Symposium on Second Language Writing: Abstracts Available

Abstracts of presentations at the 2009 Symposium on Second Language Writing are now available in word format at http://sslw.asu.edu/2009/program.html.

I have also added more information about the Symposium site and the area at http://sslw.asu.edu/2009/venue.html. I hope this makes it easier as participants make decisions about hotels and other activities during their stay at ASU.

Mark A. James on Learning Transfer

Mark Andrew James, a colleague of mine at ASU, just published yet another study of learning transfer. The article, "'Far' transfer of learning outcomes from an ESL writing course: Can the gap be bridged?" appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Second Language Writing.

Mark is also serving as the Associate Chair of the 2009 Symposium on Second Language Writing to be held in November at ASU.

Congratulations, Mark!

Graduate Research Fellowship

Zuzana Tomas, one of the doctoral students in the graduate seminar on Second Language Writing Research I'm teaching at the University of Utah, has received a Graduate Research Fellowship.

Congratulations, Zuzana!

CFP: Symposium on Second Language Writing 2009

Symposium on Second Language Writing 2009
November 5-7, 2009
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

Theme: The Future of Second Language Writing

The 2009 Symposium Organizing Committee seeks proposals for 20-minute presentations that address various topics within the field of second language writing--broadly defined. Any topic related to second language writing is welcome, but we particularly welcome proposals that seek to challenge the status quo in the field by introducing new topics as well as theoretical and methodological approaches.

As always, we are interested in L2 writing issues in any second or foreign language and at various levels of education--from emerging literacy and adult literacy to L2 writing across the disciplines and in the professions. We also encourage proposals that connect L2 writing with other related areas of inquiry, such as computer assisted instruction, computers and composition, corpus analysis, language testing, rhetoric, writing program administration and world Englishes. We welcome proposals from around the world.

Although there will not be a separate graduate student conference this year, graduate students are encouraged to submit proposals. After all, future of the field of second language writing depends on today's graduate students.

To submit your proposal, please use the online proposal submission form.

Proposals must be received by April 30, 2009 (Arizona Time/MST).

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Paul Kei Matsuda and Tony Silva, Chairs
Symposium on Second Language Writing

CCCC 2009

Here are some of the things I will be doing at this year's CCCC:

Wednesday, March 11, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
RN.1 Research Network Forum
Plenary Talk: "Got Multilingualism? Why and How of Integrating a Multilingual Perspective into Writing Research"

Wednesday, March 11, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Executive Committee Meeting

Thursday, March 12, 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
Newcomer's Coffee

Thursday, March 12, 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
A.16 Transnational English(es) and U.S. Composition: From Global to Glocal
Respondent

Thursday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
TSIG.06 Second-Language Writing SIG: Discussing the Revised CCCC
Statement on Second-Language Writing and Writers
Discussant

Friday, March 13, 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
J.05 Racism in Assessment
Session Chair

Friday, March 13, 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
FS.K Featured Session: Voice in Written Discourse: Implications for Multilingual Writers
"A Critical Theory of Voice for the Multilingual Composition Classroom"

Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
FSIG.24 Transnational Composition
Presenter

Saturday, March 14, 9:30 a.m. to Noon
Committee on Second Language Writing Open Meeting
Union Square 9, Hilton San Francisco

====

Here is a list of L2 writing-related sessions at CCCC 2009 in San Francisco (with thanks to Gladys Vega Scott):

Wednesday Workshops

MW.2 Keeping Multilingual Writers in Mind: How Universal Design Can Lead to Inclusive Pedagogies and Practices (Part I)
Wednesday, March 11, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Imperial Ballroom B, Ballroom Level
Chairs: Christina Ortmeier-Hooper, University of New Hampshire & Kathryn Nielsen-Dube, Merrimack College
This workshop provides participants with an overview of issues related to multilingual writers in higher education and explores ways to serve both L1 and L2 students better in writing classes, writing centers, and in WAC/WID programs.

AW.2 Keeping Multilingual Writers in Mind: How Universal Design Can Lead to Inclusive Pedagogies and Practices (Part 2)
Wednesday, March 11, 1:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Imperial Ballroom B, Ballroom Level
Chairs: Michelle Cox, Bridgewater State College & Steve Simpson, University of New Hampshire
This workshop builds on themes presented in the morning workshop, allowing participants to further explore inclusive writing pedagogy designed with L2 students in mind.

Thursday Sessions

A.01 Un/Documented Literacies:Rewriting Cultural Citizenships in the United States
A.16 Transnational English(es) and U.S. Composition: From Global to Glocal
A.33 Four Voices from the Contact Zone of Composition Theory and Linguistic Minority
B.32 Waves of Transnational Composition, Ways of Doing Intercultural Rhetoric
C.11 Exploring Student, Teacher, and Tutor Limitations in the Linguistic Development of Multilingual Students in Mainstream Composition Classes
C.17 ESL Practices: Community, Voice and Identity
C.18 Surfing International Waves: Issues for Chinese Teachers and Writers
C.35 Teaching English Abroad: The Wave of the Future
D.03 Universal Design and Writing Programs: Constructing a Student-Centered Universe(ity)
D.27 ESL, Feedback, and Assessment
D.30 You’ve Been Served: Practice and Development of Service Learning for ESL and Writing-intensive Courses and for Teacher Development
E.03 Sovereignty and Dialect: Non-standard English Patterns in the Writing of Navajo Students
E.04 Multilingual Graduate Students and Composition Studies: Issues and Concerns for our Field
E.36 Grammar, Writing, and Communication
E.38 Strategies for Staying Afloat in the Multi-Lingual Classroom

TSIG.06 Second-Language Writing SIG: Discussing the Revised CCCC Statement on Second-Language Writing and Writers Thursday, March 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Chairs: Kevin Eric De Pew, Old Dominion University and Jill Swavely, Temple University College of Education
The mission of the Second-Language Writing Special Interest Group (SIG) is to bring scholars and practitioners together to discuss the issues that all writing instructors, and, by extension, all writing programs face when working with second-language writers. This year we will present the revisions of the Statement and discuss the draft before it is proposed to the CCCC Executive Committee.

Friday Sessions

F.28 Writing on Different Wavelengths: Competing Perceptions of Teaching and the Academy
F.31 Cultural Expectations in Cross-cultural Classrooms: ESL and International Issues
F.39 Going Global by Going Local: Connecting Study Abroad and International Students with the Writing Support They Need
G Featured Session: Walking the Talk: Teacher Response and Best Practices
H.07 The Research Plan is Sinking—Locate the Lifevest!: Navigating Research Methodologies and Realities
H.13 Approaches to Teaching Writing to L2 Learners and ESL Students
H.25 Multicultural/Multilingual
K Featured Session: Voice in Written Discourse: Implications for Multilingual Writers

Saturday Sessions

L.01 Think-Tank for Newcomers Developing Papers and Sessions for CCCC–2010
L.23 Assessment of Student Writing
L.30 ELL Practice: Work, Pedagogy and Literacy
M Featured Session: Literacy in Higher Education in Mexico
M.14 Authorizing Multiculturalism at the Center: Tales of Trials and Triumphs
M.26 World Englishes: Possibilities/Limitations of Code Meshing
N.26 Writing in the Technical and Scientific Disciplines
O.07 Global Issues: Closing the Divide between Locals and Transnationals in Freshman Composition

Committee on Second Language Writing Open Meeting (p. 32)
Saturday, March 14, 9:30 a.m.–Noon - Union Square 9, Fourth Floor
Co-Chairs: Susan Miller-Cochran & Christina Ortmeier-Hooper
Each year, the Committee on Second Language Writing sponsors an open meeting to plan activities and sessions for the following year. If you’d like to get involved in second language writing workshops or the Special Interest Group on Second Language Writing, please come to this meeting. We will also share ideas for panel proposals.

This is not a complete listing of second language writing-related sessions:
for a complete list, please consult the convention program.

SLW.CCCC: Second Language Writing at CCCC Email List
In order to facilitate communication among CCCC members who are interested in second language writing, the Committee on Second Language Writing sponsors an email discussion list (hosted by North Carolina State University).

To join the list, send an email message to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu with the following in the body of the message (do not type anything in the subject line):
subscribe slw_cccc


If you have any questions about L2 Writing at CCCC, please feel free to email Susan Miller-Cochran or Christina M. Ortmeier-Hooper, Co-Chairs of the Committee on Second Language Writing:

Christina M. Ortmeier-Hooper
christina.ortmeier@unh.edu

Susan Miller-Cochran
susan_miller@ncsu.edu

Visiting Scholars

One of the tasks that have been occupying me for the last few weeks, among many other things, is responding to a large number of unsolicited requests from would-be visiting scholars who are looking for a faculty sponsor for their visit.

Although I value the opportunity to interact with researchers from other countries, I can only sponsor a few people at a time. For that reason, I will screen the applications for clear indications of strong and well-defined interest in second language writing as well as specific reasons for working with me. Priority is given to those who have already established a connection with me at the Symposium on Second Language Writing.

If there is any indication that the applicant is not familiar enough with the field of second language writing or that the person is not specifically interested in my work or my expertise, I will not be able to consider the application or respond to the message.

If you are interested in coming to my institution to work with me on a project related to second language writing, please visit this page and send me the initial materials. Please understand, however, that I will not be able to

• provide feedback on the initial application documents
• allow revisions to the initial application documents
• refer rejected applicants to other potential sponsors
• issue a letter of invitation until the initial screening process has been completed

Best of luck in finding a suitable institutional host for your visit!

15th Annual Graduate Linguistics/TESOL Symposium

15th Annual Graduate Linguistics/TESOL Symposium
March 6th 2009

Featuring Keynote Speaker Carol A. Chapelle

Carol Chapelle is Professor of TESL/Applied Linguistics and Chair of the Cross-disciplinary Linguistics Program at Iowa State University. She has served as President of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Editor of TESOL Quarterly, and Chair of the TOEFL Committee of Examiners. She is current Co-Editor of the Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series of Cambridge University Press. She is widely recognized as the pre-eminent scholar in the field of CALL. See Carol Chapelle’s webpage: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~carolc/

Twin Palms Hotel
225 E. Apache Blvd
Tempe, AZ 85281
For venue information and directions:
http://www.twinpalmshotel.com/

This symposium is brought to you by:
Interdisciplinary Committee on Linguistics, Department of English, and
Graduate Scholars of English Association

Django Paris

Django Paris, a colleague of mine in the English Department at ASU, is the recipient of Mary Catherine Ellwein Outstanding Dissertation Award for Qualitative Research Methodology from American Educational Research Association (AERA). He will receive the award and present his talk at the AERA in San Diego in April.

He is also one of the finalists for the Spencer Foundation Exemplary Dissertation Award.

His dissertation is entitled "'Our Culture': Difference, Division, and Unity in Multiethnic Youth Space."

Congratulations, Django! Way to go!

The Future of Graduate Education in Computers and Writing

Patricia Webb Boyd and Peter Goggin, my colleagues in the English Department at ASU, are the editor of the special issue of Computers and Composition (26.1: 2009) that focuses on the future of graduate education in computers and writing.

The issue is now available online:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/issue/6537-2009-999739998-934086

Congratulations, Tricia and Peter!

2009 WPA Conference

The proposal that Steven Accardi, Tanita Saenkhum and I have put together has been accepted for 2009 WPA Conference in Minneapolis. We will present the preliminary findings of our collaborative study of placement practices of multilingual writers in a large, comprehensive first-year writing program.

College English Conference, 11th April. Abstracts due soon

From: smithsgj@gmail.com [mailto:smithsgj@gmail.com] On Behalf Of simon smith
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 8:53 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: To all English teachers: College English Conference, 11th April. Abstracts due soon

Dear Colleagues

I am writing to you, on behalf of the Conference Organizing Committee, about National Chengchi University's College English Conference, to be held on 11th April 2009. The deadline for abstract submissions, 2nd February, is coming up quite soon.

Information about the conference, including CFP, may be found at http://flc.nccu.edu.tw/Conference/3rd/. The conference is being organized in collaboration with the Language Teaching and Research Center, National Chiao-tung University, and features ESL writing scholar Professor Paul Kei Matsuda, of Arizona State, as keynote speaker.

We'd be most grateful if you could pass on the details of the conference to colleagues and friends who might be interested.

We have tried to think of suggested topics which are stimulating, and in many cases original. Contributions within the broad compass of our theme College English: Opportunities and Challenges for Teaching and Learning are however all welcome.

The conference aims to provide a stimulating and rewarding academic forum for presentation and discussion of English teaching in colleges and universities, including Freshman English programs.

We look forward to receiving your abstract in the next few days.

Best wishes
Simon Smith

(for Organizing Committee)

----

歡迎以中文回信

Simon Smith, PhD

Assistant Professor
Foreign Language Center
National Chengchi University

Brock Brady is the new TESOL President Elect

Congratulations, Brock! I look forward to your leadership as TESOL moves toward a new era.

Congratulations to Tanita Saenkhum!

Tanita Saenkhum, one of my doctoral advisees specializing in second language writing at ASU, has received the Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant to attend TESOL 2009 in Denver, Colorado.

Congratulations, Tanita. Well done!

NCTE's National Day on Writing

NCTE has declared October 20, 2009 the National Day on Writing. For details, visit: NCTE's National Day on Writing.

CFP - Issues in Applied Linguistics

A refereed journal published by the graduate students of UCLA’s Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL, Issues in Applied Linguistics (ial) is currently seeking submissions for volume 17 (2009). The deadline for consideration in volume 17.1 is January 31, 2009; the deadline for consideration in volume 17.2 is July 31, 2009.

ial is particularly interested in publishing new departures and cross-disciplinary applied linguistic research. In the past we have published work on the following topics:

Discourse Analysis
Conversation Analysis
Language and the Brain
Functional Grammar
Second Language Acquisition
Language Socialization
Language Education
Bilingual Education
Language Minorities
Sociolinguistics
Professional Ethics
Research Methodology

ial also publishes book reviews and interviews with notable scholars in applied linguistics, sociology, anthropology, education, and other fields. If there is a researcher you would like to interview, don't hesitate to contact us with your idea.

