The challenges of teaching humanities in today’s increasingly polarized political climate are profound. Educators find themselves at the intersection of diverse ideologies, cultural tensions, and barriers students may face in their access to education. How do we teach literature and writing in ways that foster civility, empathy, and meaningful dialogue amid stark political divides? For the 2025 NJCEA annual conference, we ask you to consider ideas and pedagogical strategies that help navigate these tensions without losing the richness and relevance of literature and writing.
We are particularly interested in papers that address the following areas:
- Creating inclusive classrooms and innovating in curricular design
- Promoting ethics and responsibility in and beyond the classroom
- Valuing the humanities in narrowing the political divide
- Fostering the informed consumption of digital and media literacy
- Responding to book bans and restrictions on content through creative writing
- Creating assignments that encourage students to critically engage with literature and write about social and political issues
- Engaging in political discourse to teach rhetorical strategies
- Anticipating and responding to student resistance to sensitive topics
- The impact of K-12 education on higher education
- Demonstrating the transferability of the skills learned in the literature and writing classroom to career paths
Or any other issues in rhetoric/composition, literature, linguistics, and undergrad/grad studies.
Both single papers and fully formed panels may be submitted for consideration. Submissions for single papers should include a 300-word abstract and brief bio. Submissions for complete panels should include a 300-word overview and the names and affiliations of all participants.
In order to guarantee as broad involvement in the conference as possible, participants may only present in one session and chair one session.
Graduate Student Awards in Literature (literary analysis) or Pedagogy (teaching methodologies and reflections), and Writing (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry)
Graduate students are invited to submit papers or creative pieces for the NJCEA annual Graduate Student Awards. The winners of these two awards will receive Amazon gift cards and have their papers published in The Watchung Review, the official publication of the NJCEA. Complete submissions can be sent as electronic attachments to Rachael Warmington at rkw2111@gmail.com by February 7th, 2025.
In order to be eligible to win the graduate student awards, students must present their work at the conference. The deadline for submission of essays and creative pieces for the conference is February 7, 2025.
