A Graduate Student Guide to 4C16

Below are panels and other events at 4C16 that may be of interest to graduate students attending the convention because of their focus on graduate education, professional development, mentoring, the job market, and other interests. You can also download a briefer pdf version of this guide.

Attendees may also be interested in this guide (.docx file) created by the Writing Across the Curriculum Graduate Organization.

Wednesday, April 6

RNF: Research Network Forum
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon A–B, Level Two

The Research Network Forum is an opportunity for published researchers, new researchers, and graduate students to discuss their current research projects and receive responses from new and senior researchers.

Co-Chairs: Gina M. Merys, Creighton University, Omaha, NE Risa P. Gorelick, College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ

AW.06: Taking Action to Support Graduate Writers across the Curriculum
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM in Hilton, Room 337A, Level Three

This workshop explores the needs of graduate writers, types of graduate writing support, and pedagogical approaches for graduate writing.

DP: Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM in GRB Convention Center, Room 351B, Level Three

Annual program and business meeting of the CDPRC, attended by doctoral program representatives and graduate students

1. Kevin Eric DePew, Old Dominion University, “Meeting Our Students Where They Are At”
2. Tyler Branson, University of California, Santa Barbara, “Doing What We Know How To Do, Only Better: Investigating the Rhet/Comp Graduate Curriculum in the Age of ‘Adjunctification’”
3a. Rebekah Shultz Colby, University of Denver, “Advice for Succeeding as an Academic Couple within a Writing Program with Teaching Tenure”
3b. Richard Colby, University of Denver, “The Best Job You Never Knew You Wanted”
4a. Susan Naomi Bernstein, Arizona State University
4b. Mark A. Hannah, Arizona State University
4c. Dawn Opel, ASU Rhetoric and Composition Ph.D. 2015
4d. Shirley Rose, Arizona State University
“Preparation for 21st-Century Knowledge Enterprises: Alternatives for ASU Graduate Students”

Newcomers’ Orientation
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas, Salon F, Level Two

Join members of the Newcomers’ Orientation Committee for an orientation session. The committee will discuss how to navigate the convention and share tips to get the most out of convention activities.

MD: Master’s Degree Consortium of Writing Studies Specialists
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM in Hilton Grand Ballroom L, Level Four

Co-Chairs: Rebecca Jackson, Texas State University, San Marcos Eric Leake, Texas State University, San Marcos

The annual meeting of the Master’s Degree Consortium of Writing Studies Specialists is open to everyone interested in the issues facing MA/MS programs. The Consortium serves as a clearinghouse and advocacy network to strengthen programs, support the development of new programs, share resources, and promote the value of the Master’s degree. Its areas of focus include programmatic development as well as the educational experiences and opportunities available to Master’s students. The Consortium’s agenda and minutes from previous annual meetings are available at www.mdcwss.com.

CWS: Performing Feminist Action: Microworkshops and Mentoring Tables Hosted by the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas, Salon A, Level Two

Chair: Jenn Fishman, Marquette University, Milwaukee

The Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition Wednesday night session will begin with an Action Hour featuring a dozen concurrent short, interactive lessons in old and new ways of performing feminist activism. In the spirit of building and maintaining coalitions, the Action Hour roster includes microworkshops sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Latin@ Caucus, and the Disability Studies SIG. Together, we invite all conference-goers to join us for not only Action Hour but also for the mentoring tables that will follow (topics and mentors TBA). In addition, we will celebrate the recipient of the 2016 the Winifred Bryan Horner Outstanding Book Award.

Thursday, April 7

Newcomers’ Coffee Hour
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon A, Level Two

Opening General Session
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM in GRB Auditorium

A.07: Developing Scholarly Momentum: Action Plans for Faculty, Graduate Students, and Their Mentors
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM in Hilton Room 327, Level Three

Speakers offer strategies for scholarly productivity; advice is gleaned from studies and reflection on a doctoral seminar on publishing.

