

The Arts and Humanities Alliance have written an open letter to Bridget Philippson, Secretary of State for Education, on the recently announced cuts across the sector. We are concerned that these measures disproportionately affect our disciplines and call for an urgent government review.

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Robbie Love @robbielove.org · Nov 17

Call for papers:

Corpus Linguistics 2025 #CL2025
Birmingham, UK
First week of July 2025

Submissions welcome for papers, posters, thematic panels and pre-conference workshops!

www.cl2025.co.uk/call-for-pap...

CL2025 - Call for papers

Abstract submission is now open here

www.cl2025.co.uk

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Solange Manche @smanche.bsky.social · Feb 2

Cardiff is planning to cut all modern languages. I’m afraid it will not be the last time we’ll see these announcements, with severe consequences for students’ prospects, researchers and staff but also our understanding of different cultures. A reminder that these courses were introduced after WWI.

Christie Margrave @christiesmbc.bsky.social · Jan 29

Please help us to save Modern Languages at Cardiff University:

chng.it/Hmtvvdtptg

Sign the Petition

Save MLANG at Cardiff University!

chng.it

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Caroline Tagg @carotagg.bsky.social · Feb 2

chng.it/LrchjkLBvq

Sign the Petition

Save MLANG at Cardiff University!

chng.it

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Sophie Heywood (she/her) @sophieheywood.bsky.social · Jan 31

The devastating decline of modern languages provision in the UK continues - please support the wonderful and highly respected colleagues in languages and translation facing the closure of their department at Cardiff University: chng.it/t5xsFHPFcb

Sign the Petition

Save MLANG at Cardiff University!

chng.it

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