AAUSC 2017 Volume - Issues in Language Program Direction: Engaging the World: Social Pedagogies and Language Learning

Under current geo-political conditions of social, environmental, and economic fragility and instability, the need for education to cultivate empathy, heighten attentiveness to the biosphere, and augment commitment to civic engagement imposes itself with urgency (Rifkin, 2012). As fundamentally social-relational phenomena, semiotic agility and critical language awareness serve as critical resources for ameliorating and transforming selves, communities, and societies. These points suggest that instructed language education would benefit from greater integration with a variety of real world contexts and communities. In response to this need, contributions to this volume propose approaches to pedagogically mediated second language learning that link classroom activities with relevant social practices occurring outside of instructional settings.