To submit your manuscript for consideration, please email a copy to ial@humnet.ucla.edu and send three copies to the following address:

Editors
Issues in Applied Linguistics
UCLA Department of Applied Linguistics
3300 Rolfe Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1531

ial@humnet.ucla.edu
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/teslal/ial

Childcare information from the CCCC website

I should have sent this in my earlier message, but here is the information from the CCCC website (http://www.ncte.org/cccc/conv/childcare):

This year we are offering an on-site activity center for childcare, Camp CCCC, during the convention from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday right in the Hilton Hotel. Children ages 6 months to 12 years old are welcome. The center, staffed by experienced CPR and Pediatric First Aid certified professionals, will provide age-appropriate entertaining and educational activities, including storytelling, hands-on crafts, games, the “Build It Zone,” and the “Boogie It Zone.” Infant care stations, rest areas, and “SecurChild®” photo check-in and check-out will ensure a safe, secure environment.

You can register for half-day or full-day care. Registration deadline is January 1, 2009. To get more information about facilities and to register for childcare, go to www.accentoca.com/campcccc09

I hope this information is helpful,

Susan

CFP: Conference on College English, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

The 3rd Conference on College English
Opportunities and Challenges for Teaching and Learning
National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
11th April 2009

Co-organizer: Language Teaching and Research Center, NCTU

National Chengchi University is proud to announce the 3rd Conference on College English, a stimulating and rewarding academic forum for the presentation and discussion of College English issues. Under the heading College English, we include such programs as Freshman English and Practical English, and indeed any program at a university or college, in which English is taught to non-native speakers.

This year, we are pleased to welcome an international keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Kei Matsuda (see the Call for Papers for details). It is hoped that researchers and teachers outside Taiwan will also take the opportunity to offer papers.

The conference has now become an annual institution, and this year it will build on the themes explored in the previous two conferences. In the first conference, topics included the role of College English as a General Education subject, and the concomitant expectation that we must go beyond the English teaching brief, and help our students to learn important life skills such as civic responsibility. Needed changes to College English curricula, due to the trend towards longer mandatory English programs at Taiwan universities, were also the subject of fruitful discussions. In 2008, the accent was again on the proliferation and growing importance of College English courses, and how innovative pedagogical research can support the changing expectations and needs of learners and other stakeholders.

This year’s conference theme, Opportunities and Challenges for Teaching and Learning, is intended to reflect an even broader focus for discussion and presentation. Contributions on specific aspects of teaching any of the four skills are just as welcome as papers on more holistic approaches. Other areas of interest include cross-cultural issues, motivating less enthusiastic students, and handling large student numbers, as well as curriculum and policy issues, which might include the use of 1L in the classroom, Needs Analysis, and learner assessment, to name a few. The use of technology in teaching, including of course Data-Driven Learning and the use of corpora, is another fruitful area. Here are some further suggested topics.

SSLW 2009 Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals for the 2009 Symposium on Second Language Writing, to be held at Arizona State University on November 5-7, 2009, is now available in PDF format.

http://sslw.asu.edu/2009/sslw2009cfp.pdf

Please distribute widely!

Paul

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Paul Kei Matsuda, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Director of Writing Programs

Arizona State University
Department of English
Box 870302
Tempe, AZ 85287-0302 USA

Paul.Matsuda@asu.edu
http://matsuda.jslw.org/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Founding Chair, Symposium on Second Language Writing
http://sslw.asu.edu/

Editor, Parlor Press Series on Second Language Writing
http://www.parlorpress.com/slw.html

Web Administrator, Journal of Second Language Writing
http://www.jslw.org/

Job Ad: Lecturer in Rhetoric and Composition with expertise in ESL Writing

Lecturer in Rhetoric and Composition with expertise in ESL Writing

Lecturer in Rhetoric and Composition. Beginning August 16, 2009. Required: Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition or in a related discipline with appropriate relevant coursework; experience in teaching college-level first-year ESL writing courses; evidence of effective teaching. Desired: Theoretical grounding, expertise, and teaching experience in second language writing; evidence of participation in professional conferences in applied linguistics, composition, rhetoric or TESOL.

Teaching load is 4 composition courses each semester. Appropriate professional university service responsibilities. Three-year renewable appointment.

Applicants must submit: Letter of application; vita; teaching philosophy; unofficial graduate transcripts; three letters of recommendation; and copies of recent teaching evaluations to D. Baker, Rhet/Comp ESL Writing Lecturer Search Committee, Department of English, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 870302, Tempe AZ 85287-0302, postmarked by January 2, 2009; if not filled, the 15th of every month until search is closed. We do not accept incomplete applications. E-mailed materials will not be accepted. A background check is required for employment. AA/EOE.

CFP: Conference on College English at National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Call for Papers

The 3rd Conference on College English

College English: Opportunities and Challenges for Teaching and Learning

National Chengchi University
Taipei, Taiwan

The 3rd Conference on College English will be organized by the Foreign Language Center of National Chengchi University (NCCU) on 11th April 2009. The conference is an annual gathering, which provides a stimulating and rewarding academic forum for presentations and discussions of various issues regarding College English. Teachers and researchers in ELT/TESOL are invited to offer scholarly papers on teaching and learning English at college or university level. The theme for this year is "College English: Opportunities and Challenges for Teaching and Learning."

With English becoming the lingua franca in the global village, ELT has been more and more important in higher education in Taiwan and other countries. Many English teaching theories, pedagogical approaches, and research models have been originated in or imported from the English dominant countries. This influx of studies has encouraged dynamic English education and offered plenty of opportunities—as well as challenges—for both teachers and students in teaching and learning. Therefore, this year’s conference will focus on critical issues of opportunities and challenges in college English education in all aspects.

Principal keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Kei Matsuda (http://matsuda.jslw.org/), is currently Associate Professor of English and the Director of Writing Programs at Arizona State University. As one of the most influential scholars in the field of L2 writing, Professor Matsuda has published widely on second language writing in various journals and edited collections; he has also edited numerous books and special journal issues in this field. Interested in L2 writing development in Asian countries, Professor Matsuda has been a visiting scholar at the University of Hong Kong and Nagoya University in Japan in the past years. Moreover, he is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2005-06 Richard Ohmann Award for the Outstanding Refereed Article in the journal College English and TOEFL Outstanding Young Scholar Award from Educational Testing Service in 2006.

The Conference Organizing Committee is now circulating a call for abstract proposals for individual paper presentations. Abstracts are welcome in any areas that fit the conference theme. Please submit your anonymous abstract proposal of 250-500 words and a brief bio in either English or Chinese as a Word/PDF attachment to flcenter@nccu.edu.tw by February 2, 2009. Full-paper manuscripts to be considered for inclusion in the proceedings should be submitted for blind peer review by May 8, 2009.

Important dates:

• Conference: April 11, 2009
• Abstract due: February 2, 2009
• Notification of abstract acceptance: February 13, 2009
• Full manuscript due: May 8, 2009

Conference organizer: Foreign Language Center, National Chengchi University
http://units.nccu.edu.tw/server/publichtmut/html/w5T1/cw5T1.html

Postal Address: Foreign Language Center, National Chengchi University
64, Sec 2, Zhi-nan Rd., Wenshan District, Taipei 11605, Taiwan

Abstract Submission

E-mail Address: flcenter@nccu.edu.tw
Contact Person: Derya Liu (02)2939-3091 ext. 62396

CFP: TESOL 2009 Graduate Student Forum

Call for Proposals
The 2009 Graduate Student Forum
at the 43rd Annual TESOL Convention
Denver, Colorado, USA
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Eligibility to Submit a Proposal

Full-time and part-time students enrolled in graduate programs leading to the master's degree in TESOL (or related fields) at any institution of higher learning can take part in the Graduate Student Forum, either as presenters or as participants. (Please note that there is a similar but separate forum for doctoral students).

Types of Proposals

Proposals for three types of presentations are being solicited: papers, demonstrations, and poster sessions.

A paper (15 minutes) is an oral summary, with occasional reference to notes or a text, which describes or discusses something that the presenter is doing or has done in relation to theory or practice. Handouts and audiovisual aids may be used.

A demonstration (15 minutes) shows, rather than discusses, a technique for teaching or testing. No more than 5 minutes is spent explaining the theory underlying the technique. The presenter provides handouts and may use audiovisual aids.

A poster session (1 hour) allows for short, informal discussions with other participants during the 1-hour time period that a self-explanatory exhibit is on display. The exhibit is presented on a large (4' x 8') display board that includes a title; the name and institutional affiliation of the presenter(s); and a brief text with clearly labeled photos, drawings, graphs, or charts. No other audiovisual equipment is allowed. Exhibits are set up during the lunch hour before the session and dismantled immediately after the session.

Deadline for Submitting a Proposal

All proposals must be submitted by December 1, 2008. Proposals may be submitted via email using the Proposal Form. If you do not have access to a computer, send your proposal to the following:

TESOL Gradute Forum
Brigham Young University University
4064 JFSB
Provo, UT 84602 USA

Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with the title of the proposal on it for acknowledgment of proposal receipt. Please do NOT submit duplicate proposals.

Adjudication of Proposals

Submitted proposals will be refereed by graduate students at the host universities (Brigham Young University, Eastern Michigan University, Seattle Pacific University, Southeast Missouri State University). If you have any questions about the 2009 Graduate Student Forum, please contact the TESOL Graduate Student Forum at tesolgradforum@gmail.com.

Factors Affecting Selection

The Graduate Student Forum is intended to bring together individuals from a variety of institutions and backgrounds; therefore, an important factor in proposal selection is program balance. In adjudicating proposals, the Forum Program Committee will seek such balance in (a) range of topics, (b) level of expertise, (c) interests covered, (d) professional and geographic distribution of the participants, and (e) relevance of the proposal to the needs of graduate students in TESOL.

Another important factor is how well the proposal summary is written. Summaries should possess (a) clarity of purpose, (b) succinctness, (c) appropriateness, (d) significance for the intended audience, (e) an indication of the research quality (if relevant), and (f) evidence that the presentation will be well prepared.

Because institutional travel funding for many graduate students is contingent upon their presenting a session at the convention, the Forum Program Committee will accept only one primary presentation per presenter. Otherwise, if a presenter takes up more than one spot on the forum program, others may be prevented from attending the TESOL convention.

Factors Disqualifying a Proposal

Proposals will be disqualified if they promote commercial interests are not completed according to the guidelines outlined in this Call for Participation (e.g., the summary exceeds one page) are not received by the deadline of December 1, 2008.

Responsibilities of the Presenter

Notify all co-presenters about the status of the proposal. When two or more people are presenting, the first presenter is responsible for notifying the others. Register for the forum and the TESOL convention. TESOL is unable to reimburse program participants for expenses.
Do not change the conceptual content of your session once it has been accepted. Bring enough handouts for your room size, which will be indicated in the proposal acceptance message. Participate in all the activities of the entire Graduate Student Forum from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Steps in Submitting a Proposal

Proposals that do not follow these steps are automatically disqualified.

1. If the proposal is accepted, the proposal must include an abstract that will appear in the Program Book. Participants in the forum will use the abstract to decide which presentations to attend. Make sure the abstract has the following information in the upper left corner: (a) title, (b) presenter’s full name, (c) institutional affiliation, (d) city, (e) state/province, and (f) country.

Title Guidelines:

(a) accurately reflects the content
(b) is clear to the intended audience
(c) has no colon in the title
(d) is limited to seven words. Each part of a slashed or hyphenated word counts as one word. Do not use quotation marks. Capitalize all major words. Examples: (1)Participants' Perspectives on In-Service Teacher Training (seven words), (2) Web Sites for Teaching U.S. Popular Culture (seven words).

Abstract Guidelines:

(a) does not exceed 50 words
(b) is written in the third-person present tense (e.g., "The presenter begins by ... and she/he ...”)
(c) avoids all references to published works
(d) is carefully edited and proofread
(e) is written to draw the most appropriate audience to the presentation
(f) spells out any acronym(s) used in the title

Sample Abstract: This paper reports on research conducted to determine how to best develop language learning strategies. The participants were EFL learners in a Southeast Asian nation. This research compared the natural development of strategies among students in traditional classrooms with the effects of specific instruction in strategies and their use.

2. Prepare a one-page summary of the presentation content. Only the referees will see the proposal summary; it will not appear in the Program Book. Make sure your proposal summary has the following information in the upper left corner: (a) title, (b) type of presentation (i.e., paper, demonstration, poster session), (c) designated interest area, (d) content area, and (e) audiovisual equipment needs.

Proposal Summary Guidelines:

(a) is limited to one 8 1/2" x 11" (21.5 x 28 cm) page. Longer summaries are disqualified.
(b) is typed: double-spaced, dark, and readable
(c) does not include names of the presenter(s) or institution(s)
(d) presents a clearly stated purpose and point of view
(e) includes supporting details and examples
(f) contains evidence of current practices and/or research
(g) uses appropriate format (e.g., paper, demonstration)
(h) uses a variety of techniques (e.g., activities, visuals)
(i) indicates that a presenter can cover the material in the allotted time
(j) is carefully edited and proofread

Proposal Summary Content:

(a) paper: synopsis that includes central idea and supporting evidence
(b) demonstration: central purpose and description of what will be demonstrated
(c) poster session: main ideas to be presented and description of the visual display

Registering to Attend or Present at the Forum

To attend the 2009 Graduate Student Forum, you must register for the TESOL 2009 Graduate Student Forum. Registration for the 2009 Graduate Student Forum is a separate process. Although there is no extra forum registration fee for students registered for the TESOL convention, registration is still required for the Graduate Student Forum because space limits attendance to 160 participants. To register, fill out the registration form and send it to the address below. Registrations must be received by February 25, 2009.

