Philosopher Jacques Rancière will deliver a paper in the School of Modern Language and Cultures on Monday 1st February 2021, 3.00-4.30pm, 'Politics of the Landscape'. The paper marks the launch of our new Warwick seminar for interdisciplinary French Studies. In this paper, drawn from his recently published Le Temps du paysage : aux origines de la révolution esthétique (La Fabrique, 2020), Jacques Rancière explores the interconnections between aesthetics and politics in conceptions of landscape, starting out from an extended commentary on three events of 1790: two publications (Kant’s Critique of Judgment and Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France) and one journey, Wordsworth’s travels through the political landscape of revolutionary France. The paper will be delivered in English and followed by a response from Oliver Davis. The seminar will take place on MS Teams. All are welcome but registration is required; please contact the convenor, Oliver Davis (O.Davis@warwick.ac.uk) to register.

With the student voice being so important to the educational experience, we wanted to regularly highlight some of the great work that is happening in SSLCs across the University. This is why we launched the Transforming Education Spotlight - a termly celebration of the people who are dedicated to the student voice at Warwick.

"In extending the discussion about postsecularities to hitherto neglected media, the increasingly self-reflexive nature of what we are calling postsecular art becomes apparent—and this is of particular interest to us in this volume. Working in the early twenty-first century, the writers, jazz musicians, TV directors, producers, and performance artists whose work we discuss appear to be thinking quite explicitly about not only how religion has returned to inflect and complicate their artistic visions but also how their art can comment upon and shape renewed perceptions of religion and religious experience. They show how aesthetic practice itself can constitute a postsecular stance, thus inviting a corresponding stance on the part of researchers."

The edition also carries an article by Reader in French at Warwick, Dr Douglas Morrey.

Read the articles and introduction to the special edition here.

Raquel Navas, Teaching Fellow in Hispanic Studies, has been awarded with the 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗘 (Asociación para la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera) 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗔 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 for her work on Linguist Landscapes as a tool to promote connections with the target language and culture. This award recognizes the best dissertation of the year and will publish Raquel's work in 2021.

For more information: Asele research prizes

Provincialising Nature: Politics of the Environment in Latin America, edited by Dr Michela Coletta, Hispanic Studies, now open access

https://humanities-digital-library.org/index.php/hdl/catalog/book/provincialising-nature

Over several years, working with Dr Benedict Schofield (KCL) James Hodkinson has curated an important volume of essays that asses the state of German Studies in education, but also in the worlds beyond it. Published by Camden House (Boydell & Brewer), James has written a blog reflecting on the book and its relevance. Read the entry here!

The account of bureaucracy under neoliberal capitalism which I present in this article, under the innocuous heading it prefers to use to describe itself (‘governance’), draws together recent critical work by the late David Graeber, Wendy Brown, William Davies and Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval, which it repositions in relation to Jacques Rancière’s conception of the ‘police order’. I suggest that the massive production of insecurity by proliferating bureaucracies which structure neoliberalism’s project of competitive hierarchisation creates the ideal conditions for a vicious circle of securitarian inflation. To read the full article click here

We've now got an SMLC LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13877964

The hope is that it will allow languages alumni to share their experiences of professional life after Warwick with fellow alumni and to offer advice and tips to current students. Join now!

Head of School Kate Astbury has an end of term message for finalists. You can listen to it here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/news/img_5704.mp4

We'll provide details of a virtual celebration of the end of term and of degree results in due course.

Stay safe, stay in touch and have a good summer.

Head of School Kate Astbury has an end of term message for intermediate-year students. You can listen to it here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/news/img_5703.mp4

We gathered together some ideas for keeping up language learning for our offer holders but many work for more advanced linguists too - take a look: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/applying/offerholder

Stay safe and have a good summer.

Head of School Kate Astbury has an end of term message for first years. You can listen to it here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/news/img_5702.mp4

We gathered together some ideas for keeping up language learning for our offer holders but many work for more advanced linguists too - take a look: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/applying/offerholder

We'll provide more suggestions of preparatory reading for year 2 in due course.

Stay safe and have a good summer.

Professor Jim Shields made appearances on France 24 television to discuss President Macron’s pension reform plan, the nationwide strikes in protest and the battle for public opinion over these contentious reforms. 

SMLC STAFF & STUDENT CHRISTMAS PARTY

4 DECEMBER: 5.00 – 7.00PM

MATHS FOYER

Come along to celebrate a multi-lingual Christmas, with festive drinks, nibbles, sweets, music and culture from around the SMLC world. We look forward to seeing you there.

The French Soc is supporting the Leamington Night Shelter (LWS) this Christmas. there will be a box in the TRC where you can put items. For information about what to give, please see: https://www.lwsnightshelter.org/shopping-list

Want to share what’s great about being at your University? Have suggestions on what needs to improve around campus?

Have your say in the Warwick Student Experience Survey between 11 November and 8 December.

Professor Jim Shields appeared on France 24, Radio France Internationale and LBC radio to discuss Chirac’s death, his legacy, defining moments of his presidency, and his place in modern French history. He also gave an interview on Brexit to the Colombian daily Portafolio.