LIU2 Manifesto #3

As announced in our newsletter and on Instagram, we will be posting manifestos of our colleagues who took the LIU2 course with Gabrielle Smith-Dluha this semester. These well-written manifestos provide insight into the values of our department’s student population and give voice to them in this time of political/social transformation. Writing a successful manifesto requires a high level of finesse and fluency in English, something the students have called forth in themselves when they were asked to write and design a manifesto on any topic they feel very passionate about. 

Caste System

by Minhas Amanjit Kaur

Amanjit on her manifesto

For this assignment, I have written and designed a manifesto titled “Annihilate the Caste System”. The text dives into the issue of the caste system in India, how it is still prevalent in modern society and how it should be removed systematically. The manifesto is primarily aimed at the Indian government, which is predominantly responsible for not being able to detach the caste system from the day-to-day lives of the general public. Generally, this manifesto is intended to be distributed through social media.

The manifesto is mainly written in active voice and avoids passive constructions. Through this, the ongoing relevance of the caste system is made evident. Furthermore, the readability is thus enhanced for all groups as well, independent of age and education. In addition, in order to establish a clear overview of the demands, the most important keywords are highlighted in red. The color red has been chosen because it indicates the urgency of the matter and prompts the readers to recognize its gravity. Lastly, the manifesto aspires to convey certain sentiments: anger, frustration, and the unwillingness to abide by the current rules and system anymore. Therefore, the imperative is used repeatedly. Hence, words such as “abolish”, “remove” and “stop” powerfully demand change. In conclusion, through the usage of active voice and the imperative and by highlighting keywords, the manifesto is able to deliver a strong message: Annihilate the caste system from every aspect of the everyday life of the Indian population.

LIU2 Manifesto #2

As announced in our newsletter and on Instagram, we will be posting manifestos of our colleagues who took the LIU2 course with Gabrielle Smith-Dluha this semester. These well-written manifestos provide insight into the values of our department’s student population and give voice to them in this time of political/social transformation. Writing a successful manifesto requires a high level of finesse and fluency in English, something the students have called forth in themselves when they were asked to write and design a manifesto on any topic they feel very passionate about. 

A Bookmaniac’s Manifesto

by Florentina Lechner

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Florentina on her manifesto

The manifesto entitled “A Bookmaniac’s Manifesto” exhibits a pessimistic evaluation of modern zeitgeist concerning society’s distorted view of literature and the withdrawal of books from areas of public discourse and didactic settings. The manifesto’s intention is to target the broadest audience possible, yet a secondary audience consists of people who regard literary works as irrelevant to current happenings, as restricted to a certain academic domain, and as insignificant for enhancing and saving lives. Therefore, the manifesto seeks to rouse people with the aforementioned attitudes and chiefly anyone who already shares the manifesto’s stance partly or fully so as to call them to action to prevent the vanishing of literature. As a secondary purpose it tries to impart to the audience literature’s lifesaving spirit, pedagogical potential, and essential values. In order to reach many recipients who are not advocates of books, the publication process should involve the manifesto being distributed in classical print on various social and political events to draw as much attention as possible to an artistic practice which can’t speak for itself.

The first “page” initiates with the anaphor “WE ALL grieve” in order to stress that there is no in- or out-group with regard to the incorporated statements, since the sentences cover all-pervasive topics and literature itself is not encapsulated from daily life and therefore of interest for any intellectual, economic or social group. Typographical usage of capital letters renders the inclusion even more intense and in combination with repetition attempts to subtly convince especially the secondary target group to agree with the last sentence as well, which creates common ground for the grievance about the declining engagement with literature. Moreover, the urgent message that we should all enhance the process of literature becoming an omnipresent cultural asset is conveyed in the visual representation of the manifesto. The framing with a book’s contours and numbering of pages tries to physically incorporate the subject of the text and strike the readership with its presence. The integration of eyes enables a personification of the graphical frame, thereby taking the drawing one step further and creating an emotional relationship between the literary work and the reader, which endeavours to nudge the addressees to fight for their partner. Lastly, a typographical experiment in the pre-final page-box strives to depict the interrelated value system which can be explored in literature. The visual inscription and nexus with the term “literature” (“T olerance”, “E motionality”) is supposed to create a mental picture of the precious ideas which can be gained from reading literary pieces and to show that these ethics are characteristic of the artistic practice. In sum, the primary purpose, namely the invocation of more or less all citizens to fight against the disappearance of literature, is fulfilled through inclusive anaphora and visual embodiment of the subject in question and the secondary purpose of displaying the set of valuable concepts contained in books is tackled with ludic typography.