TESOL Graduate Student Forum
4064 JFSB
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602 USA

Call for Contributors: Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Basic Writing, 3rd edition

From: Gregory R Glau
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 3:25 PM
Subject: publication opportunity

Chitralekha Duttagupta and I are working on the 3rd edition of the BEDFORD BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR TEACHERS OF BASIC WRITING, and we need folks to annotate the new entries.

We've pasted-in the url of available entries below. If you're interested in annotating one or more of them, while we cannot pay you anything, Bedford/St. Martin's will send you a copy of the text when it's published, and we will owe you our debt of thanks!

Please note:

1/ you must have the essay(s) or book(s) you'd like to annotate in-hand; we cannot supply them to you

2/ annotations should follow the general form, style, and length of those in the 2nd edition (your local Bedford/St. Martin's sales representative can supply you with a copy, if you don't have one)

3/ annotations must be sent to us by email by November 17, 2008

If you'd like to annotate one or more of the items in the list below, please send your selection(s) to Greg at Gregory.glau@nau.edu. Please do NOT reply to the whole List. Please note that items in BOLD are available to annotate (as we assign entries, we’ll “unbold” those we assign, so you can always see what entries are still available:

http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/grg37/available.doc

It'd be useful if you can send Greg your "first three choices" (or however many) as we have to assign these first-come, first-served and your first choice might not be available by the time we get to your email. Please indicate if you'd like to do one out of the three, or two, etc. and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

Many thanks,

Greg Glau
Northern Arizona University
Gregory.glau@nau.edu

Chitralekha Duttagupta
Utah Valley University
Chitralekha.Duttagupta@uvu.edu

Ph.D. Program in Applied Linguistics at ASU

Here is the poster for the Ph.D. Program in Applied Linguistics at ASU. If anyone would like a hard-copy version to post on their bulletinboards for their undergraduate or master's students who might be interested, please let me know.

http://www.public.asu.edu/~macswan/APL_poster.pdf

Job Ad: Associate Professor of Rhetorical Theory

Associate Professor of Rhetorical Theory

The Department of English at Arizona State University (http://www.asu.edu/clas/english) seeks an Associate Professor and accomplished scholar-teacher with an excellent record of scholarship in any area of rhetorical theory. ASU is a Research I University with outstanding research facilities and infrastructure support and is located within the rapidly growing and dynamic metropolitan Phoenix area. The Department of English is a large and diverse unit of faculty committed to excellence in teaching, to new and exciting research, and to ongoing community outreach.

REQUIRED: PhD in Rhetoric/Composition, or related discipline; demonstrated excellent record of research, teaching, mentorship, and service as appropriate to rank of Associate Professor.

DESIRED: Expertise in one or more of the following areas: Feminist rhetorical theory, African American rhetorical theory, Latino/a rhetorical theory, and/or Queer rhetorical theory.

Typical teaching load is 2/2 for tenured and tenure-track faculty with a significant research agenda. Teaching opportunities are at the undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD levels.

APPLICANTS MUST SEND: Cover letter, CV, and names of three references (with Name, Address and Phone number) to Chair, Search Committee for Associate Professor of Rhetorical Theory, Department of English, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 870302, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 31, 2008 (no faxes or emails); if not filled, then every Monday thereafter until the search is closed. All applications will be acknowledged, and a background check is required for employment. A short list of candidates will be asked to submit writing samples; after review of writing samples, selected candidates will be invited to interview. AA/EOE.

Call for Proposals: Symposium on Second Language Writing 2009

Call for Proposals

Symposium on Second Language Writing 2009

November 5-7, 2009
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

Theme: The Future of Second Language Writing

The 2009 Symposium Organizing Committee seeks proposals for 20-minute presentations that address various topics within the field of second language writing--broadly defined. Any topic related to second language writing is welcome, but we particularly welcome proposals that seek to challenge the status quo in the field by introducing new topics as well as theoretical and methodological approaches.

As always, we are interested in L2 writing issues in any second or foreign language and at various levels of education--from emerging literacy and adult literacy to L2 writing across the disciplines and in the professions. We also encourage proposals that connect L2 writing with other related areas of inquiry, such as computer assisted instruction, computers and composition, corpus analysis, language testing, rhetoric, writing program administration and world Englishes. We welcome proposals from around the world.

Although there will not be a separate graduate student conference this year, graduate students are encouraged to submit proposals. After all, future of the field of second language writing depends on today's graduate students.

To submit your proposal, please use the online proposal submission form.

Proposals must be received by April 30, 2009 (Arizona Time/MST).

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Paul Kei Matsuda and Tony Silva, Chairs
Symposium on Second Language Writing

Christopher Brumfit PhD/Ed.D. Thesis Award 2008

Christopher Brumfit PhD/Ed.D. Thesis Award 2008

Sponsored by Cambridge University Press and promoted by Language Teaching

Aim

To recognize doctoral thesis research that makes a significant and original contribution to the field of SLA and/or FL teaching and learning.

Award

Cambridge University Press books to the value of £500

Eligibility

To be considered for the award:

-The candidate's institution must have accepted the thesis for PhD/Ed.D. defence within two years before the date of the award application.
-The research must have been completed as part of the requirements for a doctoral degree or its equivalent at a university.
-Although the thesis under consideration must be in English, the research may be related to work concerning any second language.

Application Process

In the first instance, applicants must submit the following:

-A summary of the thesis, not to exceed 15 double-spaced pages, excluding references, and a 150-word abstract of the thesis. The summary should include a brief description of the theoretical background of and the rationale for the research, research methods (including data analyses), results, and implications of the results.

-Proof of acceptance of the thesis as a PhD/Ed.D. defence by the candidate's university. Only electronic applications are accepted. Evaluation

Criteria

-Scholarly or professional significance to the field of second or foreign language

-Originality and creativity

-Quality of presentation

Dates

30th November 2008 - Deadline for receipt of summary and abstract and official proof of thesis acceptance

1st February 2009 - Call for electronic submission of theses of finalists

15th March 2009 - Deadline for receipt of theses

1st August 2009 - Announcement of award winner by the Editorial Board of Language Teaching

Contact details for application and further information

Dr Graeme Porte, Editor
Language Teaching
E-mail: gporte@gmail.com

New TESOL Quarterly Editors

TESOL just announced that Diane Belcher and Alan Hirvela will be co-editors of TESOL Quarterly. Congratulations, Diane and Alan!

Extended Cognition and Second Language Learning

A presentation by Dr. Dwight Atkinson, Purdue University

Monday, November 3, 2008
Language and Literature 316

Presentation: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Reception: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Based on the assumption that second language acquisition (SLA) is an internal cognitive process, SLA studies is increasingly viewed as a branch of cognitive science. But cognitive science is a vast enterprise featuring diverse perspectives on cognition. In this presentation, I examine how one such perspective, the extended mind hypothesis (e.g., Clark & Chalmers, 1998), might be brought to bear in understanding second language acquisition.

The extended mind hypothesis holds that human cognition subserves real-world ends: adaptive behavior promoting organismic survival. More specifically, cognition is viewed as part of a functionally integrated system comprising brain, body, tools, ecological affordances, interactants (including other human beings), and situated activity systems. In this sense, cognition extends beyond the head and into the ecosocial world. Such extension allows human beings to align with our ever-changing environments in ways that promote our well-being and survival.

If SLA is a cognitive process, but cognition extends into the world, then what does this mean for second language learning? I discuss three possibilities, both negative and positive: 1) the cognitive-social/head-world dichotomy is largely meaningless; 2) SLA can be viewed as an ecologically adaptive process; and 3) the fine details of individuals’ alignment with their ecosocial environments matter fundamentally in SLA. I illustrate this last point using videotaped interactions of a Japanese EFL learner with her tutor, textbook, and sociocognitively constructed world.

Dr. Dwight Atkinson is an applied linguist and second language educator who specializes in writing (first and second language), qualitative research approaches, and second language acquisition. Current projects include an attempt to establish a view of second language acquisition on “sociocognitive” principles and research in India on the experiences of vernacular language-schooled students in English-language universities. Past work has covered a wide variety of topics, from the history of medical and scientific research writing in English, to critiques of commonly used concepts in university writing instruction such as critical thinking and voice, to explorations of the concept of culture, to writings on qualitative research methods. Atkinson teaches courses in qualitative research, postmodernism, and second language acquisition at Purdue University, where he is an associate professor of English.

Sponsored by Interdisciplinary Committee on Linguistics and the Department of English

DePalma, Ringer and Webber

"(Re)Charting the (Dis)Courses of Faith and Politics, or Rhetoric and Democracy in the Burkean Barnyard," an article co-authored by three of my former students at the University of New Hampshire, just appeared in the latest issue of Rhetoric Society Quarterly (38.3).

Congratulations to Mike DePalma, Jeff Ringer and Jim Webber!

Graduate Junction

I received a message from Dan Colegate at University of Durham, UK, who has created an interesting new website for graduate student networking. I'm posting the following at his request:

The Graduate Junction is the first website to bring together Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral researchers and scholars from any discipline across the globe. The Graduate Junction’s aim is to provide an easy way of meeting and discussing research interests with others in a multi-disciplinary environment, alongside comprehensive listings of information relevant to the graduate research community.

The Graduate Junction is still very new so if you can't find lots of other researchers who share your interests straight away, simply leave some details on your profile page so that others can find you as the community grows.

CFP: Special Issue on Corpus-Based Writing Research (Journalf of Writing Research)

Stephanie A. Schlitz
Assistant Professor, English and Linguistics
117B Bakeless Hall
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
sschlitz@bloomu.edu
570.389.4974

Journal of Writing Research
(JoWR, http://jowr.org/)

Special Issue: Exploring a Corpus-Informed Approach to Writing Research

Call for Proposals:

Since the development of the Brown Corpus in the 1960s, leveraging language corpora and corpus-based methods to analyze and to describe spoken and written language has become an established tradition within the broad field of linguistics.

Writing researchers as well have begun extending corpus methods to L1 and L2 writing research. Research teams in the U.K. and the U.S., for example, have begun designing large reference corpora of student writing. The developers of the British Academic Written English Corpus suggest that the corpus "has the potential to chart growth patterns such as whether students’ arguments became more complex as their education advanced, whether students learned to integrate material from different sources in formulating conclusions, and whether students’ vocabulary became more specialized and precise" (Nesi et al. 446). And the forthcoming Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers aims to provide a corpus of 1.6 million words written by students and to offer researchers the opportunity to quantitatively and qualitatively examine student writing in areas as diverse as writing development, genre variation, and disciplinary differences ("MICUSP").

The trend toward a corpus-informed approach to writing research also continues on a smaller scale. Given the ease with which individual teachers and researchers can create and mine corpora using text analysis software such as TextSTAT or WordSmith Tools, the development of small corpora by writing teachers who adopt the role of compiler-analyst is providing another avenue for corpus-informed writing research.

Yet, because corpus methods are relatively new to the field of writing research, there have been very few comprehensive discussions of the work in this area. The aim of this special JoWR issue, therefore, is to bring together teachers and researchers from a myriad of perspectives in an effort to explore the emerging field of corpus-informed writing research.

We invite papers covering a range of related topics, including discussions of the development of large, small, and parallel writing corpora; papers exploring the kinds of questions examined via
corpus research (e.g. diction and style, citation practices, usage, stylistic variation and its relationship to author gender, etc.); papers examining corpus methods (e.g. frequency lists, concordancing, examination of sociolinguistic variables, etc.) in the context of writing research; explanations of current and ongoing research; as well as discussions of the critiques surrounding a corpus-informed approach to writing research and the corpus-inclined researcher’s response to them. Authors are asked to write papers for a broad audience including readers with little or no corpus study familiarity.

Deadline for proposals (500-750 words in abstract form) is October 15, 2008. Proposers will receive initial notification by November 15, 2008. Final papers will be due by February 15, 2009.

Prior to acceptance, all final papers will undergo peer review as defined by JoWR’s peer review policy.

Proposals should be sent to: TBA

References

"MICUSP." University of Michigan English Language Institute. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.micusp.org/.

Nesi, Hilary, Gerard Sharpling, Lisa Ganobcsik-Williams. "Student papers across the curriculum: Designing and developing a corpus of British student writing." Computers and Composition 21 (2004): 439–450.

Job Ad: Full Professor of English Language Development in Middle and High Schools

English Education

Full Professor: English Language Development in Middle and High Schools

Required: Ph.D. in English Education, Linguistics, English as a Second Language, Bilingual Studies, or a related discipline; teaching experience at the middle or high school level, evidence of successful college teaching; research and publications appropriate to rank, and evidence of a continuing research agenda related to the development of language skills in both native and non-native English speakers grades six through twelve.

Desired: Research and experience in teaching English to native speakers of Spanish; demonstrated success in advising and conducting research with doctoral students, and in extending research into local secondary schools.

Teaching load is 2/2 for tenure-track faculty with a significant research agenda. Teaching opportunities are at undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD levels. The appointment will be in the Department of English, which collaborates with the ASU College of Education in preparing English teachers for grades six through twelve.

