Paul Kei Matsuda
http://matsuda.jslw.org/

『踊る大捜査線』

もう10年前のことである。博士課程も佳境にはいったころ、日本で『踊る大捜査線』が大ブレイクした。ビデオでそれを観て、ハマった。

警察は会社。警察官はサラリーマン。警察組織は出世競争の道具。このテーマと、そのころ感じていた大学という組織に対する自分の問題意識がガッチリとフィットしたのだ。

そのころは自分のフィールド(応用言語学、コンポジション、レトリック、TESOLなど)をどうすれば改革することができるか、第2言語ライティングという目の前にある、しかし誰にも見て見ぬフリをしている―否、目の前にあることに気づいてさえいない―問題と、それを取り扱う研究者や教員の地位を、英語学科という保守的で階級主義的な組織の中でいかに向上させてゆくか、ということを考えていた。

具体的な方法論として選んだのは歴史的研究。これならば文系の英語・ライティング研究者も真剣に捉えてくれるからだ。しかし、それだけでは足りないと感じていた。

室井管理官が警察組織を変えるためには上に行かなくてはならないと感じていたように、自分も大学組織や、自分のフィールドを変えるためには上に行かなくてはならない。と強く感じていた。

だから自分の論文は一流のジャーナルで出版した。新しい国際学会も起こした。既存の学会の運営にも常に積極的に参加した。学内だけでなく、ほかの大学の大学院生や若手の研究者の支援にも尽力した。そして複数の分野のあらゆるトピックに関して、一般の研究者以上の知識を蓄えるよう努めた。

そうしなくては人を動かすことができないからだ。

そうやって10年がんばった。その甲斐あってか、第2言語ライティングは応用言語学でも、英語教育でも、コンポジション&レトリックでも、誰もが認める重要なフィールドとなった。

しかし、安心していてはいけない。

今日、それでも閉鎖的且つ保守的な分野や大学組織の政治の板ばさみになっている一教師と話す機会があった。

大学には古い考え方の人間もいる。ほかの分野はおろか、自分の分野の最近の研究の動向さえも知らず、自分の既得権を守ることしか考えていない輩がうようよいる。レトリックを専門にしながら、ソクラテスの「無知の知」の意味を本当に理解できていない者がいる。第2言語ライティングの重要性に敬意は表しつつ、実際は何一つ変えようとしない人間もまだまだたくさんいる。

そういう人間に苦しめられているというのだ。

大学組織の問題点を目の当たりにするのは日常茶飯事だが、自分にはそれを長い目で見る余裕がある。しかし、現場の教師(自分も現場の教師ではあるが)や駆け出しの研究者にはそんな余裕はない。生きるか死ぬかの世界である。大学という組織の政治を前に、何もできないのである。

話を聞くこと以外、何もしてあげられないのがもどかしかった。ただ「上に行け」というしかなかった。

もっともっと上に行かなくては、と思った。自分のためにではない。大学という組織に駒のようにあしらわれている「所轄の捜査員」たちのために。そしてそれよりもっと力のない、学生たちのために。

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You Are What Conferences You Attend

An academic's identity is shaped in part by what conferences she or he attends. This is true especially for graduate students and junior scholars who are just beginning to discover and construct their own disciplinary alignments.

When I was a graduate student, I attended AAAL, CCCC and TESOL on a regular basis. I also attended local affiliates and special topic conferences being held in the area. But how can a graduate student afford to attend all these conferences? Attending multiple conferences can be especially hard for graduate students who are working in interdisciplinary fields. Well, I wasn't particularly rich--my spouse and I were both on TA stipends--but I was able to find ways to finance my trips.

