SAMLA 97: CFP for “The ‘Unfamiliar and Unnecessary’ in College Writing Instruction”

November, 6–8, 2025

Wyndham Atlanta Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center, Atlanta, GA

The South Atlantic Modern Language Association invites proposals dealing with any aspect of the general theme for the 2025 conference: “Knowledge.” Please find a general description of this theme here: https://southatlanticmla.org/conference-theme-and-cfp/.

This “Writing in College” panel invites proposals relevant to writing instruction and production in higher learning environments. In keeping with the conference theme, the focus will be on issues and problems related to engaging students in academic practices they might perceive as unfamiliar or unnecessary. At the same time, I encourage attention to the ways in which teachers of writing face the “unfamiliar and unnecessary,” not only in their pedagogy but also in the student populations we serve. Especially in first-year composition, limited knowledge about our students—their backgrounds, their motivations, their preparation, their drive—generates confusion about needs and wants. Equally confusing are the competing demands of (a) practices that promote learning and (b) outcomes that demonstrate “student success.” In or around the transactional exchange between student and institution, where do we turn to find the humanistic exchange between student and educator? To what extent should we adapt and to what extent should we hold our ground? Should we venture into the unfamiliar or should we resist the unnecessary? What’s the difference?

One obvious concern is the emergence of non-human engines that, with surface knowledge and thin intention, even a novice writer can use to produce thought-simulating text. The cognitive rigor used to design and compose (and to consume) idea-rich text might be going the same way as the rigor needed for a host of activities made easier by modern conveniences. The difference is that reading and writing are not activities that can be made easier; they can only be made more or less avoidable. Any genuine belief that the practice of language can improve well-being or increase happiness would put generative AI in the same category as mechanical ventilators. What argument shall we make to uphold the value of cognitive rigor? How can we help students who perceive formative learning as an obstacle to survival rather than a pathway to freedom? How do we reveal the “unfamiliar and unnecessary” to be “elemental and indispensable”? Some topics that might address these questions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Foregrounding language practice through reading and writing

• Methods of growth and accountability in the practices of reading and writing

• Interplay of reading and writing in language practice

• Assessment of learning/engagement vs. assessment of mastery/achievement

• Pedagogies for exigent communication

• Benefits and drawbacks of slow rhetoric

• Feedback literacy and engagement

I welcome presentations that foreground student work and promote interaction with audience members. I am especially interested in proposals that explore tactics that make language practice unavoidable. To submit a proposal, please follow the SAMLA Submission Process. Click “Start Submission” to create an account (or log in). After clicking “CFPs” to see the full list, search for “Writing in College.” Clicking on that item will take you to the details of the session. You can then open the proposal form by clicking “Submit Abstract.” That form will ask for your presentation title, an abstract, a full proposal (250–400 words), a brief bio, your media needs, and any co-presenter or additional comments you have. The deadline is June 2, 2025. Please contact Dr. Matthew Horton (matthew.horton@ung.edu) with any questions or concerns.