Chair: Simone Billings, Santa Clara University
Speakers: Lars Soderlund, Western Oregon University, “Beyond ‘Just Sit Down and Do It’: Writing Advice from Published Rhetoric and Composition Scholars”
Jaclyn Wells, University of Alabama at Birmingham, “Beyond ‘Just Sit Down and Do It’: Writing Advice from Published Rhetoric and Composition Scholars”
Christine Tulley, University of Findlay, OH, “Avoiding the Stalled Academic Writing Project: Advice for Increasing Faculty Writing Momentum from Rhetoric and Composition Superstars”
Kristine Blair, Bowling Green State University, “Preparing Graduate Students for Scholarly Identities: Balancing Disciplinary Rhetoric with Material Reality”

A.16: Being Teachers: The Praxis of Ethos in Instructor Training
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM in Hilton, Ballroom of the Americas Salon F, Level Two

This roundtable clarifies and reasserts the importance of ethos as a focus of new instructor training and of program administration generally.

Chair: Virginia Bouie Joliet Junior College –
Speaker: Jessica George Indiana University – Quantifying “Being”: The Measurement of Ethos in Instructor Training
Speaker: John McGlothlin, III Indiana University – In Defense of a Professionalized Ethos
Speaker: Alex Penn Indiana University – The Resources and Liabilities of Digital Ethos
Speaker: Jennifer Warfel Juszkiewicz Indiana University Bloomington – Cultivating a Programmatic Ethos of Responsiveness
Respondent: Christine Farris Indiana University, Bloomington

A.33: Professionalizing Graduate Teaching Assistants: How Advisors Support Successful Writing Instruction
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM in GRB Room 351F, Level Three

This session discusses how advisors professionalize GTAs’ pedagogical practices, leading to a more uni ed composition program.

Chair: Christina Giarrusso, Florida State University
Speakers: Steve Oakey, Virginia Tech
Julie Mengert, Virginia Tech
Kathy Combiths, Virginia Tech
Sheila Carter-Tod, Virginia Tech

B.12: Citation Practice, Documentation Style, and Scholarly Writing: New Possibilities and New Frameworks
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM in Hilton, Grand Ballroom L, Level Four

This session is designed to encourage discussion of the ways that roles of and needs for citation formats such as MLA style are changing.

Chair: Kathleen Fitzpatrick Modern Language Association –
Speaker: Daniel Anderson University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – (Re)Figuring Citation: Metaphors, Performance, and Transformative Use.
Speaker: Bonnie Lenore Kyburz Lewis University – How Do I Cite the Stephen Hawking Hologram?
Speaker: John Schilb Indiana University, Bloomington – What to ‘Mark’ and What to Leave ‘Unmarked’: The MLA Guidelines’ Role in Constructing Histories of Scholarship

B.37: Enacting Career Diversity in Rhetoric and Composition: Different Pathways for a Professional Life with a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition
12:15–1:30 PM in GRB Room 340B, Level Three

This panel explores professional pathways for rhet-comp PhDs, including community-college, university-administration, and industry positions.  

Chair: Gail Pizzola, University of Texas at San Antonio
Speakers: Ruijie Zhao, Parkland College, “An Unexpected Step into an Expected Career: Looking Back at my PhD Education from the Vantage Point of a Community College Career”
Joanna Schmidt, Texas Christian University, “Working De nitions: Alt-Ac, Identities, and Opportunities”
Anita Furtner Archer, Raytheon, “An Unexpected Outcome: Building a Career Path with Diverse Experiences”
Respondent: Amy Kimme Hea, University of Arizona, “New Roles, New Responsibilities: Understanding the Roles & Complexities of PhD Programs in Career Diversity” 

E.09: Facebook Identities: Public and Private
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM in Hilton Room 336A, Level Three

Taking into account public and semi-private performances of identity on Facebook, this panel provides case studies of those grieving, aging, professionalizing, and unfollowing.

