pedagogy

Negotiating Agency, Voice and Identity through Literature

Bookbird seeks contributions for a themed issue on agency, voice and identity. In a fast-changing world, where power is becoming more and more oppressive and undemocratic, agency, voice and identity are the very life elements that can sustain us. Our sense of agency—our ability to assert our identity, exert our voice and make a difference in the world—is closely related to our drive to live, act and hope. Citizens who contribute to, and receive from, their local and global communities, strive to have a voice in issues that matter and to be part of decision-making processes that are of importance. Such empowerment comes from developing a strong sense of identity.

Middleton’s Afterlives in the 21st Century (Session A: Scholarship & Performance):

What is the legacy of the Oxford Middleton (2007) and the Oxford Handbook of Middleton (2010)? How have these texts shaped critical engagement with and performances of Middleton’s works? And what futures might we imagine for Middleton criticism? This series of linked sessions welcomes papers that address any aspect of his prolific career. Topics might include:

·      Authorship and collaboration

·      Genres

·      Comedy and the grotesque

·      Performances

·      Affect

·      Editing

In our binge-mode culture, TV has become students’ preferred access point to critical thinking. Most college students do not see themselves in canonical texts or feel confident with analysis. Yet, students are typically employing skills of argumentation an analysis in dissecting shows on television, Netflix, and/or Hulu. Even though intellectual discussions, like the ethics around NBC’s The Good Place, occur on podcasts and cultural criticisms online, instructors often cast these opportunities aside as less than tertiary. However, these “alternative” discourse spaces often mirror the level of engagement instructors want to see in the argumentative papers their students write for composition and literature-focused classes.

Since Fight Club earned Chuck Palahniuk notoriety, critical praise and derision and a committed cult following on the heels of the 1996 novel publication and 1999's David Fincher film adaptation starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter and Jared Leto, the author and his work have struggled to find critical legitimacy. His reputation, especially at public readings, has been built upon accentuating all the ways grotesque horror can become comically absurd.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 8/31/2018

Writing Partnerships:

Collaboration & Community in Composition

UNC Charlotte 5th Annual Conference on Writing Studies

Center City Campus

October 19, 2018

Keynote Speaker:  Ashley J. Holmes

Deadline for Submissions:  8/31/2018

Call for Proposals