Student Success Forum: Linguistic Diversity and Inequalities in Higher Education

The Student Success Forums run every other month and provide an opportunity for staff and students to discuss, reflect and work collectively to maximise the impact of student success initiatives here at Leeds and across the sector.

This forum's topic is 'Linguistic Diversity and Inequalities in Higher Education' and will include presentations from Gisela Tomé Lourido, Diane Nelson, Niamh Mullen, Milena Marinkova, Yolanda Cerdá and Bee Bond.

Most universities, including Leeds, have a diverse body of students and staff from different backgrounds. Yet students from certain linguistic backgrounds (e.g., with regional or second-language accents) are often disadvantaged in academic contexts and their language practices are often seen as a “deficit” rather than an “asset” in the classroom. Linguistic discrimination is used to privilege elites who speak the “correct” or “standard” form of language and exclude or marginalise those who do not. Through talks and discussions, we will consider how valuing linguistic diversity and tackling language inequalities can improve student success and belonging in HE, and contribute to a fairer society.

'Linguistic Diversity and Inequalities in Higher Education' is taking place on Thursday 24th October 2024, 10:00 – 12:00 and will be a hybrid event. The exact location for in-person attendance is TBC but will be on the University of Leeds campus. In-person registration will open at 9.30am when you are invited to join us for coffee, tea and edible refreshments.

Registration from 9:30am, session starts at 10:00am

Agenda

9:30am - Registration opens
10:00am - Welcome, Jenny Brady
10:05am - Linguistic Diversity and Accent Bias in Higher Education, Gisela Tomé Lourido
10:20am - A socio-historical perspective on language and (de)colonisation, Diane Nelson
10:35am - Breakout discussion
11:05am - Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Teaching and Learning, Niamh Mullen and Milena Marinkova
11:20am - A University language policy, Yolanda Cerdá and Bee Bond
11:35am - Breakout discussion
11:55am - Close

To register for this event please complete our registration form.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Student Success: StudentSuccess@leeds.ac.uk