cfp.english.upenn.edu

Collaboration and conversation are familiar terms to writing teachers, usually connoting open, easy dialogue between parties working toward some common end. But if the ideal of pure communication is often expressed (and still greatly valued), it is not often realized. Indeed, much of the most interesting work in composition could be said to challenge teachers (and students) to recognize the limits of these central terms. In revising our understanding of these elusive terms, collaboration and conversation, we turn to metaphors such as constellation, network, bricolage, and composite to suggest something of the mixed quality of this exchange as it appears in writing. As we move ever further into a digital environment, this almost infinitely complex flow of voices and texts becomes even harder to describe within the discrete boundaries of collaboration and conversation. Nevertheless, these terms remain proudly at the center of many, even most writing courses. What is at stake when we feature collaboration and conversation in our writing courses? How might we best introduce these ideals without falling into idealism?

The University of Connecticut’s Freshman English Program is calling for presentation, panel, and roundtable proposals from instructors of writing (in all disciplines and programs) for our Eighth Annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing. We also invite proposals on related topics, such as:
Instructor Writing in the Classroom
Student Writing in the Classroom
Writing as Inquiry
Learning from Student Writing
ESL/ELL/L2 Writing
Global Englishes
Individual & Small Group Conferences
Otherness & Diversity
Service Learning & Writing
Writing as Conversation Collaborative Teaching
Collaborative Writing
Interdisciplinarity
Living-English Work
Mentoring
Program Administration
Writing Across Languages
Assessment
Contingent Labor
Recognizing “Co-Labor” in Collaboration
Teacher Training
Writing Outside the Classroom

Keynote Speaker: Judith Goleman, University of Massachusetts, Boston
author of Working Theory: Critical Composition Studies for Students & Teachers

Friday, 5 April 2013 @ University of Connecticut, Storrs

http://freshmanenglish.uconn.edu/instructors/conference/

Proposals should be approximately 250-300 words and should include
1) names of all presenters
2) current contact information (email and postal mailing address)
3) academic institution(s) and program(s) in which presenter(s) study/teach/work
4) title of the proposal
5) description of presentation, panel, or roundtable and, when applicable
6) technical requirements of your presentation
You may submit proposals for more than one presentation. Emailed submissions will only be accepted as Microsoft Word or PDF attachments; please indicate that your email contains a conference proposal by writing “Conference Proposal” in the subject line of the email.

Eligibility: All teachers of writing, regardless of discipline, status (adjunct/graduate student/staff/faculty), institution, campus or level of teaching experience may submit proposals. Undergraduate and graduate students in any writing course are also encouraged to submit proposals. The Freshman English Program also supports collaborative presentations, panels and/or roundtable discussions between/among any eligible presenters.

Deadline for submissions:
Friday, 15 February 2013
E-mail Submissions to: teachingwriting2013@gmail.com
Mail (postal) or deliver submissions to:
University of Connecticut Freshman English Program
215 Glenbrook Road, U-4025
Storrs, CT 06269-4025