NeMLA's 58th Annual Convention

March 6-9, 2027, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI

This panel invites proposals exploring how rhetoric and composition scholars and teachers can develop what bell hooks, Paulo Freire, and other educators in the field call critical consciousness, or our ability to recognize and analyze oppressive political, economic, and social forces shaping society and to take action. Critical consciousness provides a foundation for cultivating students’ civic reasoning and civic literacy skills across diverse institutional and disciplinary contexts.

At a time marked by increasingly convoluted civil discourse and complex information environments, this panel positions the composition classroom as a crucial site for fostering students’ capacities to engage thoughtfully with public issues. Because language and thought are inextricably linked, writing instruction offers a crucial space for helping students examine how knowledge is socially and rhetorically constructed, and thus how it becomes politically consequential. We seek papers that investigate how teaching writing can support students in defining, analyzing, and grappling with the forces shaping their lives and communities.

We particularly welcome contributions that address cross-disciplinary approaches, including collaborations across the arts, humanities, and social sciences; integrate civic reasoning and rhetorical analysis; assess the impact of emerging research practices (including AI); and offer pedagogical models or theoretical frameworks for strengthening civic responsibility through writing. Panelists may also consider how composition pedagogies can foster students’ ability to evaluate information and participate ethically in civic life.

Please submit an abstract of 200-300 words, with a title and brief bio, by September 30, 2026, through the submission portal: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/22535. Accepted participants will be notified by October 16, 2026.

If you have any questions regarding the panel, please contact the organizers directly: Talia Adry (tadry@framingham.edu) and Bryan Counter (bcounter@framingham.edu).