Kris Knisely

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Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Knisely, K. A., & Russell, E. L. (2023). Redoing linguistic worlds: Unmaking gender binaries, remaking gender pluralities. Multilingual Matters (Under Contract).

Chapters

• Knisely, K. (2021). Teaching trans: The Impetus for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming inclusivity in L2 classrooms. In How We Take Action: Social Justice in K-16 Language Classrooms. Information Age.
• Knisely, K. (2022). Teaching trans knowledges: Situating expansive possibilities in an intermediate French course. In Diversity and Decolonization in French Studies. Palgrave Macmillan.
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  Available open access at: https://rdcu.be/cKP37
• Knisely, K. (2021). L/G/B and T: Queer Excisions, Entailments, and Intersections. In Intersectional Perspectives on LGBTQ+ Issues in Language Teaching and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan.
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  Queer applied linguistics (ALx) has begun to emerge as a veritable subfield (Nelson, 2009; Paiz, 2018/2020; Saunston, 2017), interrogating what it means to be LGBTQ+ for the teaching, learning, and using of L2s. However, narratives about LGBTQ+ lives and concerns have not historically attended equally to all segments of the acronym. Specifically, ALx has tended to be dominated by considerations of sexuality (Catalano, 2015; Author & Paiz, forthcoming; Zimman, 2009), often excising and effacing transness or treating it as a monolith (cf Author, forthcoming). When the diversity of lived experiences of gender are not flattened by limited sample sizes (Besnier, 2017; Nguyen & Yang, 2015) or by dominant narratives about a so-termed singular trans experience, transness is still most frequently situated distinctly beside LGB-ness. This simultaneous uniting of articulations of queerness (under the LGBTQ+ umbrella) and the excision of gender from sexuality is due, in part, to tenuous historical alliances that have existed among LGB and trans communities (cf Herek, 2010). In fact, the LGBTQ+ acronym is both regularly leveraged as a symbolically unifying force and frequently lauded as an inclusionary move away from cisgendered, male homonormativity. However true, the LGBTQ+ acronym under-attends to the heterogeneity of the group of individuals it is used to signify and itself presents myriad complexities. Among such complexities are the ways in which the ability to occupy multiple segments of the LGBTQ+ acronym is rarely, if ever, explicitly considered in discussions of queering L2 teaching and learning. As a field, we rarely ask what it means to be an L2 teacher or learner who is gay and trans, lesbian and trans, queer and trans, or any such intersections. Nor have we tended to interrogate the incoherence of categories of sexuality that are predicated on binary conceptions of gender for non-binary individuals. This lack of intersectional awareness leaves blind spots in how we think about treating both the representation and inclusion of queerness in the L2 classroom. As such, this chapter explores both what is lost, pedagogically, when gender and sexuality are considered separately from one another and what is risked when the LGBTQ+ acronym is treated holistically, drawing on the idea of third spaces (cf Kramsch) in order to put forth new possible approaches to conceptualizing and engaging in queering L2 contexts.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2022). A Starter Kit for Rethinking Trans Representation and Inclusion in French L2 Classrooms. In Rethinking the French Classroom: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Diversity and Inclusion. Routledge.
