Dana Doucette (Birkbeck: University of London) will give a talk titled “What is a Pronoun? A Pedagogy of Indeterminacy” on Friday, September 27, from 3:00-4:00 pm, in SDU Main Building 211

"If one explores the discourse around pronouns that has gained momentum in the last decade, one might notice that this is a symptom of a much greater issue. Students are taught how to identify a pronoun, but many will find it difficult to answer what a pronoun is without giving an example. Although this lack of understanding does not seem to be divided along political or ethical lines, it allows for otherwise benign concepts to be used in both political and ethical ways. In a time when an increasing number of people seem to be less interested in understanding an idea and more concerned with which side of the political binary that idea sits on, it is increasingly important to examine the ways in which information is shared, consumed, and learned."