Here are some strategies:

  • Apply for internal travel funding. Check with the graduate student organization and the graduate program in your department to see if they have any travel funding for graduate students who are presenting a paper. The graduate school at your institution may also have some travel funding.
  • Apply for external travel funding. Some professional organizations (e.g., AAAL, CCCC, TESOL) have travel grants and awards for graduate students. Many local TESOL affiliates also offer travel grants for attending the international TESOL conference.
  • Apply for graduate student awards. I applied for many awards for graduate students that provided some additional funding. It also helped enhance my profile and boost my confidence.
  • Look for volunteer opportunities. Some conferences, such as AAAL, provide graduate students with opportunities to volunteer for a few hours in exchange for registration discount or waiver. The volunteer work itself is a good way of getting to know the organization and other members.
  • Split the cost with someone else. Share a hotel room with other graduate students from your program or other programs. Plan to arrive at the airport at the same time with other people you know so you can share a cab. Making these arrangements becomes easier as you develop your professional network by attending more conferences.
  • Find inexpensive hotels in the area. Many cities have public transportation options that make commuting to the conference realistic. I personally didn't use this strategy too much, though, because I wanted to be in the middle of action. I tended to stay at the headqarter hotel (or ones that were close to them), which tends to be more expensive. I go to conferences to meet people, not just to attend sessions.
  • Find a grocery or convenience store and get water, cookies, energy bars, and other inexpensive and quick breakfast and lunch items. At conferences, it's usually more important to be able to go to dinners with people you meet, but sometimes you end up going to really expensive restaurants (depending on who you hang out with), so it's important to find ways to reduce the cost for breakfast and lunch.
  • Go to publisher's exhibits where coffee and snacks may be available.
  • Go to events and receptions where food is served. For example, CCCC invites first-time attendees to a breakfast where pastries and coffee are served.
  • Forget expensive vacation plans. You get to travel to a lot of different cities by attending conferences. Plan your vacations around them, if necessary.
  • Attend local and regional conferences. Attending small conferences could be more rewarding than people may realize because it provides opportunities to meet people in the field in a more relaxed and intimate setting.

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Recommendation Letter Revisited

I've made a small change to the list of documents a job candidate might consider providing to their would-be recommendation letter writers. Specifically, I've added the following:

  • A brief sketch of when and how you met the writer of the recommendation letter, what courses you have taken with that person, and any other special projects you have worked on with/for that person (if it's not already clear from the CV).
This is important even if you think you have been working closely with that person because memories fade. Maybe I'm beginning to realize this because, as I grow older, my memory is beginning to fail me (sigh). But even when I have--or think I have--a vivid recollection of the first encounter, sometimes it turns out not to be the real first encounter. Cognition is a funny thing.

The last thing you want on the job market is a recommendation letter that indicates that the person doesn't really know you.

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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

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Job Ad: Advanced Associate or Full Professor in History of Rhetoric

The Department of English at Arizona State University (ASU) seeks an advanced associate or a full professor and accomplished scholar-teacher in rhetoric and composition who has compiled an established record of scholarship in any area of the history of rhetoric. 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. 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 outreach.

Required: Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition or related discipline; college-level teaching experience; evidence of ability to teach and develop graduate and undergraduate courses in the history of rhetoric; and a compelling record of ongoing, high-quality scholarship in any area of the history of rhetoric appropriate to rank.

Desired: Established record of scholarship and publications on classical and/or medieval rhetoric appropriate to rank; experience in teaching graduate courses in the history of rhetoric, especially classical rhetoric.

Applicants must send: Cover letter, curriculum vita, names of three references with contact information to Chair of Associate/Full Professor of History of Rhetoric Search CommitteeDepartment of EnglishArizona State UniversityP.O. Box 870302Tempe, AZ 85287-0302.

Application Deadline (no faxes or e-mails): Postmarked by October 31, 2008; if not filled, then every Monday thereafter until the search is closed. ASU is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to the recruitment and employment of a diverse workforce. A background check is required for employment.

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Job Ad: Director of Writing at New England Institute of Technology

Director of Writing – New England Institute of Technology

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) seeks a faculty member to direct the day-to-day operations of the writing program which supports both the associate and bachelor degree programs. In addition to managing all writing courses, the person appointed will recruit, train, and evaluate all writing instructors. The Director will also take the lead in developing a Writing-Across-the-Curriculum program with an emphasis on collaboration with the various technology departments. The position includes teaching responsibilities. NEIT is an open admissions campus with a strong emphasis on high quality teaching without an expectation from faculty to publish or conduct research.