Applicants must send: Cover letter, vita, three letters of reference and a list of three other referees who may be contacted via telephone to Chair, English Education Search Committee, Department of English, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302. Application Deadline (no faxes or e-mails): Postmarked by Nov. 3, 2008, if not filled, then every Monday thereafter until the search is closed. All applications acknowledged. A background check is required for employment. AA/EOE

Job Ad: Associate or Full Professor of Rhetoric and Composition

Writing Programs Director/Advanced Associate or Full Professor of Rhetoric and Composition

The Department of English at Arizona State University (http://www.asu.edu/clas/english) seeks an experienced writing programs administrator and accomplished scholar-teacher with an established record of outstanding scholarship and professional contributions to any area of Rhetoric and Composition. ASU is a Research I institution with outstanding research facilities and infrastructure support, and is located within the rapidly growing and dynamic metropolitan Phoenix area. Our English department is a large and diverse unit of faculty committed to excellence in teaching, to new and exciting research, and to ongoing community engagement.

Required: Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, or related discipline; experience as a lead writing programs administrator; college-level teaching experience appropriate to rank; evidence of ability to teach and develop graduate and undergraduate courses in Rhetoric and Composition; and a compelling record of ongoing, high-quality scholarship in any area of Rhetoric and Composition.

Desired: Outstanding record of scholarship and publications on topics related to writing program administration.

Applicants must send: Cover letter, curriculum vita, names of three references with contact information to Chair of Writing Programs Director/Rhetoric and Composition Search Committee, Department of English, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 870302, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302.

Application Deadline (no faxes or e-mails): Postmarked by September 26, 2008; if not filled, then every Monday thereafter until the search is closed. All applications acknowledged. ASU is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer and is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty community. A background check is required for employment.

Call for Nominations: The 2008 Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award

In response to a recommendation of the Task Force to Advance and Support Members of Color, the NCTE Executive Committee established the Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award. The NCTE Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award (APCL) is a special award given to an NCTE member of color who has made a significant contribution to NCTE and the development of our professional community. The award was established in 2007 and will be first presented in 2008.

The NCTE Executive Committee has asked that nominations be solicited. Council members may self-nominate or nominate any Council colleague.

Please send your nominations, with a brief commentary (maximum one page) on the qualities and services of the nominee to:

Diane Waff, Chair
Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award Subcommittee
NCTE
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096

Deadline for your nomination is September 15, 2008.

Blog entries elsewhere

I've been asked to write about my experience with diversity and being a nonnative English speaking professional for other institutional blogs. Here are the "blog" sites:

NNEST of the Month Blog
http://nnest.asu.edu/blog/2008/01/paul-kei-matsuda.html


CCCC Blog
http://cccc-blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/individual-issue-of-language-diversity.html

The CCCC blog is supposed to be interactive--I hope many people will post comments and questions there.

2008 Symposium

The 2008 Symposium on Second Language Writing was a great success. As always, it was good to see many familiar faces as well as new ones. This year, we focused on foreign language writing--English as a foreign language as well as foreign languages other than English.

This year's Symposium would not have been possible without the contributions of the two Associate Chairs. Melinda Reichelt was the driving force behind this year's program--she was instrumental in assembling the list of speakers who represent a wide variety of languages and contexts. Tony Cimasko worked hard in taking care of local details; everything went smoothly thanks to him.

The Graduate Student Conference, organized by Jihyun Im and Beril Tezeller Arik, was also stimulating. The discussion at the end, where participants reported on issues they found interesting, gave me a lot of ideas for next year's Symposium.

We also benefited much from the support provided by the Symposium Assistants from Purdue University, Arizona State University, and the University of New Hampshire. They are: Haiying Cao, Shihyu Chang, Lixia Cheng, Yin Ling Cheung, Cristyn Elder, Fatima Esseili, Brian Guthrie, John Hitz, Mike Hubert, Jaisree Jayaraman, Beth Kramer, Elena Lawrick, Xianqiang Li, cristine McMartin-Miller, Wongjan Poolpoem, Laurel Reinking, Tanita Saenkhum, and Steven Simpson.

The next Symposium will be held on November 5-7, 2009, at Arizona State University. The theme will be the future of second language writing.

Teaching Writing at ASU

Writing Programs at ASU is one of the largest writing programs. As such, we are always looking for enthusiastic writing teachers who can contribute to our ongoing effort to provide quality writing instruction to our students.

I addition to classroom teaching, there are many opportunities for professional development--workshops, lectures and conferences. Many writing teachers also gain valuable professional experience by participating actively in curriculum development, mentoring, and conference organization.

Here are some of the current job postings for writing teachers in the Writing Programs at ASU:

Instructors Positions: Four courses/semester. Nine-month appointment. Submit: Letter of application, vita, 1 page statement of teaching philosophy, unofficial graduate transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation about teaching ability. To meet the first deadline, applications must be postmarked by January 2, 2008; then if not filled postmarked by the 1st of each month thereafter until search is closed. PLEASE DO NOT send your application letter, vita, letters of reference, etc, separately. We do not accept incomplete applications. AA/EOE. AA/EOE

• Instructors in Composition and Rhetoric -- Required: MA in Rhetoric and Composition or in a related field; post-secondary teaching experience in composition. Applicants who are not native English speakers must provide evidence of having received a minimum score of 55 on either the SPEAK test or the TSE. Desired: Evidence of graduate coursework in Rhetoric and Composition if degree in related field; Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition or related field; evidence of effective teaching; evidence of attendance/presentations at Rhetoric/Composition professional conferences. Send materials to Search Committee, (Instructor, Rhet/Comp), attn. D. Baker, English Department, Writing Programs, Box 870302, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302.
  
• Instructors in rhetoric and composition with an emphasis in professional writing -- Required: MA in Rhetoric and Composition or in a related field; graduate-level coursework in business, professional and/or technical writing; post-secondary teaching experience in composition or business / professional / technical writing. Applicants who are not native English speakers must provide evidence of having received a minimum score of 55 on either the SPEAK test or the TSE. Desired: Evidence of graduate coursework in Rhetoric and Composition if degree in related field; Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition or related field; evidence of effective teaching; evidence of attendance/presentations at Rhetoric/Composition professional conferences. Send materials to Search Committee, (Instructor, Professional Writing), attn. D. Baker, English Department, Writing Programs, Box 870302, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302.

Faculty Associates -- Required: MA degree in English or in a related field; post-secondary teaching experience in composition required. Applicants who are not native English speakers must provide evidence of having received a minimum score of 55 on either the SPEAK test or the TSE. Desired: Evidence of graduate coursework in Rhetoric and Composition; Ph.D. in English; Evidence of professional development; Evidence of effective teaching. General information: Teach one to four composition courses/semester. One semester contract, eligible for renewal. Submit: Letter of application, vita, one page statement of teaching philosophy, unofficial graduate transcripts, SPEAK test or TSE score (if applicable) and 3 letters of recommendation about teaching ability postmarked by 5:00 p.m., February 1, 2008; if not filled, the first of each month thereafter until search is closed, to Search Committee (FA, Rhet/Comp), attn. D. Baker, ASU English Department, Box 870302), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302. PLEASE DO NOT send your application letter, vita, letters of reference, etc, separately. We do not accept incomplete applications. AA/EOE

Writing Programs
Department of English
Arizona State University

Second Language Writing IS at TESOL 2009

Here is a really useful message from Gigi Taylor, current chair of the Second Language Writing Interest Section at TESOL:

Dear IS Members,

As the deadline draws near (this Monday, June 2nd, 11:59 p.m. EST), I urge you to put the finishing touches on your TESOL proposals and to submit them under the Second Language Writing Interest Section.

Very simply, each interest section is represented proportionally--if SLW-IS proposals represent 20% of all TESOL proposals received, then we are assigned 20% of the adjudicated program slots.

If you have more than one brilliant idea, submit them all! You can only be the primary presenter on one of the accepted proposals, but the reviewers will select the one that will be of greatest interest and value to a balanced program. Please, give us plenty to choose from!

Also, please note that Discussion Groups are adjudicated this year, so even if you've got more questions than answers and would like to hear others' ideas, propose a discussion group this year.

Listed below are the topics brainstormed at this year's planning meeting--quite a varied list. Please know that your colleagues are interested in what you're doing and eager to learn from you.

All of us together are making the SLW-IS the vibrant, rapidly growing interest section that it is. Thank you for your participation and your proposals!

Best regards,

Gigi Taylor
SLW-IS Chair, 2008-2009

Brainstorming List from Planning Portion of Meeting: Suggested Proposal Topics

• Corpus linguistics
• Intercultural rhetoric (analysis through student interviews)
• Acquisition of academic language (native & non-native; academic language as a second language)
• Overlap with L1 academic language development
• Case studies from K-12 to Postsecondary
• What happens after ESL classes when students enter mainstream (thinking, pattering, prep in EAP)?
• Mainstreaming too early
• Higher Ed mainstreamed – longitudinal tracking across 4 years (post-ESL)
• Program administration – realistic expectations, institutional context, resources, funding sources
• “How to” advocacy for second language writers and SLW programs (successful program models for advocacy and for collaborating across contexts)
• All of the above in EFL (strategies, challenges, plagiarism, successes, environment)
• Assessing instructional needs
• Linked courses
• Materials development
• Assignment design
• Writing Across the Curriculum issues
• Graduate research writing (comparisons across ranches/disciplines)
• Teacher education/professional development for mainstream teachers
• Teacher training for graduate students for working with second language writers
• Programs that offer composition training and offer ESL
• Balancing ESL teachers’ expertise with need for all teachers to develop some expertise
• Professional placement of ESL writing professionals (rank? Track?)
• Writing Centers – L2 writing/inter-cultural sensitivity
• Writing strategies in EFL
• Plagiarism in EFL
• Formative feedback, effect
• Writing for accuracy versus writing for content
• Reading/writing connection
• Grammar
• Writing assessment (machine assessment/scoring, context, teacher education, placement, outsourcing)
• Rising [x] exam (i.e., rising junior)
• No Child Left Behind
• “Teaching despite the standards” (Meeting the standards and still using best practices)
• High school exit writing exams
• Continental/cultural differences: Dialogue about context (ESL vs. EFL, K-12 vs. HE)
• Conversation among people from different contexts
• Populations of L2 writers (voice, pedagogy)

Symposium on Second Language Writing

The 2008 Symposium is just around the corner. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with many of the colleagues from around the world as we explore the issue of foreign language writing.

In the meantime, I'm already working on the next one--to be held at Arizona State University on November 5-7, 2009.

The theme of the 2009 Symposium will be "The Future of Second Language Writing," and the call for proposals will be available sometime this fall.

I hope you will join us in exploring the future directions for this young and vibrant field.

Recent Publications

I've been too busy to even keep track of my own work. Here are a few publications that recently came out.

Knoblauch, A. A., & Matsuda, P. K. (2008). First-year composition in the 20th century U.S. higher education: An historical overview. In P. Friedrich (Ed.), Teaching academic writing (pp. 3-25). New York: Continuum.

As the title suggests, this chapter provides an overview of the development of first-year composition--starting with the creation of the first-year composition course in the late 19th century. It also considers the rise of rhetoric and composition as a discipline in the mid 20th century and explores some of the major pedagogical approaches in the 20th century. Abby, by the way, is going to start as Assistant Professor at Kansas State University.

Matsuda, P. K. (2008). Myth: International and U.S. resident ESL writers cannot be taught in the same class. In J. M. Reid (Ed.), Writing myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching (pp. 159-176). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

This piece examines one of the extreme positions I've seen people take--that ESL writing courses (intensive or first-year) are for international students only and that resident students' needs are too different from international students for them to be placed in the same course. Well, it may be, but given the demographics, all writing teachers--mainstream, basic, or ESL--need to be prepared to work with students who come from various language backgrounds.

Matsuda, P. K. (2008). Voice in second language writing: Implications for Japanese learners of English. JACET Summer Seminar Proceedings, No.7: Issues in L2 Writing Instruction (pp. 9-14). Tokyo: The Japan Association of College English Teachers.

This is an outcome of a JACET summer seminar in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. (If you are in Japan in August, I highly recommend it.) Based on my earlier study of voice (Matsuda, 2001), I considered the implications of voice for English learners in Japan. While my view on voice encompasses both individual and social voice, I couldn't help but notice that many Japanese students want to develop their own individual voice. That is, they don't want to stand out but they don't want to be the same as everyone else. Individual identiy, after all, is something we create by combining socially available discursive and non-discursive repertoire.

Matsuda, P. K., & Atkinson, D. (2008). A conversation on contrastive rhetoric: Dwight Atkinson and Paul Kei Matsuda talk about issues, conceptualizations, and the future of contrastive rhetoric. In U. Connor, E. Nagelhout, & W. Rozycki (Eds.), Contrastive rhetoric: Reaching to intercultural rhetoric (pp. 277-298). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Dwight and I often have conversations on various topics in the field (and we often don't agree with one another), and we decided it would be a good idea (and fun) to share some of those conversations with other people in the field. So we tape-recorded one of our conversations when I visited his family cottage on Deer Isle, Main. Steve Simpson transcribed the conversation for us. (He reflects on that experience in Simpson and Matsuda (2008) that I mention below.) We edited it very little, but it sounds remarkably coherent and even handed--it was interesting for us to see what kinds of conversations we often have. (We were aware of the presence of the tape recorder, of course, but after a few beers, it just didn't seem to matter.)

Matsuda, P. K., & Tardy, C. M. (2008). Continuing the conversation about voice in academic writing. English for Specific Purposes, 27(1), 100-105. (doi:10.1016/j.esp.2007.04.002)

This is a response to the response that Paul Stapleton and Rena Helms-Park wrote to our article on voice (Matsuda & Tardy, 2007). It may sound pretty strong, but we felt compelled to respond to all the points that Stapleton and Helms-Park raised in their piece. (I've met them both, and they are great people.) Chris and I have a follow-up article on voice (though not in response to this dialogue) that's being considered for publication as we speak.