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  Since the social turn in Applied Linguistics (cf Peirce, 1995), scholarship has thoroughly detailed the ways in which second language acquisition (SLA) and second language (L2) use inherently involve (Atkinson, 2011; Norton, 2013; Dörnyei, 2014) and are facilitated by (Norton, 2013; Moore, 2016) pedagogies that explicitly attend to identity (re)construction, writ large. As a field, we have come to understand the ways in which identities and subjectivities are part and parcel to the process of L2 teaching and learning (Darvin & Norton, 2015). Such identity-focused pedagogies have further come to grow in importance alongside professional discourses that call for increased attention to both diversity and inclusion (ACTFL, 2019) and to intercultural and symbolic competence development (ACTFL, 2012/2014; Alptekin, 2002; Kramsch, 2011; TESOL, 2008). Within this broad framework, a growing body of literature has begun to directly attend to sexual and gender diversity in L2 curricula, textbooks, research, and pedagogy (Nelson, 2009; Paiz, 2018/2020; Saunston, 2017). However, trans, non-binary, and gender-non conforming (TGNC) bodies, lives, and concerns remain marginalized in the field of L2 teaching and learning (Author, forthcoming; Author & Paiz, forthcoming; Nguyen & Yang, 2015; Paiz, 2020) and are even more scantly treated in French SLA specifically (Author, forthcoming; Kosnick, 2019; Provitola, 2019). Largely due to a lack of training and queer-inclusive materials, most instructors, students, and institutions alike are ill-equipped (Author, forthcoming; Author & Paiz, forthcoming; Provitola, 2019) to treat TGNC topics and to meet the unique needs of TGNC language learners (cf. Author, forthcoming; Author & Paiz, forthcoming; LeMaster & Johnson, 2018). As such, this chapter will first summarize the existing frameworks for queering the L2 classroom (Author & Paiz, forthcoming; Paiz, 2020; Spade, 2011), in its broadest sense, and then present the limited but growing body of literature that is specific to French language learning (Author, forthcoming; Kosnick, 2019; Provitola, 2019). To begin to redress the perennial problem with access to TGNC-inclusive materials, this chapter will then detail suggestions for finding French-specific TGNC resources and realia, weaving examples of these specific resources into the framework of queer inquiry-based pedagogies (cf. Author & Paiz, forthcoming; Paiz, 2020). In this way, teachers of French will gain insight into some of the concrete ways in which assignments, activities, pedagogical strategies, and the broader curriculum can be adapted to provide equitable opportunities for success for TGNC L2 learners. To the same degree, this chapter will equip educators with the ability to provide all learners with an increased awareness of TGNC lives and concerns and an ability to respectfully engage with TGNC individuals and communities.

Journals/Publications

• Knisely, K. (2022). More ethical, more accurate: Trans knowledges and student language learning. OASIS Summary of Knisely (2022). Gender-just language teaching and linguistic competence development.. OASIS Database.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021). Gender-Just Language Teaching and Linguistic Competence Development. Foreign Language Annals, 34.
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  Within a broad turn toward identity-focused pedagogies, educators are increasingly recognizing the critical impetus to engage with gender in expansive and inclusive ways. However, challenges persist. Often inadequate supports are exacerbated by a lack of empirical investigations into whether and how gender-just language teaching may contribute to student learning. Thus, very little is known about how this ethical imperative interfaces with linguistic outcomes. To respond, this study analyzed linguistic accuracy and complexity in assignment data from 112 US undergraduate students enrolled in one of three iterations of an intermediate French course, which varied in whether and when gender-just pedagogy was introduced. Results indicated that gender-just language pedagogy contributes to significantly lower overall mean error rates but does not have a statistically significant relationship with mean length of utterance. Implications are discussed, including the clear benefit of an early-and-often approach to gender-justice in the language classroom.
• Knisely, K. (2021). Le français non-binaire: linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French. Foreign Language Annals, 36. doi:10.1111/flan.12500
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  Le français non-binaire: linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French The Challenge L2 educators strive to create inclusive classrooms for students of all genders. However, a lack of resources on gender non-binary language forms limits the ability to fully realize inclusion. How can all L2 identities be made sayable? How can teaching to and about non-binary speakers support inclusivity and competence development? Abstract In response to shifting sociocultural constructions of gender and the emerging visibility of non-binary subject positions, grammatically binary linguistic systems, such as French, are being challenged, subverted, and adapted. This paper describes and analyzes formal, structural, and ideological aspects of how contemporary French speakers are confronting and innovating beyond the gender binary, highlighting the lack of scholarly attention and increase in public salience afforded to these issues. Survey data from 174 adult speakers of French are used to outline the forms used by non-binary Francophones, the degree of form variance, and the self-reported comprehensibility ratings of these forms. The findings establish consistent trends in the non-binary language forms used and their comprehensibility, while highlighting the importance of variance for individual agency in non-binary Francophone communities. These findings are foundational to a consideration of the of teaching non-binary forms in foreign language classrooms and curricula for inclusivity and competence development. Keywords: non-binary; sociocultural gender; French; linguistic innovation
• Knisely, K., & Paiz, J. M. (2021). Bringing Trans, Non-binary, and Queer Understandings to Bear in Language Education. Critical Multilingualism Studies.
