Call posted by Dr Emily Brady, Emma Hall, Keisha Bruce, and Katharina Donn

As part of the BAAS outreach research project “Bridging the Resource Gap”, we are
looking to commission a small number of educators and researchers to each create a
5-10 minute video lecture on underexplored topics in A-Level curriculums for the
following subjects: English Literature, History, Politics, Media, and Film Studies. The
selected educators will each be paid an honorarium of £100.

Project Aims:

Bridging the Resource Gap aims to expand awareness of the discipline of American
Studies to students in further education, by bringing resources created by American
Studies scholars to the classroom. These mini lectures will supplement teaching
materials on the existing curriculum, and show students the range of research areas
that American Studies covers.

Who We are Looking For:

Educators will be required to script, deliver, and assist in the production of a video
lecture for an audience of teachers and A-Level students based on a related topic
related to national curriculums (see the suggested list below). This will be done with
support and editorial assistance from the Bridging the Resource Gap team. However, it
is important that the selected participants are confident with appropriate digital
technologies. We are looking to commission creative, intellectually stimulating, and
engaging mini lectures that inspire and enrich the learning of young students.

In line with BAAS’ goals of diversity and inclusion, we are particularly welcoming of
applications from independent scholars and researchers, historically marginalised
scholars, PhD researchers, and those facing financial precarity and job insecurity.

How to apply:

Send the following application to bridgingtheresourcegap@gmail.com by 1 September
2022:

● A short CV (2 pages maximum)
● A brief written proposal (100 words maximum) outlining your proposed mini
lecture
● A video application (2 minutes maximum) where you introduce yourself, explain
why you want to apply, and share how A-level students will benefit from your mini
lecture.

If you have multiple ideas, you are welcome to apply with more than one proposed
topic. However, it is likely that each successful applicant will deliver one lecture each, to
maximize the available opportunity.
Suggested topics of Focus:

Our preliminary research has revealed the following topics as those most
underrepresented in A-level resources. In some instances we have offered brief insight
into how the current resources may be enriched. We also encourage mini lectures that
have an overlap between topics.

Please note, this list is not exhaustive. If you know of another topic that is
under-resourced and that is applicable to UK-based A-Level curriculums, please do
propose this in your application.

English Literature

● Dramatic texts by non-white authors (especially Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs,
and Lynn Nottage’s Sweat)
● Modernism and the The Jazz Age: Modernism is a real focus in A-Level curricula,
but resources overly focus on white authors; any lectures exploring more diverse
texts and cultures of the era would be greatly appreciated (i.e. Harlem
Renaissance, ‘The Black Atlantic’ as critical impulse for studying Modernism, etc)
Film Studies

The following films have been underrepresented within A-Level resources:

● Wings (1927). Directed by William A. Wellman.
● The Wind (1928). Directed by Victor Sjostrom.
● Stagecoach (1939). Directed by John Ford.
● Zootopia (2016). Directed by Rich Moore, Jared Bush, and Byron Howard. (Most
resources are for children, so it would be great to see this engaged with critically)
● Raging Bull (1980). Directed by Martin Scorsese.
● The Conversation (1974). Directed by Frances Ford Coppola.

Outside of this, generally A-level Film Studies is widely resourced. So any contributions
which offer alternative analysis of films in the wider curriculum are welcomed

History

● The current curricula hardly cover indigenous history – they tend to begin
American history with the European settlers; any contributions challenging this
would be of benefit to students
● Generally, AS-American history is very well resourced and widely taught; any
contributions which offer new and innovative perspectives on historical events,
movements or figures would be welcome (contributions which disrupt or
challenged accepted interpretations, which open up new interpretations, which
offer new angles that secondary school students might not have encountered
before)

Media Studies

The following theories will benefit from an enriched overview:
● Black feminist theories and media representations (outside of bell hooks’
teachings)
● Sex, sexualisation and raunch culture.
● Mini-lectures focused on media studies will also benefit from digests, where
educators apply existing theories within the curriculum to different examples from
media.

Politics

● Milestone decisions by the Supreme Court
● Political theory and ideas (including, but not limited to:Liberalism & Civil Rights
movements; Conservatism /Ayn Rand; Feminism; Ecologism / Rachel Carson)
● Indigenous activism within these contexts