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

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!

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!

Recurring Questions about Professionalization

This is the time of the year when people are thinking about applying to graduate programs, adjusting to graduate school, and applying for academic jobs. I have been mentioning a few of my blog entries that have to do with professionalization, so I thought it might be useful to highlight some of them here.

Finding a suitable graduate program

Writing a statement of purpose for graduate program application

Applying to the Master's Program in TESOL at ASU

Requesting letters of recommendation

Advice for new graduate students

Read everything

Read everything again

Read widely

Academic job search

Requesting someone to be a reference for a job application

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/

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

The Graduate College Concept

One of the first things I learned about graduate programs at ASU--even before I started--was the implementation of the graduate college concept.

This is nothing new--in Japan, graduate faculty members (people who are certified to advise graduate students) often identify themselves as belonging to the graduate school of X. (For example, at Nagoya University, I belonged to the Graduate School of International Development rather than a department or college.)

In the States, though, disciplines have traditionally been organized around departments, and each graduate program have been housed primarily--if not exclusively--with a department. For that reason, it was not always easy for a graduate student in one program to have a faculty member from another department to chair the dissertation committee even if that person is the ultimate expert in the area. Some of the reasons included the territoriarity of faculty members in the student's department and the lack of recognition or reward for the faculty who work with students in another department.

The graduate college concept, which sees faculty members as belonging to the graduate college or school, an interdepartmental unit, rather than a department, is designed to address this problem by allowing faculty members to work with students in other departments. At institutions like ASU, where experts in, say, applied linguistics are situated in various departments and units on different campuses, it makes a lot of sense.

The original program-in-department structure is not going to go away entirely because of issues like program funding, tenure and promotion. But there will be more fluidity in exchanging people and their experties. At least that's the idea.

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.)

Carnegie Foundation Creates New 'Owner's Manual' for Doctoral Programs - Chronicle.com

Here is some news about a publication that looks seriously at the need for improving the preparation of future researchers in doctoral programs. (I personally think the Chronicle headline misses the point, though.)

According to the Chronicle article, the report (rightly, I think) criticizes the (historical) master-apprentice model that relies on accidental match of personalities. (The model of apprenticeship being discussed here seems to be the historical apprenticeship, rather than apprenticeship in situated learning.) It uses the term mentoring instead:

The study recommends that doctoral programs adopt new structures that allow students to have several intellectual mentors and come to think of mentorship as less an accident of interpersonal chemistry and as more a set of techniques that can be learned, assessed, and rewarded.

Some of these efforts are already in place, as we will see in Chris Casanave and Xiaoming Li's forth coming book. But it's true that it has depended more on individual initiatives rather than institutionalized practices. The good news is that ASU is being mentioned as one of the model institutions for encouraging successful mentoring at the doctoral level.

The challenge, of course, is to institutionalize these practices without falling into the trap of believing that successful mentoring relationships can be mass-produced. As Steve Simpson and I tried to articulate in our chapter on mentoring (to appear in Casanave and Li), this is something mentors and mentees have to work out as they develop their relationships.

What worries me about this report, as represented by the Chronicle article, is that it seems to reduce mentoring into a set of skills that can be prescribed to anyone. Well, it's not that simple.

While I agree that part of the problem is the heavy reliance on "accidental match of personalities," prescribing techniques seems limited as a solution. For mentoring to really work, both mentors and mentees need to recognize the need to make concerted and ongoing efforts to develop a productive relationship. And that, IMHO, takes much more than just "a set of techniques."

Second Language Writing at ASU

Since many people have been asking this question lately, I thought I'd answer it here once and for all. The question is: "Does ASU offer a Ph.D. program where I can specialize in second language writing?"

The answer, of course, is a resounding YES, whether you are interested in situating yourself in the disciplinary context of either applied linguistics/TESOL or rhetoric/composition--or both.

I chose to come to ASU because, among many other things, it offers an opportunity for me to work with doctoral students who are interested in second language writing.

The English Department has a large and well-established doctoral program in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics, which is one of the few doctoral programs that programmatically integrate the major disciplinary perspectives that informs the field of second language writing.

Within the program, students can specialize in second language writing by integrating insights from various areas of inquiry that are relevant to second language writing researchers. By working with faculty members who represent a diverse areas of inquiry, students can learn to position themselves in different disciplinary contexts that are most appropriate for their research agenda.

ASU also has a large number of faculty members with relevant specializations in different departments and divisions throughout the institution.

Each year, I will be offering an advanced graduate seminar on second language writing research, and I'm looking forward to working closely with bright and highly motivated doctoral students who are interested in participating in this growing field of inquiry.

For more information about ASU's Ph.D. Program in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics, visit the website maintained by the English Department.

Also see:

Applying to a Graduate Program
Choosing a Ph.D. Program

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.