Chair: Sara DiCaglio, Pennsylvania State University
Speakers: Allegra Smith, Arizona State University, “I Can’t Facebook on My Dumb Phone: Digital Literacies beyond School and Work for Older Adults”
Kristin Ravel, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, “Beyond Unfriending, beyond Unfollowing: A Feminist Methodology for Interpreting Composition in Digital Environments”
Megan McIntyre, Dartmouth College, “Friends of Grief: Facebook, Mourning, and Digital Identity”
Christopher Andrews, McMurry University, “You Have a New Friend Request: Graduate Students, Facebook, and Self-Sponsored Professionalization”

Scholars for the Dream Reception
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon A, Level Two

Writing Across the Curriculum Graduate Organization Meeting
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon C, Level Two (during WAC-SIG)

Anzaldúa Awards Reception
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon B, Level Two 7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

WPA-GO Social Mixer
9:00 PM – 11:00 PM at Pappasito’s Cantina in the Hilton Hotel

Friday, April 8

WPA-GO/CSOGS Mentoring @ Cs Breakfast
8:00 AM – 9:15 AM in GRB Convention Center, Room 351F

F.04: Supporting the Future of the Field: A Roundtable on Graduate Digital Pedagogy
8:00 AM – 9:15 AM in Hilton, Ballroom of the Americas Salon F, Level Two

This roundtable offers strategies for supporting graduate digital pedagogy by describing an experimental peer-led practicum.

Chair: Anna Gurley University of Oklahoma
Speaker: Kerry Banazek University of Pittsburgh, PA
Speaker: Katie Bird University of Pittsburgh
Speaker: Kelsey Cameron University of Pittsburgh
Speaker: Jean Ferguson Carr University of Pittsburgh
Speaker: Lauren Hall University of Pittsburgh, PA
Speaker: Carrie Hall University of Pittsburgh
Speaker: Noel Tague University of Pittsburgh

MTG: Committee on the Status of Graduate Students
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM in Hilton, Room 346B, Level Three (note: the room changed from the original)
Chair: Michael J. Faris

I.33: Demystifying the Job Market: Taking Action towards Transparency through Data and Narrative
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon E, Level Two

Data-driven reports & narrative experiences depict the current comp/rhet job market, giving job seekers & their advisors insights/guidance.

Chair: Lynn Rudloff St. Edward’s University –
Speaker: Caroline Dadas Montclair State University, NJ – Interview Practices as Accessibility
Speaker: Christopher Friend University of Central Florida – From Mickey Mouse to Cigar City: What Flexibility, Interdisciplinarity, and a Two-Hour Drive Can Do for Employability
Speaker: Carrie Leverenz Texas Christian University, Fort Worth – Finding a Fit: An Assessment of Job Seekers’ Experiences of the Job Market in Rhetoric and Composition
Speaker: Amanda Licastro Stevenson University – Adventures of an ABD: Navigating the New Media Job Market
Speaker: Andrea Rosso Efthymiou Hofstra University – The Sustainable WPA: A Contingent Dissertator becomes a Tenure-track Faculty Member
Respondent: Jim Ridolfo University of Kentucky

I.34: Fostering Academic Collaborations: Co-Mentoring as Strategic Action in Rhetoric and Composition
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM in Hilton Room 333, Level Three

We investigate aspects of co-mentoring to ask how the practice can sup- port the pedagogical values and professional careers of R/C scholars.

