BAAL Gender and Language Special Interest Group

Annual Report for BAAL Executive, 2011-2012

Aims of the SIG

The key aims of the GaL SIG are:

  • To bring together UK-based researchers interested in the area of gender and language, outside a single institution
  • To identify, engage with and further key issues in gender and language study
  • To explore a range of past and current work with a view to contributing to prospective developments in the field, both in the UK and abroad
  • To promote gender and language study as a field which brings together a range of theoretical approaches in ways which are productive for applied linguistics as a whole.

Membership

The SiG has been running since 2005 and has steadily increased to 51members, up from 43 this time last year (see Appendix A). Not all of these are active in the sense of attending the annual event. We intend to do what we can to recruit more members at our event at Aston in September 2012, and to ensure that all SiG members are members of BAAL. Convenor Judith Baxter will speak briefly at the event on this topic.

Organisation

During 2011-12, the committee has comprised:

Convenor:Judith Baxter (Aston University)

Secretary:Jane Sunderland (Lancaster University)

Webweaver:Paul Baker (Lancaster University)

TreasurerSylvia Shaw (Middlesex University)

Ordinary committee members:LiaLitosseliti (City University); Linda McLoughlin (Liverpool Hope); Jo Angouri (UWE)

Finances

At 31 May 2012, the SiG’s balance was £341.25p, partly helped by the start-up fee supplied by BAAL. The BAAL Gal SiG opened a bank account last year with Sylvia Shaw (Treasurer) and Judith Baxter (Convenor) as co-signatories.

Annual Event 2011-12

Our last event was on the theme of Gender and Language in the Public Spaceorganised by Dr Judith Baxter and held at Aston University on Tuesday 20th September 2011.This had six speakers: Dr Jo Angouri, Dr Judith Baxter, Professor Deborah Cameron, Dr LiaLitosseliti, Dr Louise Mullany and Dr Sylvia Shaw. The event was well attended by people who had travelled from various parts of the UK, Ireland, Spain and the US, with excellent feedback from participants. The AGM was also held on this occasion.

Our next event‘Gender, Language and Sexuality’, organised by Dr Helen Sauntson from York St John Universitywill be held on Wednesday 12th September, once again at Aston University. Enrolment is currently at 10 people, but we are still hoping for a last minute rush!

Possible events for 2012-13:

Gender and multi-modality

Gender, Language and Literature

Gender and Neuroscience

Research Grant Opportunities and Successes

SIG Annual General Meeting

This meeting will be held at our next Event above from 1pm to 2pm on 12th September 2012. All delegates who are members of the SiG will be invited to attend.

The main items to be discussed are:

  • Topics for future events;
  • encouraging members to attend
  • encouraging members to propose ideas for events
  • SIG track at the next BAAL Annual Meeting;
  • SIG finances, the use of the surplus, and running future events.
  • An election? This is the 4th year with the present incumbents.

Thanks

My thanks go to all members of the committee this year but especially Sylvia Shaw for her role as Treasurer and persisting with the onerous task of sorting out the finances from our last event at Aston. I would also like to thank Paul Baker for maintaining the website this year.

Judith Baxter

GAL SIG Convenor

APPENDIX A

GaLSiG MEMBERSHIP LIST(as of August 2012)

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; h.sauntson@yorksj;ac.uk; ; ;

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