Simpson, S., & Matsuda, P. K. (2008). Mentoring as a long-term relationship: Situated learning in a doctoral program. In C. P. Casanave & X. Li (Eds.), Learning the literacy practices of graduate school: Insiders' reflections on academic enculturation (pp. 90-104). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Steve and I wrote this piece during the summer of 2006. I thought of this as a culminating experience for our mentoring relationship at UNH and an important step toward our relationship as colleagues. It was useful for me to reflect on my approach to mentoring and to hear Steve's perspective as well. I was also happy that we were able to receive responses from some of my other mentees, including Michelle Cox, Joleen Hanson, Matt Schneider, and Christina Ortmeier-Hooper. Matt Schneider, who came from San Francisco State to work with me during the summer, observed the whole process of writing this piece. I was lucky to have had the chance to work with these and many other great grad students at UNH, who remain my important colleagues and friends.

A list of major publications is available at: http://matsuda.jslw.org/publications.html.

New Course for Fall: APL601 Introduction to Applied Lingusitics

APL601 INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED LINGUISTICS

Thursdays 4:40-7:30

Instructor: Professor Aya Matsuda

Course Description:

This course provides an overview of the field of applied linguistics, or the study of real-life problems and issues related to languages. Topics to be explored include, but are not limited to, language education and acquisition, discourse analysis, language policy and planning, and World Englishes. The question of disciplinarity—e.g., the interdisciplinary nature of the field of applied linguistics, how the field is defined in different parts of the world, and how the disciplinary boundary is constantly pushed—is also addressed throughout the course. Global focus.

Assignments:

Article presentations, Professionalization activity, Reflective journals, Final research paper

*Please feel free to email Aya Matsuda (aya.matsuda@asu.edu) with questions.

CFP: AAAL 2009 in Denver

AAAL 2009 Abstract Submission Announcement

The 2009 conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) will be held March 21-24 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver, CO.

The 2009 conference's plenary presentations and invited colloquia (see below) address the theme of the relevance of applied linguistics-to the real world and to other fields of scientific inquiry. Proposals addressing this theme are particularly encouraged, but proposals are welcome in all of the following topic strands:

Analysis of discourse and interaction
Assessment and evaluation
Bilingual, immersion, heritage, and language minority education
Language and ideology
Language and learner characteristics
Language and technology
Language cognition and brain research
Language maintenance and revitalization
Language, culture, socialization, and pragmatics
Language, planning, and policy
Reading, writing, and literacy
Second and foreign language pedagogy
Second language acquisition, language acquisition, and attrition
Sociolinguistics
Text analysis (written discourse)
Translation and interpretation

The abstract submission deadline is August 15, 2008.

To login and submit your proposal, go to:
http://www.aaal.org/aaal2009/index.php?ID=8

For hotel reservation information, go to:
http://www.aaal.org/aaal2009/index.php?ID=7

For conference registration and rates, go to:
http://www.aaal.org/aaal2009/index.php?ID=5

The early registration deadline date is February 20, 2009.

AAAL Business Office

WPA Award for Grad Students

The Council of Writing Program Administrators is pleased to announce the call for nominations for its recently created award recognizing outstanding scholarship by graduate students writing on issues in writing program administration. Please review the description of the award and guidelines for eligibility vailable on the WPA website at this URL: http://wpacouncil.org/node/1228.

Conferences Ahead

Here are some of the conferences I'm planning to attend over the next year or so:

Symposium on Second Language Writing, West Lafayette, IN, June 5-7, 2008.

Thomas Watson Conference, University of Louisville, Louiville, KY, October 16-18, 2008.

National Council of Teachers of English, San Antonio, TX, November 20-23, 2008.

Conference on College Composition and Communication, San Francisco, CA, March 11-14, 2009.

American Association for Applied Linguistics, Denver, CO, March 21-24, 2009.

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Denver, CO, March 25-28, 2009.

Symposium on Second Language Writing, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, November 5-7, 2009.

CFP: A Brief History of Rhetoric

A Brief History of Rhetoric in the Americas: 3113 BCE to 2012 CE

Damián Baca & Victor Villanueva, editors

Call for Contributors

Focusing on rhetoric outside of the dominating Greco-Latin canon, this collection will examine rhetorical practices and traditions of the indigenous pre-Columbian past and their legacies in the global American present as well as the rhetorical legacies wrought by other colonized peoples in the Americas. The timeline referenced in our title, for example, follows the Epi-Olmec and Maya calendar, thereby evoking indigenous chronologies and cosmologies that we hope our contributors will engage. The purpose of this collection will be to look to the past and present simultaneously, as many of these rhetorics are in use today in various contemporary configurations.

Submissions might address issues of historiography, linguistic/rhetorical migrations, cartography, multiple writing systems, material culture, the impact of Western expansion and global-colonial power on rhetorical practices, etc.

We are especially interested in essays dealing with rhetorical traditions, voices, audiences and contexts in North American, Mesoamerica/Anahuac/Mexico, Sub-Arctic, Caribbean Islands/Arawak/Antilles, Austronesia (Philippine, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islands), and other "American" colonial peripheries.

In particular, we invite submissions that focus on pictographic, ideographic, logographic, iconographic, kinetic, material, and so-called "visual" rhetorics in the Americas, and/or those that root their theoretical/methodological approaches in rhetorics that do not derive from Sumerian or Egyptian (i.e.: Greco-Latin) traditions.

Submissions Process
Please send a 250-500 word abstract of your contribution to Damián Baca via e-mail by May 3, 2008.

If your contribution is accepted for the volume, we anticipate a deadline of August 1, 2008 for full manuscripts (no longer than 10,000 words including notes and reference matter).

Contact Information
Damián Baca, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Rhetoric & Writing
Chicano-Latino Studies
baca@msu.edu
Michigan State University

SLW-IS: Election Results

Dear friends,

Please join me in congratulating our newly elected interest section leaders, whose terms officially will begin at the close of the 2008 TESOL Convention in New York City:

• Christine Tardy, 2008-2009 Chair-Elect
• Cate Crosby, 2008-2010 Secretary
• Allison Petro, 2008-2011 Steering Committee Member

Congratulations, Chris, Cate, and Allison, and thank you for your service to the SLW-IS! Thank you to everyone who voted in the election.

All the best,

Jessie

Jessie L. Moore
Assistant Professor of English
Elon University
http://condor.depaul.edu/~ctardy/SLWIS/, Past Chair

Bryan Smith

Bryan Smith, a rising star in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), will be joining the English Department in Fall 2008. Bryan will be working closely with students in Master's in MTESOL and Ph.D. Rhetoric/Composition/Linguistics.

Welcome aboard, Bryan!

Christina's CCC Article

Christina Ortmeier-Hooper's article, “English May Be My Second Language, but I’m Not ‘ESL,’” appears in the most recent issue of College Composition and Communication (59.3).

Here is the abstract: "In this essay, I present three case studies of immigrant, first-year students, as they negotiate their identities as second language writers in mainstream composition classrooms. I argue that such terms as “ESL” and “Generation 1.5” are often problematic for students and mask a wide range of student experiences and expectations."

Congratulations, Christina! Excellent job!

CFP: Cross-Cultural Linguistics and Contrastive Rhetoric at RMMLA

2008 Rocky Mountain MLA Convention
Reno, NV, October 9-11
http://rmmla.wsu.edu/conferences/default.asp

Special session: Cross-Cultural Linguistics and Contrastive Rhetoric:
Issues and Approaches in Language Analysis and Teaching

Description: Focus on comparisons between languages: pragmatics,
semantics, syntax, morphology, phonetics/phonology, which contribute to
understanding linguistic structures/functions, and their application in
foreign language teaching.

Please submit your proposals to
Stefan Mummert, School of LCL, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
AUSTRALIA
stefan.mummert@arts.monash.edu.au

by March 31, 2008

Publication by DePalma, Ringer and Webber

A collaborative article by Michael-Jon DePalma, Jeffrey Ringer, and James D. Webber has been accepted for publication in Rhetoric Society Quarterly. Congratulations, Mike, Jeff and Jim! Way to go!

CFP: Special Topic Sesssion on L2 Writing at Rocky Mountain MLA

Call for Papers

Second Language Writing*: Reports of Research and Discussions of Central Issues in Second/Foreign Language Writing

2008 Rocky Mountain MLA Convention
Reno, NV, October 9-11

For the time first time ever, a special topic session focusing on Second Language Writing will be part of the Rocky Mountain MLA Convention, which will be held in Reno, Nevada on October 9-11 this year .

If a Special-Topic Session is held three consecutive years, organizers may address a written request for permanent status to the Executive Board, signed by twenty RMMLA members.

Proposals are being accepted until March 1 for this session. Reports of research and discussion of central issues in second language (ESL) writing are welcome. Non-members may submit a proposal (but membership in RMMLA is required of all presenters). Three to four proposals will be accepted for presentation.

Please help support this session by either submitting a proposal or circulating this CFP as widely as possible to professors and graduate students alike, and thank you in advance for your support.

Submit your one-page proposals or inquiries March 10 to:

Fify Juliana
Mailing address: Box 870302, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302
Email: fify@asu.edu

For the PDF version of the CFP, go to: http://rmmla.wsu.edu/download/2007CFP.pdf.

For the online version of the CFP (updated), go to: http://rmmla.wsu.edu/call/default.asp.

Christina Ortmeier-Hooper's New Job

Christina Ortmeier-Hooper has just accepted the position of Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, Durham. She will be working with doctoral students in Composition Studies, some of whom are intereted in her expertise in second language writing, among other things.

I'm really happy for Christina and especially for UNH!

The Journal of English as an International Language

The Journal of English as an International Language (www.eilj.com) is an internationally refereed journal which aims at providing free on-line access to all those involved in the research, teaching and learning of English as an International Language

The first edition was published in April 2007, and the second edition (December 2007) is now on-line.

We welcome submissions on any aspect of EIL: the global spread of English, the impact of native English(es) on local cultures and languages, the impact of local cultures and languages on native English(es), phonological, lexical, grammatical, discoursal variations in English(es), the perceptions of these variations, intelligibility, corpus studies, bilingualism, multilingualism, language standards and related teaching issues.

All submissions should be submitted to eiljournal@gmail.com

Sincerely

Ahmet Acar
Senior Associate Editor
The Journal of English as an International Language

Journal of Writing Research

Journal of Writing Research: Call for papers

In 2007 EARLI’s Special Interest Group on Writing decided to start an international research journal on writing. Luuk van Waes, Gert Rijlaarsdam & Denis Alamargot, started the preparations for the journal in October 2007. Marie-Françoise Crété (Poitiers) and Mariëlle Leijten (Antwerp/Stafford) will assist the editors. The first issue containing invited (and reviewed) papers is expected to be published in April/May 2008.

The Journal of Writing Research will be made by and for researchers, without any interference from commercial publishers. It will set high standards for quality control, which are guaranteed by double blind reviews, and a strong international editorial board, chaired by Joachim Grabowski & Asa Wengelin. More information about the aims and scope, the editors, the editorial board and procedures can be found on the website: http://www.jowr.org

We are now ready to receive submissions. That is why we have sent you this call for papers and proposals for special issues.

Papers can be submitted via the website. If you wish to submit a paper via the repository database, please, register as a member first (it’s free of charge). When you register, you can also choose to receive alerts in various frequencies when new publications are ready. The same procedure applies for submitting proposals for special issues. A special issue consists of three to five papers on a specific theme, with one or two commentaries.

On behalf of the JoWR editors

Gert Rijlaarsdam
http://www.jowr.org/

Steve Simpson's Publication

The chapter on mentoring that Steve Simpson and I wrote together just came out:

Simpson, S., & Matsuda, P. K. (2008). Mentoring as a long-term relationship: Situated learning in a doctoral program. In C. P. Casanave & X. Li (Eds.), Learning the literacy practices of graduate school: Insiders' reflections on academic enculturation (pp. 90-104). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

It provides an overview of my approach to mentoring as well as Steve's perspective on how it worked for him during the first few years of doctoral studies.

It's been fun working with you on this project, Steve!

New position for Abby Knoblauch!

A. Abby Knoblauch, my former student at UNH and co-author of the forthcoming chapter on the history of composition, has just accepted a job offer from Kansas State University. Congratulations, Abby! Well deserved!

第２言語ライティングセミナー開催案内

第２言語ライティングセミナー開催案内

テーマ： 第２言語ライティング能力を考える ～ 何をどのように評価し、フィードバックを与えるか ～

URL: http://homepage2.nifty.com/barbra/SLW_seminar.html

来たる３月１５日（土）に、アリゾナ州立大学の Paul Kei Matsuda先生をお迎えして、第２言語ライティングセミナーを開催することになりました。

本セミナーは、英語教育と日本語教育のそれぞれの立場から、第２言語ライティング指導について考察し、お互いの経験や情報を共有する場として企画いたしました。年度末のご多忙な時期とは存じますが、皆様方のご参加をお待ちしております。

●開催場所：東京国際大学早稲田サテライト 東西線『早稲田』駅下車　徒歩５、６分
●開催日時：２００８年３月１５日（土）　午後１時～午後５時３０分

●参加費：無料

●プログラム

（１）研究・事例発表

英語教育の立場から：

Stephen Timson（東京国際大学教授）
成田真澄（東京国際大学教授）

日本語教育の立場から：

田中真理（名古屋外国語大学教授）

（２）招待講演

講演者：Paul Kei Matsuda（アリゾナ州立大学准教授）
講演タイトル：「第２言語ライティング ― 誰のために書くのか？」

（３）パネルディスカッション「どうすれば第２言語ライティング能力を伸ばせるのか？」

パネリスト：

Paul Kei Matsuda（アリゾナ州立大学准教授）
佐々木みゆき（名古屋学院大学教授）
二通信子（東京大学教授）
田中真理（名古屋外国語大学教授）


コメンテータ：

木村恭子（日本経済新聞社　編集局 英文編集部 担当次長）

◆参加のお申込みとお問い合わせは：

東京国際大学 言語コミュニケーション学部
成田真澄まで（mnarita@tiu.ac.jp）

Kate Tirabassi is the recipient of the 2008 Berlin Award!

