Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Emancipatory Activities at the Crossroads of Academic Freedom

deadline for submissions: 
March 20, 2026
full name / name of organization: 
Claire Carly-Miles, MLA Higher Education Practicies Committee
contact email: 

MLA ‘27 Guaranteed Session:

TITLE:  Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Emancipatory Activities at the Crossroads of Academic Freedom

DESCRIPTION:  In honor of the 60th anniversary of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the MLA Committee on Higher Education Practices (HEP) seeks paper proposals regarding contemplation, design, and/or implementation of emancipatory activities in literature, language, and writing classrooms.

Topics might include (but are certainly not limited to) the following:

  • Improving student engagement in difficult times

  • Maintaining academic freedom for both instructor and student

  • Encouraging critical thinking (not to be confused with “indoctrination”) AND/OR Teaching the difference between critical thinking and indoctrination

  • Designing and/or assessing course objectives that promote critical thinking and/or other critical course objectives

  • Empowering students and instructors to engage safely in open dialog

  • Valuing authenticity and critiquing the norms of academic writing

DUE: Friday, March 20, 2026, but earlier submission is strongly encouraged

CONTACT:  Please email proposals to Claire Carly-Miles, c.carly-miles@tamu.edu and Geraldine Fiss, gfiss@UCSD.EDU with the subject line:  MLA-HEP PAPER PROPOSAL