The information on this page is intended to build on links between the English and Linguistics Programme and secondary school teachers. Our staff are happy to work with teachers of English and languages to share information, expertise, and experiences.
Reaching out to you
School visits
Staff from English and Linguistics are happy to visit your school. Staff can talk to groups of students or staff or even take an English guest teaching session. These visits are especially useful for introducing students to linguistics as it is a fascinating subject that they might not have come across before.
Please contact Nicola Cummins from the English Programme (nicola.cummins@otago.ac.nz) or Minh Nguyen from the Linguistics programme (minh.nguyen@otago.ac.nz) to discuss arrangements.
Visits by schools
You are welcome to bring your class to the University for a taste of life as a student of English and Linguistics. You are welcome to bring your class to the University for a taste of life as a student of English or Linguistics. Please contact Nicola Cummins (nicola.cummins@otago.ac.nz) for a visit related to English or Minh Nguyen (minh.nguyen@otago.ac.nz) for a visit related to Linguistics.
Friday seminars
English and Linguistics hosts a weekly seminar series, Friday afternoons, 4–5pm, during the university semesters. The seminars are public events and all are welcome to attend. Presentations include guest lectures from visiting scholars, papers based on staff research, practice deliveries for upcoming conferences (staff and postgraduate students), and Honours students presenting on the topic of their dissertation. There is no need to register for these seminars – just turn up to those that attract your interest. Details of upcoming seminars can be found on our seminar series page, or in the University's events calendar:
Upcoming events – University of Otago
Be sure to 'like' our Facebook page for notification of the week's seminar topic and speaker.
English and Linguistics, University of Otago – Facebook
If you have a paper you would like to present at one of the seminars (we encourage you to do this!), please contact:
Dr Paul Tankard
Email paul.tankard@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 7724
Like our Facebook page to follow posts related to staff and students of the department, as well as general postings for those interested in literature and languages. Please also encourage your students to like the page too, so they can get a feeling for English and linguistics at the University of Otago.
English and Linguistics, University of Otago – Facebook
Dunedin Linguistics Club
The Dunedin Linguistics Club is for secondary students with an interest in language to learn about how languages work, how the mind processes language, how languages compare to each other, and how it all fits into our busy social lives. Linguistics touches on literature, psychology, neuroscience, history, social studies, education, culture and more, but most students have little idea what the field is.
Staff and postgraduate students from the linguistics programme created and run the Dunedin Linguistics Club for students in Years 11, 12 and 13 to learn about the study of language. There are no fees and no lectures; just fun activities. Visit the Dunedin Linguistics Club webpage for more information, including the next meeting dates:
Tertiary Information Day
Among the various activities on Tertiary Information Day, prospective students can attend lectures in literature and linguistics. The English and Linguistics Programme also hosts informal information sessions where school students can discuss their future study plans and options with staff. Details about these sessions are contained within the Tertiary Information Day programme.
How to reach us
If you would like to get in touch with any of the staff in English or Linguistics please feel free to email or phone individual staff, or contact the programme administrator:
Our people – English and Linguistics
Programme administrator
Email english@otago.ac.nz
We also have two dedicated school liaison staff. Nicola Cummins is a Teaching Fellow in English and a trained secondary teacher who is actively involved with teacher networks, and Dr Minh Nguyen is a Lecturer in Linguistics.
Nicola Cummins (English)
Email nicola.cummins@otago.ac.nz
Dr Minh Nguyen (Linguistics)
Email minh.nguyen@otago.ac.nz