The presidential theme, Vulnerable Times, is the focus of more than two hundred sessions at this year’s convention. You can now view the list of sessions in the online Program. As the convention approaches, we will feature a few of the sessions in greater detail here on MLA Commons.
There are myriad ways to think about vulnerability in our disciplines. Some relate to the works we study, while others center on the profession itself. In her post discussing the theme, MLA President Marianne Hirsch reaches far beyond the walls of the academy to evoke the global and humanitarian vulnerabilities we face. The Vulnerable Times sessions reflect this broad scope by including a wide range of disciplines and topics that are certain to spark vibrant discussion.
As presider of a special session that is included within the theme, I’ve chosen to lead a discussion on ways that graduate and undergraduate programs might respond to the vulnerability that students face after earning their degrees. The roundtable brings together representatives of programs in the Praxis Network, a new international partnership of graduate and undergraduate programs that are embarking on collaborative, interdisciplinary, project-based approaches to humanities education.
The Praxis Network programs help prepare students for a range of careers. They also encourage students to explore ways to make humanities scholarship meaningful to an expanded audience by developing public-facing projects that are accessible to nonspecialists, without sacrificing disciplinary rigor.
Chairing or participating in a session relating to this year’s presidential theme? Mention it in the comments or contact us to have it featured on this blog!
Here is the Community College Humanities Association’s session connected to the convention theme:
Friday, 10 January
418. Vulnerability and Survivalism of the Humanities in Corporatized Academia
5:15–6:30 p.m.
Program arranged by the Community College Humanities Association
Presiding: Steven Hymowech, Fulton-Montgomery Community Coll., NY
1. “Right Leaders of Wrong: A Revolution in Higher Education,” Jesse Stommel, Marylhurst Univ.
2. “Banding Together in the Face of the Coming ‘Apocalypse,'” Lee Skallerup Bessette, Morehead State Univ.
3. “Who Owns the Humanities?” George Louis Scheper, Community Coll. of Baltimore County, MD
4. “Vulnerability and Academia: A Critical Analysis,” Paul Lauter, Trinity Coll., CT
Respondent: Stacey Lee Donohue, Central Oregon Community Coll.
[…] We’re delighted that our panel on the Praxis Network is included among the sessions related to this year’s presidential theme, Vulnerable Times. A brief post about the panel and how it fits into the theme is available on the MLA convention blog. […]