cfp.english.upenn.edu

The journal Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture is sponsoring two roundtable discussions in celebration of the Spring 2013 release of a special issue of the journal titled “Teaching Medieval Literature off the Grid,” edited by Gina Brandolino and Nathanial B. Smith. Extending the conversation begun in the special issue on incorporating noncanonical medieval literature in the classroom, the sessions proposed here will explore pedagogy and canonicity in the context in which we, as teachers, deal with it most often and most dramatically: the early British literary survey course. Each session will have 7 panelists, each with 8-10 minute papers and time for discussion. Please send 100- to 200-word abstracts to smith2nb@cmich.edu by September 15, 2012.

Session I: "Abolish the Brit Lit Survey?"
This session invites panelists to take a position on the merits of or reasons for keeping the British literary survey in the English literature curriculum or, as some schools have already done, discontinuing it and allowing other courses to fill the void created by its absence, or not. Panelists in this session can take up topics including, but not limited to, the value of canonical authors typically found in surveys, the goals of the survey, how canonical knowledge serves students, and the principles of selection (aesthetic versus historical) that underlie the choice of course readings. We fervently hope for panelists representing both pro and con positions.

Session II: "Reform the Brit Lit Survey!"
For this session, we seek panelists who recognize value in the historical breadth of the survey (and perhaps also the notions of canonicity that the survey implies) but feel strongly that the survey should be re-envisioned in some significant way. Such revisions to the survey might, but need not, involve including and/or omitting certain authors, texts, genres, identity categories; different strategies for incorporating historical alongside literary material; moving away from the use of anthologies toward customizable textbooks and e-readings; and possibilities for team-teaching such courses.