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  Language education represents a site for identity (re)construction, mediated through language acquisition and use (Atkinson, 2011). Pedagogies that engage with students as whole persons inherently encourage identity-focused reflection and may facilitate more ethical teaching (Norton, 2013; Moore, 2016). Increasingly, literature considers sexual diversity’s role in language curricula, textbooks, research, and pedagogy (Nelson, 2009; Paiz, 2018; Saunston, 2017). However, herein, there is a marked focus on lesbian and gay considerations—perpetuating trans, non-binary, gender-non conforming (TGNC), bisexual, and queer invisibility (Knisely, 2020; Paiz, 2020). This paper addresses how TGNC lives and concerns can interface with the process of language education, highlighting its importance for applied linguistics, language teachers, and learners. Ultimately, the authors present a toolkit for integrating TGNC understandings of the world into language-learning contexts, outlining potential advantages and challenges as they relate to creating more critical and equitable pedagogies.
• Knisely, K. (2020). Subverting the culturally unreadable: Understanding the self-positioning of non-binary speakers of French. The French Review, 94(2), 149-168.
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  Abstract: In response to evolving sociocultural constructions of gender and increasing visibility of non-binary subject positions, speakers of French are subverting and adapting this grammatically binary language. However, existing studies have overarchingly remained detached from the ways that non-binary Francophones experience their own cultural positioning. The present study bridges this linguistic and cultural divide by investigating the themes and strategies used by 71 non-binary Francophones in discussing their own positionalities. Centering the voices of non-binary Francophones creates space for a deeper understanding of the broader social movements for the recognition of non-binary lives in Francophone contexts such as Canada and France.
• Knisely, K. (2020). this realness: How non-binary people are taking up and subverting cultural and linguistic spaces in French. OASIS Summary of Knisely (2020). Subverting the culturally unreadable: Understanding the self-positioning of non-binary speakers of French. The French Review. 94(2). 149-168.. Open Accessible Summaries in Language Studies.
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  See also: https://oasis-database.org
• Knisely, K. (2020). “How do you say the singular they in French?”: How non-binary people are adapting the French language. OASIS Summary of Knisely (2020). Le français non-binaire: linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French. Foreign Language Annals. 53(4). 1-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12500.. Open Accessible Summaries in Language Studies.
• Knisely, K. A. (2018). Intégration des réseaux sociaux dans les cours de langue: justifications et mises en garde. The French Review, 91(1), 96-111.
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  Cet article décrit les avantages et les inconvénients potentiels de l’intégration pédagogique de Facebook dans les cours universitaires de langues étrangères, s’appuyant sur deux études de cas, ainsi que sur un examen de la recherche existante. Les aspects pédagogiques et éthiques doivent être soigneusement traités, mais l’incorporation stratégique des réseaux sociaux offre de multiples avantages tels qu’une augmentation des heures de contact avec la langue-cible, plus d’authenticité, une hausse de crédibilité du professeur, plus de motivation chez les étudiants, un soutien important de l’autonomie dans l’apprentissage, plus de collaboration, et la création d’une communauté.
• Knisely, K. A., & Gorham, J. A. (2019). Systems in Need of Activism: Considering the Effects of Segregation and Policy on French and U.S. Primary and Secondary Education. The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association, 51(2), 183-221.
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  Abstract: This article argues that disparities in educational quality in elementary and secondary schools contribute to discrimination against underprivileged students in the United States and in France. Using a comparative framework to apply the findings of recent studies demonstrating a relationship between race, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement to first the American and then the French educational contexts, the processes of school funding and teacher education are identified as possible sources of educational inequality. The means by which funding procedures, curriculum, and selection of teachers aggravate socioeconomic differences across the geographic landscape are also analyzed through the lens of residential segregation. Although popular rhetoric portrays elementary and secondary education as an efficacious means to surmounting poverty, these institutions frequently work paradoxically to reinforce the inequalities faced by disadvantaged students. Specifically, families of lower socioeconomic status, a classification that frequently includes immigrants and citizens of currently or historically oppressed ethnic backgrounds, tend to reside in economically disadvantaged school districts. Because these districts are funded according to the income level of local taxpayers, underprivileged children attending underprivileged schools lack access to the advanced pedagogical methods and high-quality teachers essential for their success. The effects of such regional variation in educational opportunities are demonstrated by unfavorable academic outcomes for students attending inadequately funded institutions in both the United States and France. Since this cycle of restricted opportunity directly shapes not only the lives of individual students but also the future of society as a whole, recommendations are made for individuals, educators, and government policymakers to support the academic potential of historically underrepresented populations.Keywords: Educational inequality; comparative education; residential segregation; school funding; the United States; France
• Knisely, K. A. (2017). Exploring the role of culture in the formation of French language ideologies among US post-secondary students. Contemporary French Civilization, 42(2), 189-210. doi:https://doi.org/10.3828/cfc.2017.11
• Knisely, K. A., & Wind, S. A. (2017). Developing a Survey to Explore Sense of Belongingness related to Language Learning Using Rasch Measurement Theory. Pensamiento Educativo, 54(2), 1-20.
