Computers & Writing Graduate Research Network (Deadline Apr. 24th)

This is a great opportunity to share your works-in-progress research and/or teaching projects! ~Ashley Holmes
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Join us again this year at the annual Graduate Research Network (GRN)!
 
We are seeking in-process writing and research projects for roundtable discussions at the eighteenth annual Computers & Writing Graduate Research Network on May 24, 2018 at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Deadline for submissions (and to apply for Travel Grant funding) is April 24, 2018. http://www.gradresearchnetwork.org 
 
We also need Discussion Leaders, advertisers/donors, and Ride2CWers! For more information visit our Web site at http://www.gradresearchnetwork.orghttp://www.ride2cw.org, or email me (Janice Walker) at jwalker@georgiasouthern.edu.
 
Hope to see you there! 

Graduate Internship Workshop, Feb. 7th 2-4PM

As part of the English Department’s ongoing efforts to prepare our graduate students for diverse employment opportunities, the departments of English and History have organized a Graduate Internship Workshop to be held on Wed., Feb. 7 from 2 to 4 pm in the Troy Moore Library.  The workshop will be led by a panel of four English and History graduate students who have recently completed, or are currently completing, internships with local businesses and non-profit organizations.  Our panelists will discuss how they arranged and/or applied for these internships, what they learned from their experiences, and will offer advice for attendees interested in this path toward graduate student professionalization. 

No RSVP is necessary.  Please consider joining us. 

Extended Deadline for RNF Works-in-Progress Presentations: Nov. 20th

See below for details about applying for the 2018 Research Network Forum, held the Wednesday before the CCCC. RNF is a great venue for graduate students who haven’t presented before, want to go to CCCCs but didn’t get in or missed the deadline, and/or are looking for feedback from scholars in the field on their works-in-progress. RNF is open to anybody (not just grad students), but I’ve found it’s a particularly fruitful spot for students with an early start on a project but not yet finished or polished enough to present formally at CCCCs–I found it to be really helpful for my research when I presented there in the past! New deadline for proposals: 11/20.
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Good news!  We have extended the Research Network Forum deadline for works-in-progress presenters, discussion leaders, and editors to 11/20, so you have the opportunity to still submit to both the F2F and Virtual formats.
 
There is NO cost to participate in either the F2F or Virtual formats (F2F folks are expected to register for CCCC).
 
Research Network Forum proposals are due 11/20/17 at midnight for both Face-to-Face and Virtual RNF 2018 formats.  Do not miss your chance to participate as a work-in-progress presenter.  If you require an NCTE invitations for funding you must send in your e-proposal by 11/20.  

 
Http://researchnetworkforum.org 

 
Hope to see you in person or virtually.  Please share.  #rnf4c #4c18
 
Best,
Risa Gorelick, Carrie Wastal & Gina Merys, RNF Co-Chairs
Keith Dorwick, Virtual RNF Chair

Watch This Space . . . for Ableism, Guest Post by Kristen Ruccio

I taught as an adjunct at an R1 university and a community college before coming to GSU as a PhD student and graduate teaching assistant in Rhetoric and Composition. I have witnessed much good from my peers in FYW classes, both as an adjunct and as a GTA. But I keep witnessing an upsetting trend: ableism in the FYW classroom. Ableism is discrimination against people with disabilities (PWDs) and like racism, ableism inscribes violence onto PWDs, because it both dehumanizes and objectifies the different bodyminds and experiences of PWDs.

Too often, instructors, GTAs, and professors are ableist in their classrooms. Ableism in FYW classrooms helps spread ableism throughout the university, because virtually every student at Georgia State will inhabit a FYW course at some point during their time at the university. When we project ableism in our classrooms, our students will normalize ableism as a practice.

I don’t suggest that a vast conspiracy exists; the majority of this type of ableism happens unintentionally, when we are, ironically, trying to bond with our students.

In trying to connect, we fall into using slang terms and phrases such as “nutjob,” “that’s crazy,” or even allowing the use of the R word in our classroom spaces. We might also say things like, “You need a keen eye to catch the argument in this piece” or “Sometimes, we have to stand up for the truth.”

