[Englecturers] Colorado Community College Conference on Composition (1/31/06; 4/14/06)

[englecturers at lists.ucr.edu]

Call For Papers and Presentations
Colorado Community College Conference on Composition: 2006
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Dear Colleague:

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Aims Community College in Greeley will be hosting the Colorado Community =
College Conference on Composition (5C=92s) on Friday, April 14, 2006.  =
Participants in the 5C=92s over the years have enthusiastically endorsed =
the event as Colorado=92s top conference for writing teachers, and we = hope
to continue that tradition this year. =20

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We are delighted to announce that our keynote speaker will be John =
Calderazzo from Colorado State University.  Calderazzo is a former =
freelance magazine writer who's been teaching nonfiction courses at =
Colorado State University since 1968.  He's written an over-the-shoulder =
writing guide, Writing from Scratch: Freelancing; a children's science =
text, 101 Questions about Volcanoes; and a new book about ways that =
volcanoes around the world have affected human culture, Rising Fire: =
Volcanoes and Our Inner Lives. His essays, short stories, and articles =
have appeared in Audubon, Coastal Living, Georgia Review, Miami Herald, =
Writer's Digest, and dozens of other publications.  He's won many = writing
honors but is most proud of his 1998 award as a Best CSU = Teacher.

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We are focusing the 2006 conference on the following theme:

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Real-World Writing: Ennobling Composition

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The Issue

            How can we encourage students to see that writing well is = more
than a college graduation requirement, more than a marketplace = skill, more
even than a tool to help them engage in participatory = citizenship?  How
can we inspire them to see writing as a gift to = themselves, to others=97as
a product of the human spirit?  How can = writing be ultimately a satisfying
experience?  Is there any nobility to = learning to write well, and if so,
how can we ennoble composition for = our students?

            Writing teachers often find themselves imparting basic = writing
and thinking skills in a time-constricted, increasingly = consumeristic,
accountability-centered milieu.  James Berlin has said, = "Many [writing]
teachers . . . look upon their vocation as the imparting = of a largely
mechanical skill, important only because it serves students = in getting
them through school and in advancing them in their = professions.  [But]
writing teachers are . . . given a responsibility = that far exceeds this
merely instrumental task."  Our syllabi are filled = with state-mandated and
state- or institution-driven goals and = competencies, so we often find
ourselves subordinating ideas for = creatively engaging students to the
needs of accountability patrols.  = Inevitably, we fall back on what Daniel
Fogerty in Roots for a New = Rhetoric (1959) called "current-traditional"
approaches to teaching = writing, which focus on essay patterns, drills, and
rubrics.  Such an = approach conveniently=97but not always
accurately=97distills the writing = process into measurable bits.  But how
can we push beyond those = approaches for our basic composition students?=20

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A Call for Proposals

            We invite proposals for presentations that address the =
following question: How can we=97without sentimentality=97expose the =
wonder and nobility of writing while at the same time foster the skills =
necessary to communicate to strangers meaningfully and in a common =
grammar?   Consider the following questions as "starter" ideas:

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Is all writing "creative" writing?   If so, in what ways? Should we =
impart this notion to students, and if so, how?

What do we tell students good writing is?

What models of writing do we present to students?

In what ways can we build bridges between "creative writing," = "real-world"
writing, and "classroom" writing?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of "patterns" or "models" of =
writing?

How can we make teaching writing more satisfying in the face of of =
conformist pressures?

Is "creativity" an appropriate, measurable criterion for evaluating =
students' work?

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The deadline for submitting proposals is January 31, 2006.  Please = observe
the following guidelines:

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=B7         Submit by snail-mail or email to the address below.

=B7         Include a title as you want it to appear in the program

=B7         Include an abstract (50-100 words) as you want it to appear =
in the program

=B7         Include a brief autobiography as you want it to appear in =
the program

=B7         Include the length of presentation (single presenter): 45-50 =
minutes

=B7         Include the length of presentation (panel or workshop): =
45-90 minutes=20

=B7         Include a statement of technology needs (Note: presenters =
must provide their own laptop computers)

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As always, part-time faculty and full-time faculty from two- or = four-year
institutions, graduate students, teaching assistants, and = writing center
support staff and tutors are encouraged to submit = proposals.  Please share
this information with your entire writing = faculty and staff.

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Please submit proposals via email to chuck.fisher at aims.edu or mail to :

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            Chuck Fisher

            Aims Community College

            5401 W. 20th Street

            Greeley, CO  80634


Chuck Fisher
Professor, English
Aims Community College
5401 West 20th St.
Greeley, CO  80634
970-339-6520
chuck.fisher at aims.edu=

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