No. 3 (2020): English in Transformation

This special issue stems from the biannual conference affiliated with The National Forum of English Studies, which organizes university teachers of English throughout Sweden, convened at Malmö University 10-12 April, 2019. The conference theme, “English in Transformation,” identified the challenges that have characterized the academic study of English in Sweden in recent years. In accordance with this theme, some of the papers discussed the perceived weakening of English as an independent, well-defined discipline. In support of this view, data were presented on student numbers, program profiles, courses offered on graduate level and positions. Other presenters offered a more optimistic outlook, stressing that English is nearly ubiquitous within the academy and that this opens up many opportunities, especially with regard to vocational programs. Certainly, the comparative approach offered by the shifting perspectives and situations in different seats of learning in Sweden provided an invaluable cross-section of the subject as it stands in Sweden today, not least in relation to teacher education