• Knisely, K. A. (2016). Language Learning and the Gendered Self: The Case of French and Masculinity in a US Context. Gender and Language, 10(2), 216-239.
• Knisely, K. A., & Wind, S. A. (2015). Gendered language attitudes: Exploring language as a gendered construct using Rasch measurement theory. Journal of Applied Measurement, 16(1), 95-112.
• Zorko, D., Alkhas, A., & Knisely, K. A. (2015). Should we go high or low? A few tips on using and choosing technology wisely. The Voice of WAFLT: A Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers Publication.

Presentations

• Knisely, K. (2022). Gender-just language pedagogies: Unscripting normativities and centering possibilities, beyond the ethical impetus. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Research SIG Webinar SeriesAmerican Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Research SIG.
• Knisely, K. (2022). The Gender-Just Language Education Project: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies for Engaging with Trans Knowledges. CERCLL Spring Webinar SeriesThe Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language, and Literacy (CERCLL).
• Knisely, K. (2022, March). Gender-just language pedagogies. Illuminating the T in LGBTQ: Perspectives from the Field.. TESOL International Association Convention and English Language Expo. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Hybrid).: LGBT Professional Learning Network Plenary session at the TESOL International Association Convention and English Language Expo.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2022, January). Languaging across borders and binaries: Exploring the relationships among gender-just pedagogies, intercultural competence, and symbolic competence. Intercultural Competence Conference.
• Knisely, K. (2021). Why languages matter: Thinking with queer and trans knowledges.. Why languages matter: Reaching across barriers. Association of Departments of Foreign Languages Plenary session at the Modern Language Association Leadership InstituteAssociation of Departments of Foreign Languages; Modern Language Association.
• Knisely, K. (2021, April). Beyond gendered (im)possibilities and (in)visibilities: Situating trans knowledges in the language classroom.. Harvard Language Center Spring Speaker Series. Cambridge, MA. (Online): Harvard Language Center. Harvard University..
• Knisely, K. (2021, April). Supporting non-binary students while teaching a grammatically binary language.. Harvard Language Center & RLL Language Program. Dialogue for Change discussion series.. Cambridge, MA. (Online): Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Harvard University..
• Knisely, K. (2021, February). Finding the words and moving the needle: Using queer inquiry-based pedagogies to resist normatitivity and make visible trans knowledges in the language classroom.. The Language Center Speaker Series. Northfield, MN (Online): The Language Center at Carleton College.
• Knisely, K. (2021, January). Decentering power, (Re)centering possibilities: Toward trans-affirming language pedagogies. Inaugural Speaker in the Penn State French and Francophone Studies x Women Gender and Sexuality Studies (FFS x WGSS) speakers series. University Park, PA. (Online).: The Pennsylvania State University.
• Knisely, K. (2021, January). Trans (im)possibilities and (in)visibilities: A conversation about gender in the language classroom. Spring 2021 FLAG Webinar Series. Atlanta, GA. (Online): The Foreign Language Association of Georgia.
• Knisely, K. (2021, March). Inclusive language in the classroom. Department of Romance and Classical Studies Speaker SeriesMichigan State University.
• Knisely, K. (2021, March). Inclusive language in the classroom. Gender Inclusivity in Romance Languages. East Lansing, MI (Online).: The committee for Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University.
• Knisely, K. (2021, March). Resisting normativities, reinventing possibilities: Toward trans-affirming L2 pedagogies. The Cultural Constructions Conference (Keynote). Alrlington, TX (Online): The University of Texas-Arlington, Department of Modern Languages.
• Knisely, K. (2021, May). Toward Trans Applied Linguistics. 27th annual Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference. Online: California Institute of Integral Studies.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, June). Gender justice and competency development. ACTFL/Middlebury Research Forum (Research retreat for invited second language researchers and educational linguists)ACTFL/Middlebury.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, June). Queer and Trans Linguist(ic)s. Lavender Languages Institute Professionalization PanelA partnership between Lavender Languages and Linguistics and the Linguistics Society of America’s Committee on LGBTQ+ Issues in Linguistics (COZIL).