Qualifications: college teaching experience (community college or technical college background preferred); foundation in the theory and pedagogy of composition; proficiency in Blackboard or Web CT learning environment; and M.A in English or Rhetoric/Composition (Ph.D. preferred). The search committee will begin screening applications as they are received. The search will remain open until the position is filled.

Postal Address:

Donna Daigle
Office Manager
New England Institute of Technology
2500 Post Road
Warwick, RI 02886

Phone:

(401) 739-5000 x 3438

Fax:

(401) 738-5634

Email Address:

ddaigle@neit.edu

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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.

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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

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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

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I Miss Being a Grad Student

“I don’t believe it,” is the response I have come to expect from my graduate students whenever I tell them that I miss being a graduate students because I had more time on my hands as well as more intellectual freedom. They don’t quite say it, but the gasp and the look of disbelief are quite conspicuous.

Yes, professors are busy people, despite what many folks seem to think.

As I wrote at the end of “Coming to Voice: Publishing as a Graduate Student” (2003):

Now that I have a tenure-track job, however, I have come to think of being a graduate student as a somewhat privileged status. At Purdue, I was only teaching three courses per year. I had no obligation to administer programs, serve on academic committees or mentor graduate students, although I did so voluntarily. Most important of all, l had more freedom in choosing which conversation to join and in which form, whereas I now feel some pressure to focus on certain types of publications, such as monographs and articles in prestigious journals. Some of my professional colleagues have also told me about the pressure they felt about the need to develop a coherent professional profile that was in sync with their teaching. My professional identity will no doubt be influenced by the ever-so-unclear requirements for tenure and promotion. But will I be able to continue thinking like a professional whose goal is to contribute to the field regardless of how it will be evaluated? Will I start thinking like a junior faculty member who will publish for tenure and promotion—for the sake of having published? Or will I be able to find a happy medium? The biggest challenge I faced as a graduate student continues to confront me.
I wrote this in my first year on tenure-track at Miami University, but even after having gone through the tenure process twice—once at UNH and again when I moved to ASU with tenure—it still rings true.

I’ve managed to focus on what I think is important for the field and for second language writers, but I do sometimes think about things like the impact factor when I choose the journal to send my manuscript to, which many institutions now use as a way of evaluating faculty contributions. The impact factor is not the best measure of the relative value of a journal, but it is one way of measuring the impact that a journal has on the field. (I must say, though, that using the impact factor to compare across different disciplines--or even within subfields--is meaningless. To do that, we need an index that accounts for the size of the field, among many other things.)

I’ve also been struggling with the balance between what I want to do and what I’m asked to do (which is not altogether different from what I want to do because I can say—and have said—no). It’s nice to be invited to write on a particular topic, which helps me to expand the scope of my work, but sometimes it takes time away from those exciting new projects that I’ve been wanting to work on.

A few days ago, Abby Knoblauch, one of my collaborators and a former student of mine, sent me an email to let me know how she is doing on her new job as an Assistant Professor of English at Kansas State University. I was happy to hear from her especially because things seems to be going well for her—she surrounded by nice and supportive colleagues. What struck me the most, however, was her comment that she didn’t realize how busy being a professor really would be.
Suddenly graduate school seemed to be full of these grand expanses of free time. I know that's not true—or at least not how it felt—but yikes am I busy. I mean, clearly you know this, but it's all new to me.
On top of the heavier teaching load and committee work as well as the never-ending expectation to produce scholarly work, she is inundated with email and campus mail from various people, which takes up a lot of time to sort through.

I assured her that the workload will only increase as she moves up in rank, but that it is possible to learn to cope with it.

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New TESOL Quarterly Editors

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

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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

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Last update: January 6, 2008