“Caring for the future: Dystopian literature and art at the edge of a collapsing world“

In recent decades, the birth rate in many Western countries has decreased dramatically and the troles and representations of maternal figures have changed significantly. Through IVF, gamete donation and surrogacy, motherhood is no longer defined univocally, and family structures have evolved accordingly. This paper seeks to investigate how biotechnology, social and family changes inform an interdisciplinary perspective of the representations of motherhood in feminist dystopian literature, plays and art. I will focus the paper on the following three novels: Naomi Alderman’s The Power (2016); Anne Charnock's Dreams Before the Start of Time (2017) and Louise Erdrich’s Future Home of the Living God (2017). I will use comparative analysis to discuss how these novels engage in a dialogue with wider contemporary trends in feminist writing and art, which look at dystopian visions of humans’ reproductive strategies. I will use the work of the feminist philosophers Rosalyn Diprose and Lisa Baraitser to contextualise how these novels challenge and extend notions of the ethics of care. I am particularly interested in how the authors’ depictions of a dystopian future see the act of caring for children (and consequently each other and the world) as interdependent activities which involve constant learning of how to wait, be patient, trust and listen.

“Task engagement as a facilitator of achievement in language learning“

Motivation -- which can be loosely defined as a person’s willingness or desire to become involved in a specific field, content, or task -- has been linked to achievement in language learning for decades. More recent study, however, suggests that motivation itself is insufficient to support learning, and, perhaps, does not explain outcomes as clearly as the notion of task engagement does.

Task engagement is generally defined as the level of involvement in a task. Catalysts for task engagement noted in the literature include authenticity, interest, a challenge/skills balance, an autonomy/structure balance, social interaction, and support (including just-in-time feedback). Additional constructs such as “playfulness” are under study.

Although it helps, it is not necessary to have motivation to be engaged in a task, in the same way that being motivated does not imply that a task will be engaging. For example, many learners are quite motivated in general to learn English; when they get to class, however, the tasks may not be engaging to them, and they may not learn as well or as much as they could. Conversely, if learners are not motivated toward English but the language tasks are engaging to them, learners can still achieve.

Emerging theories of task engagement address diverse learners across fields and levels. Applying facilitators of task engagement to lessons may help teachers mediate factors in the environment external to the classroom and lead to more equitable access to learning, better integration of disciplines and topics, and greater learner achievement.

“Attitudes Towards Immigrants and Immigration in the U.S. Great Plains: Regional Literature as A Lens“

The U.S. Great Plains – stretching from the Dakotas in the north to the panhandle of Texas in the south – is a vast region, dominated by seemingly endless grazing acreage and farmland. Euro-American settlement of this part of the United States began in the mid-19th century and was tied largely to European immigrants who became land holders. Spurred on by the Homestead Act of 1862 – which opened land in the American heartland to a variety of those who felt disenfranchised, including non-citizen immigrants – ethnic peoples from across Europe streamed onto the Great Plains. As famously depicted in the literature of Ole Edvart Rölvaag, Mari Sandoz, and Willa Cather, immigrants were an essential piece of this region’s social and economic fabric in the late 19th century. If immigrants were not beloved, they were at least tolerated during the homesteading era.

During World War I, attitudes towards immigrants and immigration in the Great Plains changed drastically when the region turned against the tens of thousands of German immigrants in the region with a chilling anti-German fervor, as vividly depicted in the fiction of Will Weaver.

In recent decades, the region’s agricultural economy came to depend on of immigrant laborers from Latin America. Polling data and voting patterns strongly suggests that many people in the Great Plains are uncomfortable with the immigrant population in their midst. This presentation traces the shifts in attitudes toward immigrants and immigration in the Great Plains as depicted in regional literature and historical data.

Domestic participants should pay the conference fee in denars based on the exchange rates of NBRM on the day of payment. Please see a sample of the payment slip.

Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology , where the ESIDRP conference will take place, is located at the Ss Cyril and Methodius University campus in Skopje, reachable by taxi or by bus.

Skopje taxi transport

Taxis are available throughout the city and can be found at many corners, and run a 24 hour service. Taxis in Skopje are relatively cheap, however, (unregistered) taxi drivers might approach you offering their services. To avoid being overcharged, it is safer to book a tax via a taxi company . To give an idea about pricing, a taxi in Skopje from the city centre to the outskirts of the city typically costs around 300 denars (5 EUR), though during rush hour the price can go up to 500 denars (9 EUR).

Skopje public transport

There is a dense network of bus lines connecting most parts of the city and suburbs (see the website of the public transport company, JSP). You can purchase a travel card for the bus from multiple kiosks around the city, there is a map at the bottom of this page.

Apart from the university campus car park, the nearest and most convenient alternative parking facilities are available within a three-minute walking distance across Goce Delchev Blvd. These are the multi-storey car park on Goce Delcev Blvd, the Macedonian Radio and Television (MRT) parking lot and the parallel parking places on Dimitar Vlahov Street by The Vardar River (behind the tallest black building opposite the campus).

Please be advised that the MRT and street parking facilities are payable via mobile phones only and are therefore convenient for domestic mobile network subscribers. Parking there is free of charge on Saturdays after 2 p.m. and on Sundays. The multi-storey car park requires cash payment and is therefore the only facility convenient for international participants

In terms of price and convenience, participants are encouraged to use taxi and public transportation services. (See Venue Access below)

If foreign pronunciation is your forte, try saying to the taxi driver “Filoloshkee fakultet – rampa” (Faculty of Philology – the ramp).

Venue access

Due to construction works, the main University Campus entrance is closed to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic, which has been redirected to the side entrance from Goce Delcev Blvd (across the street from the Macedonian Radio and Television building).