LIU2 Manifesto #1

As announced in our newsletter and on Instagram, we will be posting manifestos of our colleagues who took the LIU2 course with Gabrielle Smith-Dluha this semester. The first one is by Ricarda Rammer, and her manifesto was even published in an American online literary journal (https://spillwords.com/mundane/) ! Congratulations!

Mundane

written by: Ricarda Rammer

“What is your grandest dream?”
To be outside when the first snow falls.

“No, it needs to be bigger than this!”
To wake up to the soft purrs of my cat.

“Your dreams are too minuscule. You lack ambition.”
Who are you to tell me my dreams are too small? Am I not allowed to thrive for the mundane? To reach for ceiling lights instead of stars?

Why should dreams be big and grand and life-changing? Sometimes, even the moon dreams of becoming a flower.

So why can’t I dream of simpler things?

Don’t accuse me of lacking ambition. I am content with the creases on my couch and familiar laughter.

You can have your grand dreams, your once-in-a-million chances, your fairy-tale life. I’ll continue to forget to water my plants and continue to buy new ones with the same promise on my tongue over and over again.

Let me dream of small things. Let me be a flower instead of a moon. I promise I’ll do good too.

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Ricarda on her manifesto

This manifesto is intended for people who are tired of having to justify their dreams because other people view them as too mundane. Instead of always dreaming big and thriving for success, this manifesto celebrates the small things in life that bring joy. It was published online.

The theme of the manifesto is to bring awareness to and enhance the status of the ordinary. Therefore, the font Times New Roman was used. It is the most standard font and does not stand out which helps to further promote the intention of the text.

A poetic style was chosen to elevate the topic of mundanity. Phrases such as “To reach for ceiling lights instead of stars” and “Sometimes, even the moon dreams of becoming a flower” the idea of the mundane is romanticised and therefore gains a higher status than simply having a big dream.

Furthermore, direct speech was used to create the illusion of a dialogue. The lyrical I and you are having a conversation about dreams and how big they need to be to be viewed as valid. The second person disagrees with the lyrical I “No, it needs to be bigger than this!” which leads to a monologue about the importance of the mundane. This decision was made to invoke real life experiences the audience might have encountered themselves and make the text more relatable.

In sum, the usage of a common font, poetic style, and direct speech help to validate being content with small dreams.

Call for Applications: The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy Voluntary Internship Project (2020-25)

The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy Voluntary Internship Project (2020-25) is a 10 year program with the main purpose to enable students who need an internship as a compulsory part of their BA or graduate studies to engage in cultural diplomacy and in doing so, to further promote cultural diplomacy and multiculturalism worldwide.

The positioning of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy in the centre of Europe, makes it a natural hub for the younger generation and indeed, the past years previous projects have been witness to interns being active participants in the multicultural field, where lasting friendships were formed and valuable contacts made, which immediately expanded each individual’s network to all parts of the world.

The diverse multicultural environment provides an excellent framework for Cultural Diplomacy to be practiced on a daily basis within the office as well as outside of the office. One of the main privileges afforded by the project is to work in a young, interdisciplinary and international environment, which serves as a model of successful multiculturalism in practice. The experience of learning to work together in a multicultural and international organizational environment is a rare, unique and a rewarding common experience.

The Academy for Cultural Diplomacy invites applications from individuals who are coming from the following fields:

Communication & Journalism
Film, Photography & Visual Art
Arts & Culture
International Relations & Politics
Marketing & Public Relations
Business & Economics
History

More info you can find here.

Evaluierung und Weiterentwicklung der Pädagoginnen- und Pädagogenbildung NEU (in German)

Macht noch bis 18. Juni bei der Evaluierung und Weiterentwicklung der Pädagoginnen- und Pädagogenbildung NEU mit! Mehr Infos hier.

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Sustainability Challenge 2021/22

The Anglistik-SPL Website has published an interesting announcement:

90 students. 6 universities. 1 target. – Be part of the Sustainability Challenge and learn about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This 2 semester long challenge can be recognized as an elective (6 ECTS).

Apply online by 7/7/2021 – (Master’s students and advanced bachelor’s students of all fields of study are welcome to apply.)

The Sustainability Challenge lasts two semesters (WiSe 21/22, SoSe 22) and begins in October 2021.

Participation is possible in one of two tracks: Service Learning Track or Start-up Track.
In the Service Learning Track, students work together with companies, ministries or NGOs on concrete sustainability projects. In the Start-up Track, participants have the opportunity to implement their own sustainable business idea.

The theoretical input is provided by the six participating universities: WU Vienna, BOKU, TU Vienna, the University of Applied Sciences, the University of Vienna & the University of Graz.
Lecturers from these universities will design lecture units and encourage students to reflect on and discuss ecological economics, climate change, art, sustainable building sustainable building, consumption and production patterns, as well as social conditions.