Kate Tirabassi, Assistant Professor English at Keene State College and one of my former doctoral students at the University of New Hampshire, is the recipient of 2008 James A. Berlin Memorial Outstanding Dissertation Award.

The award ceremony will be on Friday, April 4 from 5:00-6:30pm at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Congratulations, Kate!

CFP: Social Networking in CALL

Lara Lomicka (University of South Carolina) and Gillian Lord (University of Florida) are editing a volume on social networking and online collaboration for the CALICO Monograph Series 2009 and are currently accepting chapter proposals for the chapters presented below. If you are interested in any one of them, please submit to lomicka@sc.edu and glord@rll.ufl.edu a one- to two-page description of the chapter you would like to write based on the general outline below. Please refer to the topics we have provided as a general guideline; you can amend aspects of the chapter as you see fit. Submissions should combine SLA theory, research and practice of relevant applications, such as those listed below. The book will focus on practical and theory-based applications and how they relate to SLA and CALL theory, as well as empirical studies detailing their usefulness to CALL. The deadline to submit proposals is March 31, 2008.

Thank you very much for your interest and we look forward to working with you. Feel free to contact us in case of questions.

Lara Lomicka (lomicka@sc.edu)
Gillian Lord (glord@rll.ufl.edu)

Website: http://secondgenerationcall.edublogs.org
Wiki: http://secondgenerationcall.wikispaces.com
(Authors will have pages created for their chapters and will be invited to join the wiki so they can share their ideas with the other contributors.)

The Second Generation: Online collaboration and social networking in CALL

VOLUME DESCRIPTION

In recent years the landscape of CALL has been drastically altered, thanks to what have become known as Web 2.0 applications. The phrase “Web 2.0” was coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004 and refers to the second generation of the Internet, in which the emphasis is on online collaboration, networking and sharing among users. With Web 2.0 applications, language teachers have a variety of tools available to use in new and creative ways, and the potential to make us rethink how we act and interact in our lives and in our classrooms. This volume addresses the changes implied in these new applications, focusing on the social and collaborative aspects as well as the theoretical constructs informing their use, the benefits for students from a language perspective, and successful projects implemented in the language classroom.

Chapter topics open to submissions

• Social networking/online communities (FaceBook, MySpace)
• Flickr, YouTube, other social media-sharing sites
• Chatbots (i.e., Fryer & Carpenter, 2006)
• Tagging and folksonomies
• RSS (really simple syndication) and feed aggregators
• Social bookmarking
• Other forms of many-to-many publishing
• Other social software applications

The volume will also contain five invited chapters, with the following topics:

• Gaming
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Podcasting and audioblogging
• Virtual realities

Timeline

• March 31: Submission of chapter proposal & commitment to timeline
• April 28: Acceptance notices and comments from the editors on chapter descriptions
• May 31: Authors post outline and work in progress to wiki
• June 30: Authors provide feedback and comments for each other via wiki
• August 25: Submission of full chapter to editors and to post wiki
• October 6: Comments and requested revisions from the editors on full chapter
• November 3: Resubmit final version of chapter to editors and post to wiki

*The volume is expected to go to press in time for the 2009 CALICO conference.

ASU Applied Linguistic PhD Now Official

Arizona Board of Regents has approved the creation of the Ph.D. Program in Applied Linguistics at Arizona State University. The program will be accepting the first cohort of students to begin in August 2008. Applications will be accpted between February 11 and 29, 2008.

What this means is that students now have the option of specializing in second language writing in one of the two doctoral programs: 1) Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics; and 2) Applied Linguistics.

But how to decide? The relationship between the two programs will be evolving over the next few years, but at this point, all I can say is to look at both programs and see what seems to work best for your own purpose. (If you are unsure, I would even suggest applying to both programs.)

TESOL Convention Schedule

Here is the latest information about future TESOL conventions (with thanks to Alison Petro and Grazzia Maria, who excavated this information from TESOL website):

TESOL 2008
New York Hilton and Sheraton New York
New York, New York USA
April 2-5, 2008

TESOL 2009
Denver Convention Center
Denver, Colorado USA
March 25-28, 2009

TESOL 2010
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts USA
March 24-27, 2010

TESOL 2011
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
March 17-19, 2011

TESOL 2012
Philadelphia Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
March 29-31, 2012

TESOL 2013
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, Texas, 2013
March 21-23, 2013

NNEST of the Month

Ana Wu, the web manager for TESOL's NNEST (Nonnative English Speakers in TESOL) Caucus, has also been hosting the NNEST of the month blog. It features interviews with notable NNEST Caucus members, including George Braine, Doug Brown, Suresh Canagarajah, Shelley Wong, Sandy McKay, Claire Kramsch and others. It's worth a look.

I think Ana deserves to be recognized for her ongoing contributions to the Caucus. Thanks, Ana! Keep up the good work!

JSLW Website

The new, interactive website for the Journal of Second Language Writing is now up and running. The URL is http://www.jslw.org/.

CompFAQs from CompPile | TESOL-ESLResources / TESOL Bibliography browse

CompFAQs from CompPile | TESOL-ESLResources / TESOL Bibliography browse

Here is a new online resource for Writing Program Administrators who are interested in learning more about ESL-related issues. (Thanks to Susan Miller-Cochran who shared this link on the SLW_CCCC list.)

L2 Writing Jobs

L2 writing has become a popular field of specialization--a lot of job ads in both composition and second language studies mention it as part of desirable qualifications.

Here are two position openings at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that may be of interest to L2 writing specialists. It makes a lot of sense because IUP has many graduate students who are interested in L2 writing.

POSITION 1

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
TESOL/Second-Language Composition
Assistant or Associate Professor

Indiana University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate level, to begin in Fall 2008. We seek a teacher-scholar whose major research interest is in English second-language composition at the university level. The ideal candidate would focus particularly on social and cultural issues and the integration of English second-language and native composition research agendas. Secondary fields may include instructional competence in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, research methodology, language assessment, literacy, cross-cultural communication, discourse analysis, or computer-mediated communication/learning as these relate to English second-language learning and teaching.

Candidates must be qualified to teach doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate courses, and must demonstrate excellence in teaching and scholarship. Participation in the graduate program also includes teaching graduate students during one five week summer session (with additional compensation).

The IUP English Department’s commitment to broad faculty participation in the liberal studies offerings requires that all faculty are prepared to teach first year college writing, research writing, and introductory literature. Active participation in departmental service and student advising is also expected.

Doctorate in hand at the time of appointment. Candidates must communicate effectively and perform well during the interview process which may include a teaching demonstration. All applicants must be work eligible.

Send a letter of application, CV, transcripts, three current letters of recommendation, writing sample, and a one-page statement of teaching philosophy to: Dr. John Marsden, Recruitment Chair, Dept. of English, 110 Leonard Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705 USA. Please see announcement at www.english.iup.edu. Review will begin November 15 and will continue until the position is filled.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. IUP’s more than 13,000 students represent nearly
every state and more than eighty foreign countries. Total faculty and staff number approximately 1,700. IUP’s quality has been recognized in many national publications, and the university has been ranked as a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University—Intensive. For more information about IUP, visit our website at www.iup.edu.

IUP is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity and through providing equal employment to minorities, females, veterans and disabled individuals.


POSITION 2

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
TESOL/Second Language Teacher Education
Assistant or Associate Professor

Indiana University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a tenure track position at Assistant or Associate level, to begin in fall 2008. We seek a teacher/scholar with expertise and an established publication history in second language teacher education and one or more of the following: second language teacher development; second language composition; second language teaching theory and practice; and/or world Englishes.

Candidates must be qualified to teach doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate courses, and must demonstrate excellence in teaching and scholarship. Participation in the graduate program also includes teaching graduate students during one five week summer session (with additional compensation).

The IUP English Department’s commitment to broad faculty participation in the liberal studies offerings requires that all faculty are prepared to teach first year college writing, research writing, and introductory literature. Active participation in departmental service and student advising is also expected.

Doctorate in hand at the time of appointment. All applicants must have documented scholarship in second language teacher education, training and expertise in teaching, and a demonstrated commitment to service. International teaching experience preferred. Candidates must communicate effectively and perform well during the interview process which may include a teaching demonstration. All applicants must be work eligible.

Send a letter of application, CV, transcripts, three current letters of recommendation, writing sample, and a one-page statement of teaching philosophy to: Dr. John Marsden, Recruitment Chair, Dept. of English, 110 Leonard Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705 USA. Please see announcement at www.english.iup.edu. Review will begin November 15 and will continue until the position is filled.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. IUP’s more than 13,000 students represent nearly
every state and more than eighty foreign countries. Total faculty and staff number approximately 1,700. IUP’s quality has been recognized in many national publications, and the university has been ranked as a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University—Intensive. For more information about IUP, visit our website at www.iup.edu.

IUP is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity and through providing equal employment to minorities, females, veterans and disabled individuals.

The Seventh Symposium on Second Language Writing (SLWIS Newsletter)

Here is a little more information about the next Symposium on Second Language Writing, which will take place on June 5-7 at Purdue University.

CFP: CMLR Special Issue on Multilingual Literacies

CALL FOR PAPERS
Canadian Modern Language Review
Special issue on Multilingual Literacies

The Canadian Modern Language Review will feature a special issue on multilingual literacies in September 2008. Assumptions of monolingual language and literacy competencies in educational approaches are increasingly questioned by practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and theorists who recognize the growing presence of multilinguals in communities, schools, and the workplace. Research on literacy has moved beyond a focus on one or two languages to consider the complex range of literacy practices adopted in diverse languages and spheres of social activity. In the last decade, work on the intersection of literacy and multilingualism has contributed to the emergence of theories of multilingual literacies. Recent innovative literacy programs that include a variety of languages aim to meet the needs not only of multilinguals and students of diverse heritages but also of those seeking an education that prepares them to live in a global society. The editors of this special issue invite researchers and literacy practitioners in Canada and abroad to submit articles in English and in French on theory, research, and practice in multilingual literacies.

Final submission deadline: December 1, 2007

Submissions should be sent in electronic form, either through PReSTO (http://presto.utpjournals.com/index.php/CMLR) or by e-mail to the CMLR Editorial Assistant, Rachel McArthur, at rmcarthur@utpress.utoronto.ca or cmlr@utpress.utoronto.ca.

Receipt of all manuscripts will be acknowledged within a week of their arrival. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please send an inquiry directly to rmcarthur@utpress.utoronto.ca.

Questions about the special issue may be addressed to the co-editors:

Heather Lotherington
Faculty of Education
York University
4700 Keele Street
North York, ON
M3J 1P3
Canada
hlotherington@edu.yorku.ca

Diane Dagenais
Faculté d’éducation
Université Simon Fraser
8888 University Drive
Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique)
V6R 3J2
Canada
dagenais@sfu.ca

A Growing Department

One of the exciting things about coming to ASU is that the English Department is actively growing--new positions are shooting up like bamboos. This is quite a change from what I'm used to.

Here is a message from Neal Lester, our Department Chair that speaks to the excitement about the new direction that the Department--and the University--is taking:

October 18, 2007

Dear Colleague:

Movement, Change, Possibilities . . . the spirit and energy that is Arizona State University (ASU). Named one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U. S. News and World Report, ASU is a Research I university located in a thriving metropolitan area. The Department of English, located on the Tempe campus, embraces with excitement the local, national, and global opportunities afforded by the evolution of ASU as a New American University. Comprised of highly accomplished researchers, excellent teachers, and active members in community and professional organizations, the Department offers degree programs in comparative literature, creative writing, English education, linguistics, literature, rhetoric and composition, and TESOL. We are a robust, broadminded group rooted in tradition but always reaching toward greater invention, collaboration and achievement. New thought, new expression, and new ways of experiencing language and culture constitute the heart of our vision and work.

Recognizing the Department’s important role in creating and sustaining ASU as a New American University, President Michael Crow has made a special commitment to the English Department to build our faculty ranks. This year, eight new faculty joined us: Jessica Early (English Education and Rhetoric/Composition), David Hawkes (17th Century British Literature), Heather Maring (Medieval Studies), Paul Kei Matsuda (Linguistics and Rhetoric/Composition), Richard Newhauser (Medieval Studies), Simon Ortiz (Indigenous American Literatures), Bradley Ryner (Renaissance Studies), and Robert Sturges (Medieval Studies and Queer Studies). These new colleagues are already advancing both the mission of the Department and ASU to engage in intellectual fusion, harness research to specific social and cultural purposes, and develop research and pedagogy that are socially embedded and globally engaged.

This year, we will continue to strengthen and grow our focus on literatures, languages, and discourses in these concentration areas: Borderlands; Cultural and Cross-Cultural Encounters; and Technologies. Toward that end, we are pleased to announce searches for the following positions:

• Professor in Modern American Fiction
• Professor in Creative Writing/Fiction
• Associate Professor in English Education
• Associate Professor in Rhetoric/Composition with specialization in New Media
• Assistant Professor in Rhetoric/Composition with specialization in Community Literacy
• Assistant Professor in Native American Linguistics/Semantics
• Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics/TESOL with a specialization in CALL
• Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Studies
• Assistant Professor in English Education with a specialization in ESL
• Assistant Professor in 19th Century/Early 20th Century American Literature

We expect to hire a significant number of new faculty members the following year as well. Clearly, this is an exciting time in our department as an infusion of new thinkers re-invigorates an already strong community of teachers-scholars-citizens.

