EMC CPD Webinar: The Handmaid’s Tale – Gender, Characterisation and Dystopian World-building (Lecture plus Q&A)
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Availability -
Places available
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Price - £20 per place
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Location - Online
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Duration - 2-3.30pm
See Booking Details for how to take advantage of our 2 for 1 offer.
Overview of the course
This webinar is aimed at teachers of A Level English Language & Literature (combined) and English Literature. It focuses on the text of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
In this session you will:
- Discover new research and thinking that link together linguistic style and literary criticism
- Explore representations of gender, characterisation and the role of women
- Consider dystopian world-building and narrative voice within the text
- Look at a range of stylistic tools such as Conceptual Metaphor Theory
- Have a chance to discuss ideas in a Q&A session.
The lecture, intended to enhance teachers' subject knowledge, will be introduced by Dan Clayton. It will be followed by a Q&A, again mediated by Dan.
This course will be recorded but attendees will not be audible or visible.
EMC's Webinar Packages
This webinar is included in EMC's Webinar Packages. For details of the packages and to order for your department, click the links below.
- EMC Termly Webinar Package – Autumn 2026. Click here.
- EMC Annual Webinar Package. Click here.
See 'Further Details' for how to join this webinar if your department already has the EMC Annual Webinar Package or the EMC Termly Webinar Package – Autumn 2026.
Online, via Zoom. Details of how to join will be sent before the session.
- If relevant, course materials will be sent the day before the course in the email with your joining instructions. Please either print these out or have them available on screen during the session.
- After the session you will receive the PowerPoint presentation and any resources used on the course.
- After the session you will receive a link to register to watch a recording of this session on-demand until 31st January 2027.
How to join this course if your department has bought the webinar package
- To join the live session, register using the registration link sent to the departmental key contact. You can register to join the live session right up to the start of the webinar. Use the unique link sent by [email protected] to join the webinar on the day.
- To watch the recording on-demand, register using the on-demand registration link sent to the departmental key contact the day after the live session. This email will also include the PowerPoint presentation and any additional resources. On-demand access expires 31st January 2027.
Dr Jess Norledge
Jess is Assistant Professor in Stylistics at the University of Nottingham and the author of The Language of Dystopia. Jess’ research sits at the interface between English literature and English language, and she has particular expertise in the cognitive poetics of emotion, and worlds theories in dystopian fiction.
Dan Clayton
Dan Clayton is an education consultant at the EMC and specialises in English Language work at A Level and language education across the secondary curriculum. He has been a teacher of A Level English for over 20 years, senior examiner and moderator for different awarding bodies and is author/editor of many books for A Level English Language, including ones for Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press & Routledge, as well as publications for the EMC and NATE. Dan has worked closely with many universities to help develop links between A level and HE, worked as a research fellow at UCL and runs the EngLangBlog site and @EngLangBlog Bluesky account, as well as being part of the Lexis Podcast team. He has also taught Media and Film Studies and is Associate Editor of emagazine and MediaMagazine.
EMC's Webinar Packages
This webinar is included in EMC's Webinar Packages. For details of the packages and to order for your department, click the links below.
- EMC Termly Webinar Package – Autumn 2026. Click here.
- EMC Annual Webinar Package. Click here.
See 'Further Details' for how to join this webinar if your department already has the EMC Annual Webinar Package or the EMC Termly Webinar Package – Autumn 2026.
Booking this course as a 'one-off' purchase
- Bookings for this course will close at 8am (London, UK) on Thursday 29th October, or when capacity is reached, whichever is the sooner.
- This course is part of our 2 for 1 offer
- Book a place on this course and you’ll be sent a voucher code entitling you to book a further place on the same course for a colleague at your school. Your code will be emailed to you as soon as we have received your booking.
- Please note: bookings for this course close at 8am on Thursday 29th October. The 2nd free place must be booked before the closing date, so please make sure you give yourself enough time!
- Your voucher can only be redeemed online and is only eligible against this course.
(Any issues please email Lucy.)
- This course must be booked and paid for online. Payment by invoice is not available for this session. Please note: your fee is non-refundable.
- To book this course you must be signed into one of the following accounts (registering an account first if you need to):
- UK Trust/Academy – Head Office (purchasing)
- UK Educator Admin (purchasing)
- UK Teacher – Home Address Only
- UK Private Individual
- Overseas
- If you have a UK Educator Standard account you will not be able to book the course. Sign in to your account and add it to your Wishlist. See the list of people able to book courses at your organisation by clicking ‘My Account’, then ‘Our Admin Users’.
- Click 'Book now’ (right-hand column).
- Add the number of places you need.
- Fill in the names and email addresses of the people attending. To secure your place, please make sure you add the attendee details immediately and checkout within 24 minutes. Otherwise the booking will expire and you will have to begin the process again.
- Click submit and then Go to basket.
- Checkout. (Payment by invoice is not available for this session.)
- IF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR 2 FOR 1 OFFER, PLEASE WAIT TO BE SENT YOUR CODE BEFORE BOOKING YOUR 2ND PLACE.
- Once you have booked your place, you will see a screen indicating your order has been successful. You may want to make a note of your order number. The person making the booking and the attendee will receive an automatic acknowledgement of your booking.
- Instructions on how to join the course (including Zoom login details) will be sent from [email protected] for the first time on the day bookings close. Reminders, including any course handouts, will be sent the day before and one-hour before the course. Please check your junk or promotions folder. Still no luck? Email Lucy before 1pm on the course day.
Cancellation and amendments
- Afternoon and twilight webinars must be paid for by card at the time of booking.
- The fee is non-refundable.
- However, the webinars are recorded. Anyone who books a place on the course will be sent a link to register to access the recording of the webinar until 31st January 2027, regardless of whether they attended live.
