Call for Papers:

Panel Title: Composition beyond Walls: Writing and Arguing for/in Spaces beyond the Classroom
Location: MLA National Conference, Los Angeles, California
Date: January 7-10, 2027

Panel Hosts: Dr. Jeff Birkenstein and Dr. Sharon Mitchler, Centralia College (Centralia, Washington)

Proposal Deadline: March 22, 2026

The Challenge

Too often, the composition classroom is treated as a sterile environment—a place where writing is produced for a single reader (the instructor) within four walls. However, we believe that the most impactful writing happens when students engage with the "world beyond." Whether through service learning, place-based inquiry, digital field research, or community ethnography, and more, moving students outside the classroom boundaries fosters a deeper sense of rhetorical agency, critical thinking, and civic responsibility.

We are seeking proposals that present original research, reflective essays, and/or "notes from the field" that explore innovative strategies for de-centering of the physical classroom.

We invite contributors to address the following questions:

"How can we re-think composition courses to encourage students to leave the classroom space and move into the world beyond, if even for a short duration? And what are the benefits to doing so?”

We are particularly interested in submissions that address:

• Place-Based Pedagogy: Using local geography and history as the primary "text" for writing assignments.
• Community-Engaged Writing: Strategies for partnering with local NGOs, businesses, or archives.
• The Digital "Outdoors": Using mobile technology to facilitate writing-on-the-go and immersive reporting.
• Overcoming Barriers: Navigating the logistical, ethical, and accessibility challenges of moving students out of the classroom.
• Rhetorical Citizenship: How "leaving the room" changes a student's perception of their audience and purpose.

Please submit a 300-500 word proposal, and CV, to Jeff Birkenstein at jeff.birkenstein@centralia.edu, by March 22, 2026. A formal proposal must be submitted to MLA by April 1, so you will be notified shortly after your submission.