Both of these phrases erase the presence of PWDs from the academic ecology. We have scholars such as Sushil K. Oswal, who publishes prolifically in both technical writing and disability studies and who relies exclusively on screen-readers and voice-to-text because he has low vision. Many activists in the Disability Rights Movement use mobility aids and they do not “stand,” yet they have engaged in activities that focused worldwide attention on the truth.

We have to stop it. We have to stop using this language in our classrooms. If we believe anything as rhetors, we believe that language matters. If we continue to allow ableist language or to use ableist language in our first-year writing classrooms, we continue the history of ableism in education. With current political actions dismantling protections for PWDs, we must fight even more strongly to create inclusive spaces in our classrooms. We can begin by rejecting the use of ableist language in ourselves and in our classrooms. I, like everyone reading or listening to this on a screen reader, am a work in progress. I don’t always meet this standard, but I work on it every day. I hope you will, too.


Picture of Kristen RuccioKristen Ruccio’s research focuses on disability studies and Buddhist rhetorical practices, particularly Zen rhetoric. A Ph.D. candidate in Rhetoric and Composition at Georgia State University, her dissertation project examines the ableist history of Composition Studies and the effects of that ableism on Writing Program Administration and students with disabilities in the first-year writing classroom. In her spare time, she devotes the majority of her attention to her 2 dogs, yoga, and vegan recipe development.

CCCC Grad Student Scholarships &Travel Awards: Deadlines Nov. 6th & 13th

Conference on College Composition and Communication acceptances went out last week, and I’m thrilled to be hearing that some of our GSU students will be presenting. If you received an acceptance, please consider applying for one or more of these prestigious awards. I’d love to see some GSU students recognized nationally for the smart work you are doing! See details and eligibility for each award at the links below.

CFP for the ATTW 2018 conference, “Precarity and Possibility

For those interested in professional and technical writing, you can now submit proposals for the ATTW 2018 conference, “Precarity and Possibility: Engaging Technical Communication’s Politics,” which will be held on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 at the Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Proposals are due November 15, 2017.

See the 2018 Call for Proposals as well as a statement from the Conference Program Co-chairs, Natasha Jones and Blake Scott.

I hope you will be able to join us in Kansas City, Kansas for ATTW 2018 where we will be celebrating 45 Years!

Best,

Michelle F. Eble, PhD

President, ATTW

Associate Professor of Technical & Professional Communication
Department of English

East Carolina University

Bate 2211, Greenville, NC 27858

252.328.6412

eblem@ecu.edu

Deadline Extended to Nov. 7th for CCCC Digital Praxis Posters

Call for Digital Praxis Posters, CCCC 2018, Kansas City, Missouri
** Apologies for crossposting. **
***Deadline Extended to Nov. 7, 2017***

We are now accepting proposals for the 2018 Digital Praxis Posters in Kansas City, Missouri! The Digital Praxis Posters provide a space at CCCC for scholars and practitioners from across our field to share and discuss their innovative work with digital technologies. The DPP sessions invite a variety of work ranging from experimentation with new digital tools to the methodologies shaping research using these tools. 


Last year’s sessions were both very well attended and highly interactive. We do our best to provide an engaged audience by setting up two rounds of posters back to back. During the first round, second-round poster presenters are part of the audience. During the second round, first-round poster presenters are part of the audience. Of course, many others join in as well! DPP sessions are always filled with deep and engaging conversations about your project and the projects of others. We encourage presenters to involve graduate and undergraduate students in the preparation and delivery of their poster sessions. One goal of the DPP has always been to meet and talk to students from the classes or organizations where digital praxis is enacted! 


Proposals are invited in the following categories:
  1. Demonstration of digital tool
  2. Digital pedagogy assignment
  3. Research on or using digital tools
  4. Digital facets of community and advocacy
  5. Creative digital projects
  6. Languaging, laboring, and transforming digital spaces
  
Your participation in the DPP will NOT count as your one presentation at CCCC. Posters are generally held in a designated area during two sessions on Thursday  and Friday.  Poster proposals will be reviewed in parallel with the formal CCCC review process, and invited presenters will receive feedback from reviewers. After the review, we will provide accepted presenters with an official letter indicating that your proposal was reviewed and that you will be presenting in Kansas City. Names will also be in the Digital Praxis Posters program (handed out on site) and in the CCCC online program.


