Call for Papers

Computers & Composition: An International Journal invites contributions for a
special issue, Reading Games: Composition, Literacy, and Video Gaming

While video gaming has been a strong cultural force since the advent of the
popular coin-operated arcades of the 1970s, it is only within the last few years
that video/computer gaming has been an academic focus: there is a lot of
catch-up work to do. The average age of gamers has been steadily increasing, as
has the number of dedicated players. Inevitably, this dedication to gaming will
have -– if it does not already -– a profound impact on learning and literacy.
Video/computer games are historically- and culturally-situated texts that
operate in particular social contexts significant to composition theory and
praxis. For this special issue of Computers & Composition (to be published in
September 2008), we invite proposals that examine the intersections of
video/computer gaming and composition studies. How do gamers play the roles of
readers and writers? How can games function as educational tools? How are
video/computer games currently used in the composition classroom and to what
effect? The guest editors invite proposals that answer these questions and
especially those that emphasize composition and literacy studies, narrative, and
the teaching of writing.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
--Gamers as readers & writers
--Writing processes and textual production in gaming communities
--How video/computer games redefine literacy or create new "literacies"
--How video/computer games contribute to literacy development
--Video/computer games that inspire imagination and creativity
--How games function differently from other storytelling/narrative devices
--Relationships of video/computer games to other media
--Use of video/computer games in the composition classroom
--"Political" implications of gaming in the classroom (pedagogical legitimacy,
etc.)
--Challenges of integrating games into the classroom (technological
requirements, etc.)
--Gaming as productive pedagogy
--Collaborative writing opportunities in gaming environments
--Gaming projects as multimodal compositions
--Social, historical, cultural, political contexts of video/computer games
--Rhetorical approaches to video/computer games
--Sociopolitical markers and identity politics/formation and video/computer
games

Proposals should be one page, single-spaced (approximately 600-650 words).
Deadline for submission of proposals is 1 February 2007. Please send proposals
via email to Matthew S. S. Johnson (matjohn_at_siue.edu) AND Pilar Lacasa
(p.lacasa_at_uah.es). Queries are welcome (matjohn_at_siue.edu). (Final manuscripts
will be 15-30 pages in length, double-spaced. Manuscript deadline for accepted
abstracts is 1 September 2007.)

Matthew S. S. Johnson
Department of English
Box 1431
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL, 62026-1431
United States

Pilar Lacasa
Universidad de Alcala
Facultdad de Documentacion y Psicopedagogia
Aulario Maria de Guzman, C/ San Cirilo SN
Alcala de Henares 28801, Spain

         ==========================================================
              From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
                        CFP_at_english.upenn.edu
                         Full Information at
                     http://cfp.english.upenn.edu
         or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu
         ==========================================================
Received on Wed Aug 23 2006 - 17:11:40 EDT