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, June). Teaching gender justice: Being and belonging in language education. ACTFL/Middlebury Research Forum (Plenary)ACTFL/Middlebury.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, October). Gender-just language teaching: Toward a more equitable and robust engagement with trans knowledges and linguistic practices. (Invited Lecture)Dartmouth.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, October). Gender-just language teaching: Unscripting normativities, centering possibilities. (Invited talk)The University of Texas-Austin.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, September). Gender-justice and the development of intersectional thinking. Contemporary French Civilization Intersections Conference.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2021, September). Toward Gender-Just Language Pedagogies. (Invited Lecture)The University of San Francisco.
• Knisely, K. (2020, Fall). Interrogating norms: Understanding and applying queer inquiry-based pedagogies. Invited lecture. Lexington, KY: The University of Kentucky and Asbury University.
• Knisely, K. (2020, Fall). Le français non-binaire: Linguistic forms used by non-binary speakers of French and their pedagogical implications for linguistic, intercultural, and symbolic competence development.. Invited Lecture. The Year of Equity Speaker Series.. Lexington, KY: The University of Kentucky and Asbury University.
• Knisely, K. (2020, Fall). Queer tongues, queer pedagogies: Teaching about and teaching to non-binary speakers of grammatically binary languages. Invited talk. Lexington, KY: The University of Kentucky and Asbury University.
• Knisely, K. (2020, Fall). Transness and the L2 Classroom: A Framework for Inclusion and Competency Development. Invited Talk. Northfield, MN: Carleton College.
• Knisely, K. (2020, March). Intersectionality Under the Umbrella: The Linguistic Self-Positioning of Trans Speakers. American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference. Denver, CO: American Association of Applied Linguistics.
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  Queer applied linguistics (ALx) has begun to emerge as a veritable subfield (Nelson, 2009; Paiz, 2018; Saunston, 2017). However, ALx has tended to be dominated by considerations of sexuality (Catalano, 2015; Zimman, 2009), often effacing transness or treating it as a monolith. Limited sample sizes (Besnier, 2017; Nguyen & Yang, 2015) and dominant narratives about a so-termed singular trans experience regularly flatten the diversity of lived experiences of gender that are categorized under the umbrella tem trans. With such a limited understanding of gender diversity, how is it possible to fully realize gender inclusivity in language classrooms and to teach about localized linguistic and cultural expressions of transness? To reconsider existing approaches to inclusiveness and diversity regarding gender in the language classroom, this paper uses data from 126 adult speakers to elucidate how the narrative structures and linguistic strategies used by trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Francophones to discuss their own positionalities vary based on broader socio-cultural contexts despite a shared base of linguistic forms. This variance that occurs alongside broader sociolinguistic movements and localized language norms is interpreted as a form of intersectionality. For example, national, linguistic, and gender identity come together to create unique and myriad third spaces along Quebecer and French articulations of transness. Rendering visible these intersections invites a dialogue within the broader field of applied linguistics about the third spaces (cf Kramsch) that must be created within classrooms in order to be able to understand and include localized, intersectional expressions of transness across students’ home and target cultures.
• Knisely, K. (2020, November). Weaving transness into the fabric of French L2 learning: Toward TGNC-affirming French L2 pedagogies. Diversity, Decolonization, and the French Curriculum (DDFC) conference. Online.
• Knisely, K. (2020, September). Un-boxing gender: Toward trans-affirming L2 pedagogies. BLC Lecture Series. Berkeley, CA (Online): The Berkeley College Language Center. The University of California-Berkeley..
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  Language education represents a site for identity (re)construction, mediated through language acquisition and use (Atkinson, 2011). Through acts such as speaking, reading, and writing, learners must linguistically position themselves and be positioned by others. In this way, language education encourages learners’ reflections on their own identities in relation to the broader social world (Dornyei, 2014; Norton, 2013). Although language learning allows students to explore new linguistic and cultural identities, there is often limited attention to gender and sexual diversity in the curriculum, textbooks, research, and pedagogy of language classrooms (Nelson, 2009), leaving many educators to report feeling particularly un- or under-prepared to engage in gender-just language teaching. This webinar will discuss the broad ways that we, as teachers, can queer our L2 classrooms, materials, and pedagogical approaches to serve all of our students. Practically-focused, the content of this webinar will draw on Kris Knisely’s research into the ways that non-binary speakers of French are presently challenging, subverting, and adapting a grammatically binary linguistic system. In turn, this example will allow us to collectively consider the unique pedagogical opportunities that the identification and teaching of non-binary language forms affords. This pedagogical discussion addresses questions of curricular scope and sequence and argues for the theorized value for all students of teaching these non-standard forms in terms of increasing classroom inclusiveness, fostering tolerance of ambiguity, and the development of linguistic and intercultural competencies.
