Call for Proposals: Two-Year College English Association 2025 National Conference
Politics and the English Language
Conference Program Chair: Teresa Lopez
Date and Location
Date: April 9, 2025
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Offered in connection with the 2025 CCCC Annual Convention
Proposal Deadline
Monday, September 16, 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET
Use this form to submit your proposal.
For questions about the proposal submission system, contact CCCCevents@ncte.org.
Call for Proposals
The Two-Year College English Association of NCTE invites proposals for our 2025 National Conference, “Politics and the English Language.”
Since George Orwell’s iconic essay made clear the connection between rhetoric and politics, teachers of composition, literacy, and literature classes have endlessly explored with students the ways in which diction, form, subject matter, audience, and presentation shift according to our context (social, cultural, economic, political, etc.). Community college instructors are continuously affected by the political climate, which can shift the population of the student body as well as the required curriculum of our courses. In addition, instructors witness the change in college readiness as various political movements alter the educational foundation of students in K–12 schools. English teachers provide a background for future academic success and employment opportunities for students. Our proficiency as literacy educators, compositional effectiveness, and critical thinking is intricately tied to the rhetoric of politics. This Conference invites presentations on these ideas and more, to show our community how the political world influences the materials of the classroom. We also welcome presentations pertaining to any other aspect of teaching English in the two-year college.
Potential topics for presentations about politics and the English language in open-access colleges may include the following:
- Reading, writing, and literacy in an election year
- Political pressure to avoid “divisive concepts”
- Local political/economic influences on curriculum
- Curriculum initiatives based on political ideologies
- Audience awareness and context
- Rhetorical/contextual analysis in the contemporary world
- Any other topic related to teaching English in the first two college years or open-access literacy education.
The TYCA National Conference is open to all members of NCTE and TYCA regional associations. In addition to community college faculty, TYCA especially welcomes proposals from graduate students, instructors at open-admissions four-year institutions, and dual credit high schools.
Focus for Presentations
Presentations do not need to explicitly discuss the Conference theme, but they should address issues that are relevant to English studies professionals who support diverse college students in their first two college years. Participants do not need to be affiliated with a two-year college but must focus proposals on research and practices that are clearly relevant to TYCA members. Potential areas of exploration include (but are not limited to) first-year writing, developmental education, college reading, teaching English to speakers of other languages, inclusive teaching, evidence-based pedagogy, literature, creative writing, writing centers and other learning assistance programs, intermediate composition, communications, linguistics, technical writing, business writing, professional development, teacher-scholar activism, community engagement, program administration and innovation, preparing to teach at a two-year college, and the role of contingent faculty.
For Questions about the Conference
Contact the TYCA Conference Program Chair, Teresa Lopez, at tmlopez@pstcc.edu.
To Stay Informed about the Conference
Conference announcements, updates, and reminders will be distributed through the TYCA listerv. Information about subscribing is available through the TYCA Archive Website: https://tycaarchive.wordpress.com/listserv/
Guidelines for Proposals
Proposal Criteria
Each Conference presentation should meet the following criteria:
- Focuses on teaching, writing center or learning assistance programs, program administration, or other work of two-year college English teacher-scholars;
- Provides attendees with practical strategies for teaching English in the first two college years or engaging as a professional in the discipline;
- Presents concepts and practices that are relevant to working with a wide range of diverse learners at open-admissions institutions;
- Uses research or other evidence to support recommended practices.
Presentations must not be part of an accepted session for the CCCC Annual Convention during the same calendar year. Proposal authors may, however, submit proposals based on a presentation at a recent TYCA regional conference.
Peer-Review Process
Conference presentations will be selected through a competitive, blind peer review process that draws from the expertise of TYCA members. Reviewers include members of TYCA regional affiliates and teacher-scholars who are engaged in the profession at the national level. See the proposal review criteria for a more detailed overview of how reviewers will evaluate proposals.
Information for Authors of Proposals
- Follow the required proposal format and provide all of the required information.
- Select an appropriate session format based on the goals of your presentation, your proposed delivery methods, and the number of presenters. (See “Session Formats.”)
- Write your proposal description for an audience of reviewers who are experienced two-year college teacher-scholars but who may be unfamiliar with your proposal topic.