Chair: Risa P. Gorelick, Research Network Forum
Speakers: Janice Walker, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro Patricia Ericsson, Washington State University, “Re-seeing the ‘Boss Compositionist’ through a Compound Lens of Co-mentoring”
Jennifer Stewart, Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne, “Co-Mentoring via Intentional Interaction: Or How I Learned to Stop Feeling Isolated and Use Social Media for More Than Quizzes”
Michael Day, Northern Illinois University, “Taking Action by Paying It Forward: As We Were Mentored, so Shall We Co-mentor”

J.04: Flipped Professional Development for Hybrid Courses: Preparing Graduate Student Instructors to Teach in a Contemporary First-Year Writing Program
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM in Hilton, Room 328, Level Three

The session discusses implementation and assessment of a flipped instructor development initiative for a large first-year writing program.
Chair: Emmett Ryan Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Speaker: Susan Lang Texas Tech University, Lubbock – Setting the Context for Contemporary Professional Development Programs
Speaker: Monica Norris Texas Tech University, Lubbock – Flipping the Development Program

CCCC Awards/Recognition Reception
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon D, Level Two

FSIG.23: Graduate Student Special Interest Group: Graduate Student Mentorship
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon A, Level Two

An open roundtable discussion between experienced faculty and graduate students regarding best practices in grad student mentorship.

Co-Chairs: Caddie Alford, Indiana University Jennifer Warfel Juszkiewicz, Indiana University
Speakers: Katie Zabrowski, Saint Louis University
Nathaniel Rivers, Saint Louis University
Allison Carr, Coe College
Laura Micciche, University of Cincinnati

Saturday, April 9

Annual Business/Town Meeting
8:00 AM – 9:15 AM in Hilton Ballroom of the Americas Salon B, Level Two

L.07: Develop, Design, Deliver: Teaching Graduate Students to Teach Writing Online
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM in Hilton, Room 335C, Level Three

This panel looks at the need for preparing graduate students to teach online writing instruction through programs and courses.

Chair: Elif Demirel Karadeniz Technical University –
Speaker: Kelli Cargile-Cook Texas Tech University, Lubbock – Developing an OWI Infrastructure to Support Novice Instructors
Speaker: Kevin Eric DePew Old Dominion University – Why Tiaras Matter in OWI: Using Experiential Instructional Delivery to Prepare Online Writing Instructors
Speaker: S. David Grover Texas Tech University –
Speaker: Heidi Harris University of Arkansas at Little Rock – When OWI Meets QM: Online and Graduate Student Response to Principles-Based Course Design

L.12: Graduate Students: Key to a University’s Success
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM in Hilton, Room 336B, Level Three

This panel explores issues of networking graduate writing courses and perceptions of academic writing and how these are important in making universities successful.

Chair: Jennifer England New Mexico State University –
Speaker: Crystal Colombini University of Texas at San Antonio – From Preparatory Pedagogy to “Publish or Perish:” Academic Writing Genres and the Developing Scholar
Speaker: Laurie Pinkert University of Central Florida – Writing within Our Discipline: Surveying Writing Courses in Graduate Programs in Rhetoric and Composition
Speaker: Meridith Reed North Carolina State University – Communities of Support: Investigating the Informal Peer-to-Peer Mentoring of GTAs

L.16: Preparing for a Changing Professional Landscape: Junior Faculty, Disciplinarities, and Graduate Education
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM in Hilton, Ballroom of the Americas Salon F, Level Two

Roundtable participants will discuss how graduate education might accommodate the increasingly complex identities of “Writing Studies.”
Chair: Brad Lucas Texas Christian University
Speaker: Jennifer Courtney Rowan University – Not English and beyond First-Year Writing
Speaker: Gregory Giberson Oakland University, Rochester, MI – Changing Contexts of Disciplinarity: New Faculty, the Writing Major, and Independence
Speaker: Kelly Kinney University of Wyoming – Navigating Program Independence: Lessons for Junior Faculty outside English
Respondent: Jennifer Clary-Lemon University of Winnipeg
Respondent: Lori Ostergaard Oakland University, MI

M.14: Think-Tank for Newcomers: Developing Papers and Sessions for CCCC 2017
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM in Hilton, Ballroom of the Americas Salon E, Level Two

At this think-tank, newcomers will have an opportunity to develop ideas for papers and sessions for CCCC 2017

Chair: Joonna Trapp Emory University, Atlanta, GA –