IWAC 23 CFP Deadline Extended
The deadline for submitting proposals for the IWAC 2023 conference at Clemson has been extended to October 31. IWAC 2023 is the 16th International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference. The conference chairs would love to have current and former students of the RCID program present and/or attend!
Here’s information about the conference and the CFP:
Our theme — WAC for Transitions: The Next 50 Years — recognizes the crucial moment at
which we stand as practitioners of writing and communicating and the role we have in using the
power of language to affect worldviews. We are at a decision-making point, a threshold in the
profession: how can WAC help shape our futures? To that end, we hold a unique and rich
perspective. From Dr. Barbara Walvoord’s 1969-1970 seminar, the earliest documented Writing
Across the Curriculum seminar, to the 50th anniversary marked by IWAC 2020 hosted by
Colorado State, WAC draws on deep experience in the project of deploying language across our
campuses.
During IWAC 2023, we want to celebrate the successes of our WAC experiences in that 50-year
span, address the challenges that programs and faculty members have faced and recognize the
opportunities awaiting us in the coming 50 years. But at this interim moment, let us also reflect
on what we want WAC to be, who we want to address and reach, who we want to include in our
conversations and what we need to do to accomplish the vision we hold for ourselves.
WAC is an ever-evolving educational phenomenon, and never has that been more evident than
in the face of current events. Over the past several years, WAC scholars have had to respond to
changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, address changes and challenges students
are facing in the transition from the academy to the workplace, continue to evolve and develop
classroom cultures that welcome all students, regardless of background, to learn and succeed
and navigate students and faculty alike through global tensions and crises.
Each of these successes proves WAC practitioners are adaptable and constantly thinking about
the future of their discipline. This conference calls for those practitioners to be forward-thinking
in addressing new and existing challenges faced in the WAC community. We invite proposals
that address broad categories of the next 50 years of WAC scholarship, including but not limited
to the following:
● The role of WAC in addressing social justice/social justice literacy- Topics such as
educating faculty members about antiracist writing practices; thinking forward to how
WAC becomes more focused on social justice literacy; the work left to do in WAC
scholarship in terms of social justice literacy; helping cultivate inclusive and equitable
environments for students and faculty
● The role of WAC in a time of global turmoil- Topics such as the impact of global
politics on WAC teaching and education; the role of language and communication in
politics; open access to education; changes in curriculum due to the pandemic
● From the academy to the professions- Topics such as WAC’s ability to adapt to a
world that is growing increasingly focused on STEM careers; the value of writing
education; transitioning from the academy to the workplace and how social justice plays
into that transition; preparing students for communication at different stages of their lives;
instilling the importance of writing education; dealing with resistance about the
importance of written communication
● WAC as a transnational movement- Topics such as WAC scholarship’s internationality;
community building across national lines; inclusive linguistic practices; WAC in
minority-serving institutions
● WAC scholars as agents of change- Topics such as WAC scholars acting as agents of
change in the current political, economic and social climate; COVID-related pedagogical
changes; navigating global crises in the classroom; social justice literacy; what issues
WAC addresses that might otherwise be ignored; pedagogical changes in the wake of
COVID; WAC being a leader in social justice literacy and inclusive linguistic practices;
dealing with increasing costs of education and budget cuts
● The future of WAC as an educational moment- Topics such as the future of the WAC
classroom; ideas that need to be developed/implemented in order to create inclusive
classroom spaces; movements that need to be expanded upon or left behind; how to
include K-12 educators, expand our reach to two-year college faculty, appeal to
university administrators and engage community leaders
● Addressing equity and access in WAC- Topics such as accessibility in teaching
materials; inclusive language practices; antiracist assessment; creating equitable
classroom experiences for all students; the lack of access to higher education in some
communities
● Nuts and bolts of WAC programming- Topics such as developing and sustaining a
WAC program, including strategies for starting the program, promoting or selling your
program to administrators and fellow faculty members, identifying and recruiting
stakeholders, administering a program and assessment; the features of a successful
WAC program
● What do the next 50 years hold?- New topics emerging in WAC pedagogy
We welcome submissions for:
● interactive workshops
● panels (typically three or four speakers)
● roundtables (typically five to seven speakers)
● individual presentations (which will be combined with other proposals to form a panel)
● teaching demonstrations
● poster presentations (both print and digital)
Panels, roundtables and teaching demonstrations will be presented in 75-minute blocks, while
workshops will be three hours long. Poster presentations will take place over two 75-minute
blocks.
We ask presenters to limit themselves to one speaking role in panels, roundtables and teaching
demonstrations (excluding service as a chair or respondent to a panel). In addition to a
speaking role on a panel, roundtable or teaching demonstration, we also encourage participants
to consider participation as a workshop leader and as a presenter of a poster session.
We also ask presenters to consider issues of accessibility as they develop their presentation.
Useful information about accessible presentations can be found on the Composing Access site
For more information about the conference and the call, please visit
https://pearce.caah.clemson.
most up-to-date information on the conference, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
To submit a proposal, please visit our website. All proposals are due by October 31, 2022.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in Fall 2022.
Additionally, the 2023 International Writing Across the Curriculum conference organizers are
pleased to announce the availability of registration scholarships to support scholars and
practitioners, both national and international, who plan to attend the IWAC 2023 conference in
Clemson, South Carolina, regardless of whether or not they will be presenting.
