pedagogy

This panel invites writers as well as literary scholars to address the question of political and literary engagement in our political age. In a political age, what happens to the novel or poem of interiority or introspection? Does literary material have to engage with the political? And if it doesn’t, can the political be read between its lines? What are the possibilities for creative work in an era that is increasingly in a state of emergency? Creative writers of all levels and genres are encouraged to explore these questions in the context of their own work. Paper proposals may be submitted on the NeMLA website. https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/User/SubmitAbstract/18240

Despite an increasingly grim job market outlook, the humanities continues to produce PhDs in large numbers. Between 2007 and 2017, the number of available Assistant Professor positions in the field of English dropped from 879 to 320. During the same time period, the number of non-tenure-track positions increased from 21% to 34%. Yet in 2016, 5,500 doctorates were still awarded despite the massive post-2008 decrease in obtainable positions. As Vimal Patel wrote in a Chronicle article from September 2018, “The mirage has vanished.

Since the development of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa in the 1930s, creative writing courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level have proliferated. In 2008, there were 156 MFA programs in Creative Writing in the U.S; in 2016 there were 244. This roundtable will consider the status of international creative writing courses and programs within the context of the evolving picture of higher education. Some questions to consider: What effects might the spread of online education have on creative-writing pedagogy? Is creative writing as a field sustainable? As higher education moves to encompass a variety of formats and economic models, how will creative writing courses have to evolve?

Roundtable: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Community College Professor in NeMLA

This roundtable invites faculty at community colleges, junior colleges, vocational colleges and other two-year institutions to discuss the challenges and rewards that come with attending and presenting at academic conferences. With a focus on NeMLA itself, we would like to hear how NeMLA is doing in this regard: what successes or frustrations have you experienced here? What will you do differently or hope to do similarly in future? The goal of this roundtable will be to begin a conversation about these issues, and perhaps leave with concrete goals for the CAITY Caucus to pursue in supporting faculty from two year institutions within NeMLA.

Who We Are:

At During Office Hours, we’re a group of like-minded teachers in higher education who want to create an easy to use, open access, nonprofit source for teaching resources.

Our Goals:

We want to be able to collect, share, and archive all the ideas, information, best practices, and advice that you’ve accumulated during your teaching careers. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a new teacher, a tenured professor or an adjunct or a TA, we hope that everyone can contribute to and benefit from this site.