(Source: SPL-Anglistik Website)

You can find more information about the application here: https://sc.rce-vienna.at/

There are also brief social media expanations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustainabilityChallengeRCE/videos/323961219118523/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/COu5bcUlNtU/

Writing Mentors Wanted for Winter Term

The CTL (Center for Teaching and Learning) is looking for students who want to become writing mentors in the winter term. Students who want to become writing mentors need to be able to understand German passively, since the course for writing mentors is taught in German. However, it is fine if they speak English during the course.

You can find more information in the PDF file if you are interested in becoming a writing mentor.

call-schreibmentorinnen-wintersemester-2021_22-2Download

Job offer from the WU (in German): Mitarbeiter/in Austauschprogramme

Teilzeit, 20 Stunden/Woche

Qualifizierte Personen mit Behinderung sind besonders eingeladen sich zu bewerben!

Ihr Aufgabenbereich

• Beratung von Studierenden im Frontoffice zu den Mobilitätsprogrammen der WU inkl. Durchführung und Weiterentwicklung der Beratungsangebote für WU Studierende (Kleingruppenberatungen, Webinars); Erstellung und Durchführung von Präsentationen zu den Austauschangeboten der WU
• Mitbetreuung der International Office Website sowie den inhaltlich zur Abteilung zugehörigen Seiten auf der WU Website; Qualitätssicherung der Inhalte und Weiterentwicklung unserer Webseiten
• Redaktionelle Tätigkeit: Erstellung von Texten und Inhalten für die Website, Aussendungen und Broschüren. Koordination von externen Dienstleister/inne/n (Grafik, Druck und Versand)
• Projektmanagement der jährlichen Auslandsstudienmesse Go Global. Koordination und zentrale Schnittstellenfunktion für alle zugeordneten Aktivitäten
• Kontinuierliche Aktualisierung unseres Wissensmanagements
• Aktive Mitarbeit an verschiedenen Projekten des International Office
• Administrative Frontoffice-Tätigkeiten (Ansprechpartner/in für interne Abteilungen, Ausgabe von Dokumenten, Post etc.)

Ihr Profil

• Matura
• Laufendes Studium und/oder einschlägige Berufserfahrung von Vorteil
• Hohe Stil- und Textsicherheit, hervorragendes sprachliches Ausdrucksvermögen in deutscher und englischer Sprache
• Sicherer Umgang mit gängigen Office Programmen (Word, Excel, Power Point, usw.)
• Serviceorientierte Beratung und kompetentes Auftreten, auch unter Belastungssituationen und Stress
• Kenntnisse in Content Management Systemen (Typo3) von Vorteil
• Teamorientiertes Denken und Handeln, Fähigkeit zum selbständigen Arbeiten, sehr gute Selbstorganisation, Freude am Umgang mit Menschen aus aller Welt
• Strukturierte, genaue und verantwortungsbewusste Arbeitsweise
• Kenntnisse des Universitätsumfelds, insbesondere im Bereich des Studierendenaustauschs von Vorteil

Das monatliche Mindestentgelt beträgt 1.173,25 Euro brutto, die Anrechnung von tätigkeitsbezogenen Vordienstzeiten ist möglich.

Haben Sie Interesse an dieser Tätigkeit mit persönlichen Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten in einem angenehmen Arbeitsklima? Dann bewerben Sie sich bitte bis spätestens 26.05.2021 (Kennzahl: 999).

You can apply and find more information here: https://www.wu.ac.at/karriere/arbeiten-an-der-wu/jobangebote?yid=999

Tint Journal Submission Call

*/Tint Journal/ is looking for short stories, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, flash nonfiction, as well as for poetry created in English as the writer’s second or non-native language.* The submitted texts should be previously unpublished and follow /Tint/’s submission guidelines which are on display here: https://tintjournal.com/submit/submission-guidelines (tintjournal.com/submit).

To be considered for publication in /Tint Fall’21/, the text has to arrive in our inbox (submissions@tintjournal.com <mailto:submissions@tintjournal.com>) before *May 31, 2021 *(midnight CEST). Any subject matter is welcome, no submission fee.

In addition to literary texts, /Tint Journal /is looking for *artworks* to accompany//the published stories and poems. Artists are asked to submit up to 3 photographs, drawings, and other visual creations at submissions@tintjournal.com before *May 31, 2021* (midnight CEST) to be considered for publication in /Tint Fall’21/. For more information, please visit www.tintjournal.com/submit <https://tintjournal.com/submit/submission-guidelines>.

Wichtige Infos zum auslaufenden Lehramtsstudium Diplom 344 (in German)

For assistance, contact Monica Dirnberger.