As a result of various historical, political, economic and sociocultural factors, English today witnesses a unique situation as its non-native speakers represent a clear majority in the world. This has implications for the ownership of the English language as such, the linguistic rights of its speakers and the points of departure for English Language Teaching (ELT) worldwide. The study of the use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) challenges nativespeakerist norms through research in a wide range of linguistic fields such as lexicogrammar, phonology and pragmatics, suggesting various pedagogical alterations. Although ELF is now a prolific area of research, studies in Swedish upper secondary language education from an ELF perspective, remain a scarcity in the literature. The present paper engages in surveying teaching attitudes toward ELF in Swedish upper secondary education among Swedish and Anglophone International Baccalaureate (IB) teachers and in two contemporary syllabi, namely Swedish (ELT) and IB syllabi. The questionnaire given to the two aforementioned groups of teachers suggest that ELF-friendly teaching descriptions best suit their students even though both groups believe that teaching descriptions based on native speaker norms and varieties represent the most appropriate approach. The critical discourse analysis of the two syllabi suggests that ELF is approached in different ways in the two systems: the Swedish ELT curricula may be perceived as rather ELF-friendly because native speaker norms, deviations and errors, grammaticality and idiomaticity are almost non-existent, whereas the IB revolves around linguistic prescriptivism and native speaker norms to a larger extent. The present study argues that English language curricula in Sweden should be informed by research on ELF.

This essay presents a literary analysis of the autobiography Educated (2018) by Tara Westover. The analysis examines to what extent Westover’s story conforms and subverts the genre conventions of the Bildungsroman and the autobiography. An overview of the genre constitutions is therefore provided. In addition, the essay focuses on the use of the autobiography in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Besides creating an arena for critical discussion and reflection in the Swedish upper secondary school, the autobiography may also encourage students to share their own stories. The findings show that Educated both conforms to and subverts the Bildungsroman genre. It is concluded that Westover’s autobiography challenges traditional genre conventions and may serve as a valuable tool in the EFL classroom.

The following essay analyzes Marvel blockbuster Black Panther with an intersectional lens, discussing relations of power, oppression and discrimination through the fictive society of Wakanda. The findings present similar factors of intersectionality to that of most western societies, with gender, sexuality, aptitude and tribal affiliations as the main factors of identity. The essay argues for the inclusion of culturally loaded films in the EFL classroom, with the intention of introducing students to intersectionality through a fictive society, in an effort to promote better understanding of relations of power, oppression and discrimination, whilst also including education on different types of language usage

In this essay, Parable of the Sower (1993) by Octavia E. Butler will be analyzed. The analysis investigates how the novel can enable discussions about empathy in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Empathy and its related notions are examined from an ecofeminist point of view in combination with research that investigates narrative empathy from a cognitive literary theory perspective. This essay does not advocate for specific ways of working with empathy but rather seeks to illustrate in what ways it could be discussed by students and to further encourage the development of their own thoughts on the matter. The findings show that the novel contains multiple aspects that can serve as a basis for discussions about empathy as well as working with climate change and gender perspectives in the EFL classroom.

This essay is a literary analysis of the childhood sexual abuse trauma in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and its possible usefulness in the EFL classroom. Previous scholarly work has lacked in discussing how abuser closeness and a female perpetrator have affected the main character Charlie’s trauma. Therefore, theories regarding female perpetrated sexual assault and betrayal trauma have been applied and it has been concluded that many of the harmful effects of these theories correspond with Charlie’s behaviours. By reading and working with the novel through critical pedagogy, which according to Antero Garcia concerns exploring what is beneath surface level, students are offered multiple ways in which they can deal with their emotions whilst improving their language skills (96). In addition, trauma-informed teaching can be used for students to understand trauma consequences, implied trauma and to prevent students being retraumatized. The epistolary format also shows students that reading and writing about one’s emotions, through bibliotherapy and scriptotherapy, can improve one’s mental health and help one feel less alone in experiencing difficult situations or emotions.