- Remove any personal identifiers for blind review. This means that the names and institutional affiliations for proposed speakers should appear only in the contact information section of the proposal.
- Submit the proposal electronically through the TYCA Conference proposal submission system.
- Meet the September 16 deadline.
- Notifications of acceptance will be sent in early December.
- Expect to register for the Conference by the deadline indicated in Conference invitations. Presenters must register and pay for the Conference for their names to appear in the Conference program.
See the Proposal Review Criteria for the TYCA National Conference
Session Formats
15-Minute Individual Presentation (One or Two Presenters)
A short presentation from one or two presenters about best practices or research findings. Individual presentations will be combined with two other presentations that focus on similar topics and/or areas of English studies.
50-Minute Panel Presentation (Three or More Presenters)
A session on a focused issue organized entirely by the authors of the proposal. Panel discussions should have at least three speakers who collaborate with each other to organize a cohesive session. Presenters may determine the format and delivery methods for the session based on the focus, purpose, and goals of the presentation but should leave time at the end of the session for questions or other interaction with the audience.
50-Minute Facilitated Discussion or Activity (At Least Two Facilitators)
A brief overview of an issue, followed by an interactive discussion or activity. Discussion sessions should have two or more facilitators who provide an introduction to an issue or problem, followed by an organized discussion or group activity. Most of the session should focus on interactive discussion or group work. Facilitated discussions and activities should have clear goals that attendees can accomplish within the allotted time. Sessions may include a large group discussion, small group breakout discussions or activities, or a combination of large and small group interactions.
50-Minute Workshop (At Least Two Facilitators)
A learning experience with a high level of participant interaction. Workshops should have two or more facilitators who provide attendees with hands-on activities that focus on practical strategies for teaching, taking action, doing scholarship, or engaging in other professional work. Attendees should be able to apply learning from the workshop to their own institutional contexts and leave the session with practical ideas or resources for enhancing their work as college English professionals.
Interactive Poster Presentation (One or More Presenters)
A visual presentation with a scheduled time for interaction with attendees. Posters will be displayed on bulletin boards throughout the one-day Conference. Poster presenters have a speaking role on the Conference program, and they will have a scheduled time to engage with attendees in conversations about their work and answer questions. Posters can focus on any aspect of English studies but are especially appropriate for sharing a teaching strategy, work in progress, an innovative idea, preliminary research results, or the application of a theoretical concept.
Required Proposal Information
Session Information for the Program
Title (no more than 160 characters or spaces)
Write a session title for the Conference program.
Abstract for the Conference Program (no more than 400 characters and spaces)
Write a very brief summary of the session or individual presentation for the Conference program.
Contact Information for Each Speaker
Name:
Institution:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Email:
Speakers who do not have an institutional affiliation may identify themselves in another way (for example, as an independent scholar or retired member of the profession).
Session Type (scroll down menu or check box)
- 15-minute individual presentation
- 50-minute panel presentation
- 50-minute facilitated discussion or activity
- 50-minute workshop
Relevance to the Conference (no more than 400 characters or spaces)
Explain how the presentation addresses issues or practices that are relevant to the work of two-year college teacher-scholars.
Target Audience (no more than 160 characters or spaces)
Identify one or more constituent group(s) within TYCA or CCCC who would be interested in your presentation (for example, first-year writing teachers, writing center directors, writing program administrators, literature instructors, integrated reading and reading instructors, etc.).
Session Description (no more than 4000 characters or spaces)
Write a detailed description of the session or presentation that includes the following information:
- The purpose, learning objectives, or goals of the session
- An overview of the research, evidence-based teaching strategies, and/or best practices presented in the session
- A short outline or description of what will happen during the session
- An explanation of how the presentation will actively engage attendees in discussions or other activities (not required for a 15 minute individual presentation)
Guidelines for Session Descriptions
- Remove personal identifiers and institutional affiliations for blind review. Do not refer to presenters by name.
- For panel sessions that include individual presentations, identify separate presentations (for example, “Speaker 1” and “Speaker 2”) and provided titles for each presentation.
Sponsored Session (optional)
Please enter the group name if the session is sponsored by a TYCA regional affiliate, a TYCA special interest network, a CCCC standing group or SIG, or another professional group affiliated with NCTE.
For Questions: Contact CCCCevents@ncte.org