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UIC Writing Center and Public Space conference series Fall 2007 / News & Announcements

"Race in the Writing Center: Towards New Theory and Praxis"

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We invite panel and individual-paper proposals for the UIC Writing Center and Public Space conference series on "Race in the Writing Center: Towards New Theory and Praxis" to be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago, February 29 & March 1, 2008.

Keynote Presentations: Frankie Condon, U of Nebraska-Lincoln author of "Beyond the Known: Writing Centers and the Work of Anti-Racism."

Kevin K. Kumashiro U of Illinois at Chicago founding director of Center for Anti-Oppressive Education We are seeking new and exciting work that explores the relationship between writing, race, tutoring, and writing center spaces and practices.

Sample questions for presentations include, but are not limited to, the following: * How should tutors address race or racism in their tutoring sessions, conversations with one another, or in their own writing? * What theoretical models offer ways to change writing center practice regarding race? * How has color-blind ideology influenced our discussions of race? * Why don't writing centers reflect the diversity of their institutions? * How has race informed our discussions about ESL and EFL learners? * How do we respond to dialect and vernacular in our centers? * In what ways do we racialize writing? * How are our writers and tutors implicated in silencing issues of race? What maintains this silence? * How does "racial passing" occur? How is it part of the texts of our writers?

How is this tactic encouraged or discouraged? How is it a response to institutional demands? How should we respond? * How do we forge a "racial literacy" into writing center theory and praxis? * How are urban institutions doing "race" differently in their writing centers? In what ways can non-urban institutions contribute to this conversation?

Why has writing center theory been silent around these issues for so long?

The conference will also host several roundtable workshops. Roundtable discussion will begin with 2-minute statements by each of the participants.

Undergraduate tutors are highly encouraged to participate. To join a roundtable, please submit a proposal in response to one of these questions: *How should tutors respond to race issues in a tutoring session? *How can tutors help create a more diverse body of tutors at their writing center? *What are examples of ways your writing center has learned more about race? *How can we foster ongoing learning about race at our writing centers?

During the conference, there will also be a meeting for representatives of writing centers from the Urban-13 universities. Several travel stipends will be available for students from these universities.

250-word proposals (100-word for roundtables) are due December 17, 2007.

Also provide your name, institutional affiliation, mail and e-mail address, and a telephone number.

Panel proposals should include panel title, description of panel theme, name of chair, one-page abstracts of each paper, and contact information for each presenter.

Please mail or e-mail conference proposals to: The UIC Writing Center Vainis Aleksa University of Illinois at Chicago (MC 162) Chicago, Illinois 60607 OR raceinwritingcenter@gmail.com Proposals will be reviewed by Vainis Aleksa, Aneeka A. Henderson, and Lydia Saravia.

Early registration for students will be $60; for non-students, $100. Meals will be included for Friday night, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. More info on registration and updates for this conference will be posted in September 2007 on the UIC Writing Center website http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/writing/ ‚ The Writing Center as Liaison: Retaining L2 Students in Nursing and Other Fields

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