• Knisely, K., & McGregor, J. (2020, April). Defining and Applying Intercultural Competence. Commission on the Status of Women Speaker SeriesThe University of Arizona.
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  Event canceled due to global COVID-19 pandemic.
• Knisely, K., & McGregor, J. (2020, January). Intercultural Competence: An Educator’s Verb. Intercultural Competence Conference. Tucson, Arizona.
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  Educational discourses about intercultural competence (ICC) tend to value and reward its application, though these same discourses are regularly nebulous, fragmented, and reductive. In addition to definitional ambiguity, ICC is often conflated with associated concepts (e.g., intercultural communication, cultural competence, and cross-cultural competence, to name a few), owing in part to its interdisciplinary nature and to the various theoretical orientations of scholars working on this construct. As a result, ICC can be hard to understand and apply in both formal and informal learning contexts. This workshop thus aims to help educators, including classroom teachers and other educational professionals, elucidate core elements of ICC in order to make ICC happen at their learning sites.Workshop participants will first engage in a practically-oriented discussion of the challenges associated with defining ICC through the presenters’ own process of developing of a public-facing definition of ICC. Participants will come to understand the ways in which ICC’s chaotic representations and definitional ambiguity pose challenges to making concrete pedagogical changes that serve to foster ICC. In and through the activities and discussions in this workshop, participants will work with a framework that helps them to apply a specific definition of ICC to their own local contexts, in the spirit of ICC itself. Participants will leave this workshop having created locally relevant products (e.g., assignments, assessments, program evaluations, and/or other materials), practices (e.g., strategies for learning, teaching, and/or advising both within and outside of the classroom), and procedures (e.g., strategies for embodying ICC in all interactions with learners and colleagues) that help them foster both their own and others’ abilities to communicate effectively, appropriately, and ethically with individuals and groups whose cultures are different than their own.
• Knisely, K. (2019, April). Inclusive L2 pedagogy: Teaching to support students of all genders and sexualities.. ACTFL CSJA Webinar: Effective Practices in the World Language Classroom for Gender Diverse StudentsCritical and Social Justice Approaches Special Interest Group of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
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  In second language acquisition, identity construction is an ongoing process mediated through the acts of speaking, writing, and reading in the target language, thereby encouraging learners’ reflections on their own identities in relation to the broader social world (Dornyei, 2014; Norton, 2013). Although language learning allows students to explore new linguistic and cultural identities, there is often limited attention to gender and sexual diversity in the curriculum, textbooks, research, and pedagogy of language classrooms (Nelson, 2009). To address the lack of attention to issues of sexual diversity, this webinar will discuss the broad ways that we, as teachers, can queer our L2 classrooms, materials, and pedagogical approaches to serve all of our students. Practically-focused, the content of this webinar will draw on Kris Knisely's current research into the ways that non-binary speakers of French are presently challenging, subverting, and adapting a grammatically binary linguistic system. In turn, this example will allow us to collectively consider the unique pedagogical opportunities for linguistic and intercultural competence development in second-language classrooms that the identification and teaching of non-binary language forms affords. This pedagogical discussion addresses questions of curricular scope and sequence and argues for the theorized value for all students of teaching these non-standard forms in terms of increasing classroom inclusiveness, fostering tolerance of ambiguity, and the development of linguistic and intercultural competencies.SUMMARY: This paper addresses the ways in which speakers of French --as a model for the teaching of all languages-- are challenging, subverting, and adapting the binary linguistic system in order to afford increasing visibility to non-binary speakers, particularly focusing on the implications for L2 teaching and the resulting opportunities for linguistic and intercultural competence development.
• Knisely, K. (2019, April). Non-binary French: Troubling L2 pedagogy for inclusivity, recruitment, retention, and achievement.. Innovating Undergraduate French Studies Colloquium. Austin, TX: The University of Texas-Austin.
• Knisely, K. (2019, August). Subverting the Culturally Unreadable: Understanding the self-positioning of non-binary speakers of French. Contemporary French Civilization Conference. Tucson, AZ: Contemporary French Civilization.
