cfp.english.upenn.edu

The 8th Annual Miami University English Graduate Student and Adjunct Association Symposium
Composing Live(s): Writing the Self and the Other within the Disciplines
March 25, 2011, 9:00-4:00 Oxford, Ohio

“To withdraw myself from myself has ever been my sole, my entire, my sincere motive in scribbling at all.” —Lord Byron

Writing about lives, writing that lives, or writing that comes to us live from an immediate, connected source shapes how we as scholars and teachers conceive of ourselves and others. Writing works within and out of academia to continually (re)define what is and is not important, what is and is not canonized, and what is and is not ignored within many discourse communities.

Writ large, writing happens in every discipline—in the objects created, artifacts studied, and arguments made. Since writing is an important part of all studies within the academy, this interdisciplinary conference attempts to facilitate a conversation regarding the ways in which the writing of a discipline—studied or produced—impacts learning, teaching, and scholarship across the disciplines. We are particularly interested in the ways in which writing enforces ideas of subjectivity, agency, and/or Otherness in scholars, students, and textual figures. How does the production of disciplinary forms of writing shape us as scholars and teachers? What effects do digital writing and digital spaces have on the creation of student, teacher, or scholar subjectivity? How do literary, historical, or cultural texts represent the writing subject or the subjects of writing? How have interdisciplinary environments shaped the writing scholar as subject? How do pedogogical practices or theories emphasize the student as subject and writer? Some possible topics for presentations include, but are not limited to:

* Writing in the disciplines
* Written representations of the self and the Other
* Writing as agency in the classroom
* Presentation of the autobiographical subject in literature, history, and/or popular culture
* Fictional representations of the writing subject or the Other in literature and/or culture
* Digital writing and subject formation
* Multimodality and subjectivity
* Writing pedagogy and the student/teacher subject
* The philosophical, theoretical, and ethical concerns of subjectivity and writing, such as: racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, and/or political identity
* Local, national, transnational, and global methods of writing the subject and/or the Other
* We are also looking to host several readings of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction throughout the conference and welcome submissions of original work. If submitting creative work, please indicate you are doing so on the proposal submission form.

We encourage submissions from all academic disciplines and perspectives.

Both single paper and full panel presentation submissions are encouraged.

A list of featured speakers will be announced on the conference website at a later date.
To Submit Proposals:

Download the proposal form at the symposium website http://www.units.muohio.edu/english/MEGAA_Symposium.htm . Please provide all speaker information and presentation titles on the proposal form. Remove all personal identifiers from the proposal itself.

Individual Proposals: 500 words

Panel Proposals: 500 words

Email completed forms: Aurora Matzke, MEGAAblog@gmail.com

Due Date: January 31, 2011: 11:59 p.m. EST

Hard copy submissions are also accepted and can be mailed to:

Aurora Matzke
English Department
356 Bachelor Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056

Official acceptances will be emailed to participants by February 14, 2011.