Department of English
Department of English Graduate Student Conference
Each year, the University of Memphis English Department hosts a Graduate Student Conference in conjunction with the UofM English Graduate Organization (UMEGO). This year's theme is Multiliteracies, Multimodality, and Genre. The Call for Proposals can be found below; abstracts are due here on March 13th by 5pm CST. More information regarding both the Deb Talbot Roundtable Event and the conference are forthcoming. Click here to download a PDF version of the call for proposals.
Call for Proposals: Conference on Multiliteracies, Multimodality, and Genre
Key Information
Proposals due March 13th by 5pm Central: Please submit your abstract here.
Decision of acceptance communicated by March 31st, end of day
Date: Saturday, April 25th | 9:00am-4:00pm
Location: Patterson Hall, University of Memphis (530 Patterson St.)
Fee: Free Registration
We invite proposals for a one-day in-person conference focused on multiliteracies, multimodality, and genre, broadly construed.
Literacy and language practices have long been multilingual, multimodal, embodied, and material. What is new is the extent to which scholars now foreground these dimensions as central to meaning-making, pedagogy, and participation in academic, professional, creative, and public genres. This conference creates space for empirical research, pedagogical reflection, and creative exploration that take these realities seriously. The conference celebrates and explores the complexity of literacy practices and literacy learning, particularly through the lens of multiliteracy. We welcome scholars, teachers, students, and practitioners working in applied linguistics, writing studies, rhetoric and composition, communication, literacy studies, and TESOL, and literary studies, as well as creative and interdisciplinary contributors whose work meaningfully engages the conference theme.
Events at the Conference
The conference includes concurrent individual paper sessions and a Modes of Meaning
Showcase, featuring poster and innovative multimodal sessions. Feature events also
include replay sessions of invited Deb Talbot Roundtable talks by Suresh Canagarajah (Penn State University) and Matt Kessler (University of
South Florida), and a live plenary session on multimodality by Sage Graham (University of Memphis).
The Deb Talbot Roundtable talks are on April 23rd at 5pm. Email the conference organizer
for details or to request accommodations.
Submission Categories and Session Types
You will be asked to specify a category and session type for your proposal. Submission
categories describe the type of work being proposed (empirical, pedagogical, or creative) and session types describe the
format in which that work will be presented.
Submission Categories
We welcome empirical, pedagogical, and/or creative submissions. Please specify which
of these three most closely matches your session. Work-In-Progress papers are welcome and should be identified
in the abstract/proposal.
Empirical – may draw from applied linguistics, writing studies, rhetoric and composition, literacy studies, or literary studies, and may address any language(s), modality(ies), or contexts. Such proposals should address the following issues, if relevant: research focus/questions, data/methods/analytical approach, and key findings/contributions.
Pedagogical – may focus on language, writing, or literacy instruction, broadly defined, including classroom practice, curriculum design, assessment, professional development, or community-based instruction. Such proposals should address the following issues, if relevant: instructional context, pedagogical approach, learning goals, concrete takeaways for pedagogy and/or curriculum.
Creative – may include multimodal, digital, literary, performative, or hybrid academic–creative work that meaningfully engages the conference theme. Such proposals should address what the session will include, format and presentation style, projects connection to multiliteracy, multimodality, and/or genre, audience engagement or takeaways.
Session Types
Authors may select one preferred session type when submitting. The program committee
may suggest alternative formats to support scheduling or presentation goals.
Individual Paper Sessions: Presentations (up to 20 minutes + 5 minutes for questions) should be designed for a general interdisciplinary audience.
Modes of Meaning Showcase: This portion of the conference is structured as a traditional poster showcase with
presenters set up in stations, but it includes both poster presentations and technology
to support innovative multimodal sessions including demonstration of multimodal pedagogies,
presentation of multimodal research artifacts, visual poetry, etc. Posters may also
be physical, digital, or hybrid, and presenters should plan for informal discussion
with attendees during the session. Technology requirements must be specified in the
abstract.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals should include a title, abstract (maximum 300 words), and reference list
(if needed, not included in word count). The abstract should clearly state audience
takeaways and describe methods and findings (for empirical work), instructional context
and implications (for pedagogical work), or session structure and engagement (for
creative projects). Please submit your abstract here.
The event is free to attend. Certificates of participation will be provided after the event. Contact Dr. J. Elliott Casal at jecasal@memphis.edu with any questions.