If you would like to propose a poster presentation (as a team or individually), please fill out the form at this address: 
https://goo.gl/forms/bC1CHZrhFMbFbq7h1The new deadline is October 1, 2017.  


If you have any trouble with the online submission form, just send this information via email to
katherinetbridgman@gmail.com.
  • Full name, affiliation, and contact information.
  • A short 75 word description of your digital poster
  • A spiffy title
  • If appropriate, your team members’ names and emails
 
Because CCCC is committed to supporting these posters, we are promised an excellent space that is well equipped and connected: power, projection, screens, tables, and poster stands.

GSU Student Featured Blog Post: English Department Celebrates National Day on Writing!

GSU’s English Department Celebrates National Day on Writing!

by Brittny Byrom

This Friday (Oct. 13th), the Georgia State University English Department will kick-start our celebration of National Day on Writing (NDoW). NDoW is a United States Senate-approved annual celebration of literacy in all forms that takes place on October 20th.

The English Department will host a celebration on Wednesday, October 18th in the Library Plaza from 10am-2pm full of festivities! Many of the undergraduate and graduate groups within the department are hard at work putting together booths with games and treats that center on the theme of #WhyIWrite.

Featured Tables:

Come by and create your own bookmarks with The Writing Studio, or record your literacy narrative with the DALN!  Play Slang Word/New Word Connection Game hosted by New Voices, try your hand at the Free Form Writing Contest by Underground, or purchase a book from the Annual Book Sale hosted by the GEA!

New this year, the GEA and The Writing Studio are kick-starting the #WhyIWrite celebrations on Friday, October 13th at 3pm-5pm in 25 Park Place Room #2411 with a flash fiction challenge, called “Spooky Stories.” The audience members secretly vote for their favorite tale!

National Day of Writing Launch Party

Spooky Stories NDoW Event

 

Author Information:

Brittny M. Byrom is a former Administrative Assistant at the Rialto Center for the Arts developing their social media platforms. Currently, Brittny works as a LDS Graduate Teaching Assistant, a Writing Studio tutor, and a Video Coordinator for Write On GSU. Brittny’s research focuses on developing course units engaging the intersection of composition, compassion, and critical thinking. When not found on campus, she enjoys browsing bookstores, watching scary movies, and hiking with friends.

Call for Blog Posts for the Rhet/Comp @ GSU Site

The Rhetoric and Composition program at Georgia State University is in the process of updating its website (https://sites.gsu.edu/rhetcomp/)! As part of our development, we are looking for undergraduate and graduate rhetoric and composition students to serve as guest authors of the program’s blog. We welcome original thought pieces, editorials, conference or event reviews, top ten lists, and research previews on various topics related to the rhetoric and composition field at large. This is a great opportunity to acquire a resume/CV line for a featured blog post.

Students may submit blog posts on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • teaching pedagogy
  • evaluation of currents trends in the field
  • rhetorical theory
  • synopsis of personal research projects
  • navigating undergraduate / graduate school
  • overview of department event
  • coverage of academic conferences
  • relevant community project
  • alumni feature
  • interview with faculty member or another student

Guest Blogging Requirements:

  • Succinct, well-written, and high-quality original articles related to trends, questions, and research pertinent to rhetoric and composition as a field. Content should be original, although previously published material may be re-posted on a case-by-case basis.
  • Authors should include a 2 – 3 sentence bio and an author photo with submission.
  • If post contains external media (photo, audio, video, etc.), please include the appropriate attribution/citation and a permanent link to the media artifact.
  • Blog posts should range between 250 – 500 words.
  • Editors of the GSU Rhet/Comp blog reserve the right to revise and adapt guest blog content as needed; however, we will be sure to work with you regarding any suggested changes or edits.

How to Submit:

  • Please email your pitch (2-3 sentences) or draft blog post to Dr. Ashley J. Holmes, Director of Rhetoric and Composition at GSU, at aholmes@gsu.edu with the subject line “Rhet/Comp Blog Pitch,” and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
  • Blog posts are accepted on a rolling basis. If your post is time-specific, please suggest when you’d ideally want your post published.

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Whether or not you have an idea to pitch, you should still follow the blog by typing your email address in the “Subscribe” section on the right column.