The Phoenix metropolitan area is a unique place to live, offering many cultural options outside of the campus environment. Located in the gorgeous and surprisingly fecund Sonora Desert, the Phoenix metropolitan area boasts a rich Southwestern heritage as well as a vibrant arts and culture scene. From museums to extensive hiking trails in over seven regional parks, the Phoenix area provides something for everyone.

Specific details about all of our job advertisements are on the Department of English website at http://www.asu.edu/clas/english/employment.html. To speak with me about the program or to discuss any of the positions, please call (480) 965-3535, or e-mail me at neal.lester@asu.edu.

Thank you for circulating these positions to interested candidates.

Sincerely,

Neal A. Lester, Chair and Professor of English
Foundation Professor
Parents Association Professor
Bebbling Family Dean’s Distinguished Professor
Arizona Humanities Council Distinguished Public Scholar

Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics: Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics:
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Required: Ph.D. in applied linguistics, English, TESOL or related field by the time of appointment; college level teaching experience appropriate to rank; ability to develop and teach graduate and undergraduate courses in Computer Assisted Language Learning and TESOL; and a compelling promise of ongoing, high-quality scholarship in any area of applied linguistics and TESOL.

Teaching load is 2/2 for tenure-track faculty with a significant research agenda. Teaching opportunities are at undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels.

Applicants must send: Cover letter, curriculum vita, three letters of recommendation, and representative writing samples to Chair, CALL Search Committee, Department of English, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 870302, Tempe, AZ 85287-0302. (no faxes or e-mails) Application Deadline: Postmarked by November 23, 2007; if not filled, then every Monday thereafter until the search is closed. All applications acknowledged. A background check is required for employment. AA/EOE.

Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (2nd ed)

The online version of the Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 2nd edition, is now available to ASU faculty and students.

With Margie Berns, I wrote an entry on the overview and history of applied linguistics, but Elsevier somehow managed to screw up my name, so it says "K Matsuda" instead of "P K Matsuda." (The page proof said "P k Matsuda.")

As my daughter is fond of saying, "Oh, man...."

A Composition Studies Job at UNH

Here is the ad for one of the composition studies position at UNH. Please direct all questions to the Search Committee.

======================================

University of New Hampshire
Assistant Professor of English
Composition and Technical Writing: Tenure-track Faculty Position Full-Time, Regular Budgeted Position

The Department of English invites applicants with a broad background in Composition Studies and a specialization in technical writing for this position beginning September 2008. The individual will teach first-year and intermediate writing courses; develop and teach a graduate technical writing course; develop advanced undergraduate courses in technical writing; and teach and advise in an established doctoral program. The position will at some point include writing program administration.

Ph.D. in Composition Studies or related field by 8/08.

Applicants for this position must apply with the department directly.
Send letter, dossier, vita, writing sample, and self-addressed stamped envelope by November 1, 2007 to: Composition Studies Search Committee, English Department, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824.

The University of New Hampshire is a major research institution, providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate programs and graduate programs of distinction. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

UNH’s main campus is located 75 miles north of Boston, near the New Hampshire seacoast and a short drive to the White Mountains. Total enrollment is 13,000.

The University seeks excellence through diversity among its administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The university prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or marital status. Application by members of all underrepresented groups is encouraged.

ASU Conference on NCLB

I'm going to attend a conference on No Child Left Behind at ASU today. Jim Crawford is one of the invited speakers--Aya and I had a nice Mexican dinner with him and some of our colleagues last night.

UNH Composition Studies Conference

Next week, I will be going back to New Hampshire for the UNH Composition Studies Conference, where I will be one of the keynote speakers. My talk will be on the definition of voice that can be applied to the study of individual and social identity in personal, academic and professional contexts.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my students, colleagues and friends in New Hampshire and from other institutions. I hope I will also get to enjoy the foliage, which is something I will certainly miss.

The New Jersey Statewide Higher Education ESL Conference

On October 27, 2007, I'll be giving a keynote speech at the New Jersey Statewide Higher Education ESL Conference to be held at Kean University. More information is available from the website: http://www.kean.edu/njsheec.

Open Lecture at Nagoya University (9/22)

Here is the information on the open lecture at Nagoya University.

OPEN LECTURE

Title: "Writing for Scholarly Publication in English"

Presenter: Paul Kei Matsuda
Visiting Researcher, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University
Associate Professor of English, Arizona State University

Date & Time:
September 22, 2007
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Place: 8th Floor, Meeting Room No. 1
Graduate School of International Development
Nagoya University

Directions are available here.

Note: The lecture will be in English, but participants can ask questions in Japanese as well as English.

公開講演会

題目：「学術的出版のための英語のライティング」

講演者：Paul Kei Matsuda
名古屋大学国際開発研究科国際コミュニケーション専攻客員研究員
アリゾナ州立大学准教授

日時：２００７年９月２２日（土曜日）
午後１時から午後３：００（予定）　　　
（３０分程度の質疑応答を含む）

場所：名古屋大学国際開発研究科棟８階第一会議室（予定）

国際開発研究科への行き方はこちらにあります。

備考：講演は英語。ただし、質疑は日本語も可

Open Lecture at GSID

On September 22, 2007, I will be giving an open lecture at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University. The topic will be "Writing for Scholarly Publication in English." It will not only provide information about how to write academic articles but also present an insider's perspective that might help contextualize the process of academic writing.

More information will be available here soon.

９月２２日（土）に名古屋大学大学院国際開発研究科にて、公開講演を行うことになりました。演題は「英語による学術論文の出版」に関して。論文執筆の単なるハウツーではなく、論文出版の裏舞台などに関しても触れる予定です。

詳しい情報はまたこのブログで。

2008 Symposium

The dates for the 2008 Symposium has been set. It will be on June 5-7, 2008 at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. More information will be available here.

David H. Russell Award

Sharon Crowley, my new colleague at Arizona State University, is the recipient of 2007 David H. Russell Award for her recent book, Toward a Civil Discourse: Rhetoric and Fundamentalism (2006). Congratulations, Sharon!

Symposium Abstracts Now Available

Abstracts for concurrent sessions are now available online. Since the schedule of sessions is still tentative, abstracts are arranged in alphabetical order by title.

http://sslw.jslw.org/2007/abstracts.html

バイリンガル・ブログ (Bilingual Blog)

最近仕事でも、プライベートでも、多言語社会の到来について考えることが多かったが、考えてみると自分の仕事はほとんど英語オンリー。

今までに日本語でやったのはずいぶん前にあった白百合大学での講演ぐらいだろうか？ところが数日前に小池生夫先生のご招待で明海大学で講演したのだけれど、観客が日本人ばかりだったので、日本語でということになった。

日本語でしゃべる準備は全していなかったので、英語のパワーポイントを見ながら日本語でしゃべる、自分の講演を自分で同時通訳しているような状態になってしまった（笑）。

最近日本での活動も増えてきたので、そろそろ自分のウェブサイトやブログも日本語を導入してみよう、ということになり、日本語ブログの登場と相成ったわけ。同時に日本語の略歴も書いてみました。

WPA Best Article by Gail Shuck

I'm happy to report that Gail Shuck of Boise State University is the winner of the 2005-2006 Best Article Award for work published in Writing Program Administration.

The article was part of the special L2 writing issue of Writing Program Administration (Volume 30.1/2, Fall 2006) that I edited with Maria Fruit and Tarama Lee Burton Lamm.

Congratulations, Gail! Well deserved!

New URLs for JSLWLIST and SSLWLIST

Just when I finished migrating these lists to a new system, they had to upgrade the software and change the server, and the URLs for the subscription pages have changed. Here they are:

Journal of Second Language Writing Mailing List
https://lists.asu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=JSLWLIST

Symposium on Second Language Writing Discussion List
https://lists.asu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=SSLWLIST

CCCC Committee

I have decided to step down as the chair of the CCCC Committee on Second Language Writing after 9 years. My third three-year term ends in November 2007.

Susan Miller-Cochran, the current co-chair, will continue on as the committee chair, and I will continue to support the committee as an Executive Committee liaison.

I feel the committee has successfully completed its initial mission, which was to integrate a second-language perspective into various aspects of the organization and the field. It has also helped to develop a community of dedicated L2 writing specialists who would determine the future of the committee.

Is this what it feels like to retire? (But then, Jay is always quick to remind me that I'm not that much older than he.)

Sad News

Sally Jacoby, a former colleague of mine at the University of New Hampshire, past away on Friday.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070729/PUBLICRECORDS/70729010/-1/PUBLICRECORDS04

Before I left New Hampshire, I got to see her one last time at a Thai restaurant in Dover. Sally, may you rest in peace.

CFP: International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference (5/31/2008)

CFP: Ninth Biennial International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference (IWAC), Austin, Texas
Wednesday, May 28 through Saturday, May 31, 2008

We invite proposals investigating how border crossings affect the shape of writing instruction, disciplinary tutoring, institutions, and global WAC conversations. For example, proposals might focus on how working with disciplines and their media in and outside class, and in writing centers influence our theories; how communicating across local (e.g.K-16), national and international borders changes definitions of disciplinary writing as well as teaching and collaborative practices; how we translate what we do so students, academic staff, administration, and those outside our institutions support the scholarship and curricular reform we promote. For more information, visit http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/wac/conferences/iwacc/index/

Proposal deadline: Friday, September 28, 2007.

Advice for New Ph.D. Students

An annonymous reader asks: "Do you have any (general) advice for incoming Comp/Rhet PhD students? I want to read this post!"

Here are a few things I can think of:

1. Read a lot. I've said this many times, and I'll say it again. Being a graduate student--no matter how you may feel at the moment--is a luxury. You may not have a whole lot of money, but you have plenty of time. (Relatively speaking, of course.) If you think you are already too busy as a doctoral student, wait until you get a tenure-track position. (But then again, you may not get to that point if you don't read a lot now.)

2. Start developing your own professional library. Your investment will start paying off as soon as you begin to write your first seminar paper. You will probably notice the benefits most strongly when you take the preliminary/comprehensive exam, but it will also continue to be helpful throughout your career. When I was a grad student, my professional library included all the books on my primary field of interest (i.e., second language writing) as well as most of those books that I found remotely interesting or those that were cited or mentioned frequently. Reference books (e.g., encyclopedia, bibliographies, MLA and APA manuals) would also help. Start early because you won't have the time (or money) to buy all the books you need when you get your first tenure-track position (if you get to that point, that is).

3. Have a "room of one's own." Create a space where you can focus on your projects. Even if you live in a small apartment, try to devote a desk to your professional work. Set it up so you have all the resources--including books, articles, a computer, a printer, notepads, pens, sticky notes, etc.--available at your fingertip. Stock up on office supplies so you don't have to put your writing on hold when you run out of notepads. A moment of interruption could kill the momentum!

4. Develop a network of people who share similar interests or concerns. Starting a reading group is one way of accomplishing this. Creating or joining an email discussion list is another. Going to a conference regularly is yet another.

5. Get to know the faculty members in your program. Taking classes is not the only way of getting to know them. When they are giving presentations locally or at conferences, go to their sessions and ask questions (but try not to monopolize them). Take them out for a cup of coffee or a glass of beer or wine or whatever they fancy--within your graduate student budget. Find out what they find interesting (and what they find boring), what they know (and don't know), what kind of methodological approaches they like (or dislike), and how they interact with you, with other students, and with other faculty members. Knowing the faculty members and the interpersonal dynamics among them would be especially important when you choose your dissertation/exam chair and committee members. (And when you choose your dissertation committee members, always consult your chair.) Keep in mind that your default advisor (if there is one) doesn't have to be your dissertation chair.

6. Be open to a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches in your field. Although sometimes it's important to trust your gut feelings and follow your intuition, you don't always fall in love with the right topic or methodology at first. Try to develop a large repertoire before deciding on your dissertation topic.

7. Have fun. If you feel like you are sacrificing something else when you read and write in your field, entering a Ph.D. program may not be the right career decision. If you have that much discipline to complete the degree requirements without really enjoying the process, you might consider choosing from many other career options out there that don't require a Ph.D. and that you might actually enjoy.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you all!

JSLW Website

The Journal of Second Language Writing website has been redesigned to strengthen the collaboration with the publisher's online services. It provides direct links to various Elsevier services, including abstracts and articles as well as the manuscript submission system.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to use the comments feature here.

JSLW and SSLW Mailing Lists

The new mailing lists for the Journal of Second Language Writing (JSLWLIST) and the Symposium on Second Language Writing (SSLWLIST) are now available.

Subscribers can manage their own subscription easily through the listserv web interface:

Journal of Second Language Writing Mailing List
https://lists.asu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=JSLWLIST

Symposium on Second Language Writing Discussion List
https://lists.asu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=SSLWLIST

JSLWLIST continues to be announcement only, but SSLWLIST is now available for interaction among subscribers. I hope it will help the Symposium participants who need to find roommates or ask questions about the Symposium and its venue.

Symposium Program Now Available

The tentative schedule for the 2007 Symposium on Second Language Writing (September 15-17, 2007) in nagoya, Japan, is now available in Excel format.

Tentative Schedule

Due to limited space, only the first authors/presenters are listed. A complete list of all the presenters is also available.

If you are one of the presenters, please take a look at it and let me know if there is any problem.

Server Migration

As a result of my move to Arizona State, I've also had to move the websites for the Journal of Second Language Writing and Symposium on Second Language Writing.

Fortunately, with the help of Bruce Matsunaga, the tech person for the ASU English Department, I have been able to move everything to the ASU server without any major problems.

