***Please see  link to full CFP for more information.***

What is the Young Rhetoricians' Conference?

The Young Rhetoricians’ Conference (YRC) began in 1985 at San Jose State University. From its inception, YRC has been a place for those who teach rhetoric at the university level to share research about teaching rhetoric and techniques for teaching rhetoric. “Young” refers not to the age of the rhetoricians but refers instead to rhetors with a willingness, in the mind, to dance whenever possible. You can learn more about YRC at our website.

This year’s hybrid conference will be held onsite in Santa Cruz, California, on Thursday, June 20, 2024, as well as remotely over Zoom on Friday, June 21, 2024. Let your creativity be inspired by our new dream location at the oceanfront Dream Inn, where imaginativeness and esprit de corps meet sun, surf and sand. We invite you to come dance on the beach or carouse online with us, and share your in-progress scholarship on the teaching of rhetoric. Please spread the word and join us for familiar vibes and fresh vistas this June.

Call for Papers

The Young Rhetoricians’ Conference (YRC) on college rhetoric and composition--part pedagogical conversation, part convivial retreat--welcomes presentations on students’ diverse literacies and linguistic worlds. 

Many of the challenges of teaching writing exist alongside possibilities, as traumatic crises (pandemic, climate change, war, white supremacy, labor precarity and teaching conditions) have called for transformative pedagogical approaches. For example, the widespread dissemination of misinformation and disinformation has renewed interest in information literacy. The emergence of AI platforms like ChatGPT has fostered discussions about integrity, accuracy, agency, and alternative forms of composing. Calls for uniformity in academic language have been met with considerations of linguistic justice and the significance of student expression and voice. 

In these larger contexts, how do we nurture our students’ diverse and developing literacies while preparing them for challenging–and potentially rewarding–new rhetorical and information ecosystems? How do we center students’ voices and encourage them to play in rich multimodal compositions: written, visual, and even sonic? How can we help students to explore and share the many worlds–spatial, temporal, linguistic, and more–that they belong to? In your writing pedagogy, what possibilities do you embrace and what do you resist?