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  In response to shifting sociocultural constructions of gender and the emerging visibility of non-binary subject positions (cf Kramsch), speakers of French are presently challenging, subverting, and adapting a binary grammatical linguistic system. However, the limited existing studies on gender non-binary Francophones (Elmiger, 2017; Hord, 2016; Shroy, 2017, Knisely, forthcoming) focus on language forms, remaining detached from the ways that non-binary speakers of French experience their own cultural positioning (cf Ashley, 2017). The present study, based on data collected via a 17-item online survey of 126 adult first-language, non-binary speakers of French, bridges this linguistic and cultural divide by investigating the narrative structures and strategies used by non-binary Francophones to discuss their own positionality. Centering the voices of non-binary speakers of French creates space for a deeper, individualized understanding of the broader social movements for the recognition of non-binary lives in Francophone contexts such as Canada and France. Considerations include the ways that such movements push social and linguistic norms far beyond that of l’écriture inclusive, which has already begun to find its relevance in today’s curriculum (cf Kosnick, 2019). In this way, establishing deeper understandings of the cultural (self)positioning of non-binary Francophones allows for a consideration of teaching to and about non-binary speakers of French using a theoretical framework rooted in queer pedagogies (Provencher, 2008; Paiz, forthcoming) and culturally-responsive pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 2014).
• Knisely, K. (2019, March). Parlons non-binarité: Troubling binary grammatical constructions in the French language classroom.. American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference. Atlanta, GA: AAAL.
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  In response to shifting sociocultural constructions of gender and the emerging visibility of non-binary subject positions (Kramsch, 2009), grammatically binary linguistic systems, such as French, are presently being challenged, subverted, and adapted by speakers. In turn, this development of gender-inclusive linguistic forms and practices offers unique pedagogical opportunities for linguistic and intercultural competence development in second-language classrooms wherein students performatively (re)construct (Butler, 1990) second language selves (Dornyei, 2014). This paper describes and analyzes how contemporary French speakers are confronting and innovating beyond the gender binary, highlighting the lack of scholarly attention –and commensurate increase in public salience– that these issues enjoy. The formal and structural considerations confronted by language users such as strategies for the selection and propagation of non-binary pronominals and their conceptual ramifications are first treated, based on data collected via a 17-item online survey of 126 adult first-language speakers of French who self-identify as gender non-binary. The survey items included open-ended questions to elicit instances of male-female lexical specification and morpho-syntactic marking followed by both quantitative and qualitative comprehension ratings of previously reported non-binary forms (Hord, 2016; Shroy, 2017). The findings of this survey establish consistent trends in the non-binary language forms used among study participants, subsequently allowing for an in-depth consideration of the teaching of these forms to second language learners. This pedagogical discussion addresses questions of curricular scope and sequence and argues for the theorized value for all students of teaching these non-standard forms in terms of increasing classroom inclusiveness, fostering tolerance of ambiguity, and the development of linguistic and intercultural competencies. SUMMARY: This paper addresses the ways in which speakers of French are challenging, subverting, and adapting the binary linguistic system in order to afford increasing visibility to non-binary speakers, particularly focusing on the implications for teaching French as a second language and the resulting opportunities for linguistic and intercultural competence development.
• Knisely, K. (2019, November). Developing Queer Materials and Practices for L2 Teaching and Learning. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference. Washington, D.C.: ACTFL.
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  L2 learning inherently involves identity construction and performance (Butler, 1990; Dornyei, 2014), encouraging learners to reflect on their own positionality in the broader social world (Norton, 2013). However, it is only in limited ways (Nelson, 2009) that sexual and gender diversity are addressed in L2 curriculum, textbooks, research, and pedagogy. Recently, researchers drawing on queer theory have begun to challenge normative conceptions of gender and sexuality and develop queer materials alongside classroom practices. In this session, we will review the state of this recently developing field and consider what it means to find and make trouble in the field of language teaching by troubling the place of queerness in L2 classrooms. This review will provide a framework for our focus on identifying concrete ways of increasing representation and inclusivity in our classrooms and actively working together to re-consider our choices regarding curriculum, pedagogy, and materials design.