I will be posting various announcements about the Symposium (label:symposium) and the Journal (label:jslw) here.

A new look

My original blog is back--with a new look that matches my new website. I've also reinstated the blog entries from the original blog site.

I'll keep the blogspot site http://paulmatsuda.blogspot.com up and running for archival purposes. I probably won't be adding anything to that site, so if you are using RSS to read my blog, please change your RSS address to:

http://www.public.asu.edu/~pmatsuda/blog/rss.xml
or
http://www.public.asu.edu/~pmatsuda/blog/atom.xml

dissoi logoi: Migrating

I've migrated to a new Blogger site so I can take advantage of the new features. Hope this won't create any major problems. I will keep the original blog site available for a while. I may decide to archive the postings elsewhere, but I'll try to make them accessible from this site. Stay tuned.

Please use this URL to access this blog--in case I decide to move to another server again: http://blog.jslw.org/

Recommended: A Guide to Professional Development (2006)

Here is a book that I recommend to everyone who is pursuing or is thinking about pursuing graduate studies in English:

Moore, Cindy, and Hildy Miller. A Guide to Professional Development for Graduate Students in English. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2006. (ISBN: 978-0-8141-1923-5)

This brief and highly readable book is remarkably succinct and thorough, providing helpful advice on many different aspects of professional developments for both masters' and doctoral students in various disciplines within English studies, including composition and rhetoric, creative writing, linguistics and literature (in alphabetical order). I actually read the whole thing in one sitting.

It's worth noting that the authors have included the discussion of ESL/TESOL as an important consideration for composition and rhetoric specialists. Yet, there are other issues that I wished the authors paid more attention to. For example, major professional conferences such as American Association for Applied Linguistics and Linguistic Society of America are not mentioned. Nor does it mention CCCC very much partly because it's now considered a conference within the umbrella of NCTE (although it still maintains a separate membership list).

I was also disappointed not to see any mention of issues related to nonnative English speakers in the profession or foreign nationals, but I guess a majority of mentors in English studies are yet to become familiar with this growing area of research and professional development.

Of course a short book like this can't include everything or fully prepare anyone for all aspects of professional development, but it does provide a good roadmap. Readers would then have to take the trip to see for themselves--accompanied by their travel companions (spouses, friends, peers and mentors)--what it's like to be there to enjoy the long journey into the practices of their chosen disciplines.

The Pipeline to Publication

Here is a useful suggestion published in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Chronicle Careers: 12/5/2006: The Pipeline to Publication

I have been doing fewer and fewer "proposed" conference presentations because I'm too busy with other kinds of presentations and committee work, but I still do one or two proposed presentations each year.

The call for papers and conference proposal serve as one of the motivating forces to develop new projects and to refine my research ideas.

If it's an empirical research, I often present the whole study in one presentation, although it's possible to develop multiple presentations focusing on different aspects of the study, especially for bigger projects. I might also develop separate presentations focusing on the theory part of the study or the exploration of the critical issues that led up to the study.

In the presentation, I try to focus on two or three major findings and implications. Other than that, I try to limit my presentation to the most essential information--why the project is important to the field (which include a mention of a few key sources), essential features of the method, main findings and a few supporting evidence from the study, and a quick discussion of implications. Anything I didn't discuss can be dealt with during the discussion at the end.

When I present my theoretical and historical work, I try not to present everything because of the time limitation. I might do an overall sketch of the main argument with a focus on the implications, or I would take a segment of the project and discuss its implications. For this reason, the resulting theoretical/historical articles are usually syntheses of bits and pieces of arguments that I present in different presentations.

In any case, I try to make my presentation argument-driven, using data to provide examples to support or illustrate my claims.

And I don't necessarily develop all the arguments at once. I develop different parts of a project here and there depending on the most pertinent issues in the field and the audience. Some of the ideas that I am using for a book chapter I am writing came from two separate presentations I did this year, but one of the main arguments--my primary agenda for the project--evolved from a discussion I had after my TESOL session in the late 1990s and a conversation I had with a colleague at a recent conference.

It's helpful to get feedback from the audience, but it's the conversation I have with people afterwards--during the questions as well as conversations I have with people in the hallway, coffee shops, book exhibits, etc., that really helps me see what the issues are, how I might conceive of my audience, and what I want to communicate to them in a public forum.

A Trip to Taiwan

I just came back from a trip to Taiwan, where I visited Tamkang University in Tamsui and Tunghai University in Taichun.

The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Tamkang International Conference on Second Language Writing. I was invited as one of the plenary speakers along with John Flowerdew and Alister Cumming.

My talk was about the application of sociocultural theory to L2 writing instruction. It seemed to resonate with some of the concerns that people in Taiwan were facing. A lot of people told me that they appreciated the balance between theoretical and pedagogical discussion. I'm planning to present a sequel to it at Asia TEFL next June in Malaysia--with more detailed guidelines for curriculum development.

It was a really well organized conference. Everyone--from undergraduate students to faculty--worked really hard to give all the participants a first-class treatment. Yueh-kuey Huang, the Department Chair and Director of Ph.D. and M.A. Programs in English, really had everything under control. The main conference room on the 10th floor of the building was absolutely gorgeous. The view of the Tamsui River from the window was also great.

My favorite part was the food--appetizers during coffee breaks, lunch boxes and the banquet--yummy! I was also quite impressed by the quality of presentations--both form and content. I hope they will contine to have a conference on L2 writing at Tamkang!

Graduate students at Tamkang and other universities in Taiwan were doing really exciting work. As I said at the closing panel discussion, the number of L2 writing researchers in Taiwan seems to be reaching a critical mass--I felt that L2 writing in Taiwan has come of age. I really look forward to learning more about L2 writing in Taiwan.

Two of the graduate students--Karen Ye and Viola Hsueh--volunteered to escort me throughout the conference. They took really good care of me all day. They even took me to Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world) and Shiling Night Market. I got to know them quite well and had a lot of fun with them. Thanks, Karen and Viola! I hope we'll have a chance to hang out together again!

On Sunday, Theresa Tseng, Alister, Razika Sonoui, and I went to Tunghai Unviersity, where Alister and I each gave a talk. It was quite serendipitous--we got invited separately by two different people, but it was really nice to spend some time with them. Alister talked about the features of TOEFL ibt test, and I talked about an insider's perspective on writing for scholarly publication. I also met Anthony Kunnan, who happened to be there as a Fulbright Scholar this year. I got to spend a lot of time with Theresa and Kailin Wu, a former Ph.D. student of Bonnie Sunstein and Carol Severino's at the University of Iowa. It was also good to meet Jon Benda--we had been corresponding with each other since the late 1990s, but we never actually had had the chance to meet in person.

I also got to see some familiar faces--Masumi Narita, who is working with me to organize the Symposium on Second Language Writing in Japan next September was there, and we had a productive meeting over lunch; Ho-Ping Feng, who teaches at National Taiwan Normal University; and Billy (Shin-Fan Kao), whom I met at Indiana TESOL when I was still at Purdue.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Taiwan--great people, great food, and great conversations. I would definitely like to visit Taiwan again--and again, and again.

Cheesehead at Heart

I got this from Mike Garcia's blog:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

I guess I'm still a cheesehead at heart.

Gesa Kirsch Visit

Today, Gesa Kirsch came to UNH to give a talk on the importance of location, personal connections, chance encounters, representation and other important issues in archival research. Her talk captured many of the issues that our doctoral students are interested in, and she tied them all together nicely in an engaging presentation.

The Other Durham

Just came back from a visit to Duke University in the other Durham. The campus was absolutely stunning! I would love to teach at a university with such a beautiful campus. The on-campus hotel--Washington Duke Inn--was one of the best university-affiliated hotels I have stayed in.



 

 

But it wasn't a job interview--I went there to give two talks on second language writing--one for writing center tutors at Duke and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the other for instructors of the award-winning writing 20 program directed by Joe Harris.

I got to spend a lot of time with my host Vicki Russell, who directs the Writing Studio at Duke. I was quite impressed by the program and the enthusiasm of the staff members.

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Joe Harris and Maria Parker (who directs the English for International Graduate Students Program at Duke) as well as Kim Abels, Gigi Taylor and Ryuko Kubota from UNC.

I also got to enjoy the warm wheather and the foliage, which I didn't get to enjoy in this Durham because I was out of town during its peak.

Minority Students?

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Minority students at the University of New Hampshire at Durham are criticizing its decision not to fire a resident assistant for having uttered racial slurs last month during an appearance on the campus's television station, The Union Leader, a newspaper in Manchester, N.H., reported" (Chronicle of Higher Education: Daily News Blog, 06:23, 10/27/2006).

Did The Union Leader say that it was "minority students" who criticized UNH? The answer is yes. Union Leader Correspondent Clynton Namuo reports that "A University of New Hampshire resident assistant who used racial slurs during an appearance on UNH's television station last month has stirred minority students into action after the school allowed him to keep his job" ("Groups protest UNH's decision not to fire RA who made racial slurs," Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006).

Are these reports accurate? Well, not really. I find the use of the term "minority students" misleading because, in the same report, Namuo quotes Jonathan Rose, an UNH junior, who participated in last Friday's meeting between students and UNH officials. Here is the quote: "An RA is a parent figure or an older sibling, they're supposed to look out for you in the dorms and when someone does something controversial or flat out derogatory, it makes it seem like this is not the sort of person I can go to when it comes to something related to my race or religion." The article identifies Rose as "White" at the end. Clearly, it wasn't just "minority students" who were concerned.

I find it disturbing how the very act of responding to racism gets racialized in a problematic way. Why do people assume that "minority students" are the only ones who are responding to this incident--even when there is evidence to the contrary?

Or am I simply overinterpreting the term "minority"? Perhaps a more pessimistic reading is possible: Those who are concerned about racism constitute a minority at UNH. But that's not been my experience at UNH.

Related Articles:

"Students speak out against hate crime, administration" by Dean LeMire

"Time for students to come together" by Alexander Plummer, Editor-in-Chief, The New Hampshire

"UNH isn't that homogenous" by Siobhan Senier

Choosing a Ph.D. Program

It's that time of the year again. I've been talking to various people who are interested in applying to Ph.D. programs. Here are some pieces of advice I keep giving out to help them choose an appropriate program for them.

1. Find out whether doctoral-level work is really for you. The doctorate is, first and foremost, a research degree that prepares people to become knowledge producers. It's not a glorified teacher certification program. (Teaching is an important part of professional preparation especially in my fields, but teaching proficiency or potential is a pre-requisite; training teachers is not the primary purpose of Ph.D. programs.)

2. Learn about the field you are getting into. It is important for a Ph.D. applicant to have a solid understanding of what the field is all about, what kind of research people have done and are currently doing, and what applications (if any) there may be. Familiarize yourself with some of the key ideas, terms and names in the field. Read widely and read a lot. (A master's degree in the same field is not always required, but even with a relevant degree, if you can't demonstrate a broad understanding of the field, getting accepted into a good program can be difficult.)

3. Know what your interests are. At least in the U.S. context, it's not always necessary for a beginning Ph.D. students to have a clear research program at the beginning of doctoral studies. A broad understanding and interest in the field as a whole and in a few areas of specialization would do.

Am I ever going to get to the question of how to choose a program? I know, I know. Be patient. It's not a quick and easy decision like picking the right avocado for making guacamole tonight. If you don't do your homework, you are going to regret it--big time.

4. Read more in the subfield in which you are particularly interested. In this process, you will familiarize yourself with key topics, issues and methodological approaches in association with particular names of authors who publish actively and are cited often. If you have a sense of who's who in the field, you are ready to look at specific programs.

5. Make a list of people whose work you find interesting--their topics, methodological approaches, and their arguments. Leave out people whose work you find incomprehensible or incompatible with your own orientation.

6. Go on line and find out where they teach. By now, you should be able to do this without looking up the information--from your reading of many of their recent publications. Find out whether they teach in doctoral programs and, if so, what kind of courses they teach, in what department, what other faculty members are teaching in the same program, what kind of courses are offered, what and how their graduate students seem to be doing in terms of presentations, publications, dissertation projects, and job placement.

7. Try to get to know these people. You might contact them by email. Be very polite, tactful, and to the point. If possible, state briefly why you are contacting that particular person. Don't ask any questions that can be answered by looking at the program/graduate school web site or by asking administrative assistants for the graduate program. Ask those questions that cannot be answered by anybody else. If possible, arrange a campus visit and meetings with faculty members and graduate students.

8. Try to get to know their students. When you go to conferences (if you don't, then start going to conferences in the field), go to sessions presented by faculty and students from that institution. (If you can't find anyone from the institution at major conferences in the field, then you know what to do--move the institution to the bottom of the list.) Tell them that you are interested in applying to their program and ask them to share their insights about the program, faculty members, financial support, and life in the program, at the university and in the area.

9. If a writing sample is required (as it usually is), choose one that demonstrates your broad understanding of the field and your analytical and research skills as well as the quality of writing. Remember: good writing is not complicated writing. Use keywords in the field, but don't use big words unnecessarily just to impress the admissions committee--they will easily see through it.

10. The statement of purpose or the "personal statement" should focus on your professonal aspirations, not the details of your personal lives. Admissions committee memebers couldn't care less about the close relationship you had with your dog when you were in elementary school--unless you are applying to a doctoral program in, say, animal psychology. The conventions and expectations may vary from program to program, but in general, include: why you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in the field (and perhaps what you hope to do in the future), what subfields you are interested in and, most important, why you are interested in the particular program (faculty, courses, quality of graduate student publications, etc.). You don't have to sell yourself too much--this is not a job application. Being a good student and colleague who will successfully and promptly complete the degree and become an active member of the field is sufficient.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

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PhDing (freshcomp)
App season (Collin vs. Blog)