• Knisely, K. (2019, November). Developing Queer Materials and Practices for L2 Teaching and Learning. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference. Washington, DC: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
• Knisely, K. (2019, October). Teaching to and about TGNC individuals in L2 Contexts. Invited Talk. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2019, March 1). Gender diversity and L2 pedagogy: Adapting classroom practice for inclusivity. UW-Madison Language Institute Lecture and Workshop Series. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2019, November). Les mouvements linguistiques non-binaires au Canada et en France [Non-binary linguistic movements in Canada and in France]. Invited lecture. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University.
• Knisely, K. (2018, March). Inclusive Pedagogy: Supporting Trans and Gender Non-Binary Language Learners. Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Milwaukee, WI.
• Knisely, K. (2018, November). Developing Intercultural and Symbolic Competence via Gender-neutral French. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference. New Orleans, LA.
• Knisely, K. (2018, October). Supporting non-binary students of second languages in K12 and university contexts.. (Invited Lecture). Eau Claire, WI: The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
• Knisely, K. A. (2017, October). Inclusiveness beyond the binary: Attending to gender diversity in the French language classroom. Invited Lecture. Pittsburgh, PA: The University of Pittsburgh.
• Knisely, K. A. (2018, March). Developing inclusive second language teaching practices for non-binary students.. Invited Lecture. Milwaukee, WI: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
• Knisely, K. A. (2018, October). Soyons inclusifs.ves: Adapting L2 teaching practices to support non-binary students. Invited Lecture. Eau Claire, WI: The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
• Knisely, K. A. (2018, September). Gender diversity and L2 pedagogy: Cultivating inclusive teaching practices for non-binary students. Romance Dialogues Series. Invited Lecture. Durham, NC: Duke University.
• Knisely, K. A. (2018, September). Teaching non-binary French linguistic forms as a part of intercultural and symbolic competence development. Romance Dialogues Series. Invited Lecture. Durham, NC: Duke University.
• Knisely-southerland, K. (2018, October). Le français non-binaire: linguistic inclusivity and intercultural competence development in the French L2 classroom.. The Wisconsin French Studies Round Table (Keynote). Eau Claire, WI: The Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers and The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
• Knisely, K. (2017, November). Cultivating inclusive pedagogical practices for students of all genders. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference. Nashville, TN.
• Knisely, K. (2016, February). Language Learner Identity: Framing Applied Linguistics Research with French Cultural Studies. Lavender Languages Annual Conference. Washington, D.C..
• Knisely, K. (2016, November). Teaching for Inclusiveness: Language Attitudes and Learner Identity. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference. Boston, MA.
• Knisely, K., & Alkhas, A. (2015, November). When to go high or low: Toward a more intentional use of technology. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference. San Diego, CA.

Others

• Knisely-southerland, K. (2022, September). Preface to the 28th issue. Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (JSLAT). Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jslat/article/id/5256/
• McGregor, J., Knisely, K., McGregor, J., Knisely, K., McGregor, J., & Knisely, K. (2020, January 23-26). Intercultural competence: An educator’s verb. Seventh International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence. https://icc.arizona.edu/workshops/
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  Workshop description:Educational discourses about intercultural competence (ICC) tend to value and reward its application, though these same discourses are regularly nebulous, fragmented, and reductive. In addition to definitional ambiguity, ICC is often conflated with associated concepts (e.g., intercultural communication, cultural competence, and cross-cultural competence, to name a few), owing in part to its interdisciplinary nature and to the various theoretical orientations of scholars working on this construct. As a result, ICC can be hard to understand and apply in both formal and informal learning contexts. This workshop thus aims to help educators, including classroom teachers and other educational professionals, elucidate core elements of ICC in order to make ICC happen at their learning sites.Workshop participants will first engage in a practically-oriented discussion of the challenges associated with defining ICC through the presenters’ own process of developing of a public-facing definition of ICC. Participants will come to understand the ways in which ICC’s chaotic representations and definitional ambiguity pose challenges to making concrete pedagogical changes that serve to foster ICC. In and through the activities and discussions in this workshop, participants will work with a framework that helps them to apply a specific definition of ICC to their own local contexts, in the spirit of ICC itself. Participants will leave this workshop having created locally relevant products (e.g., assignments, assessments, program evaluations, and/or other materials), practices (e.g., strategies for learning, teaching, and/or advising both within and outside of the classroom), and procedures (e.g., strategies for embodying ICC in all interactions with learners and colleagues) that help them foster both their own and others’ abilities to communicate effectively, appropriately, and ethically with individuals and groups whose cultures are different than their own.