Abstracts for the Modern Language Association Conference 2006

Philadelphia, PA

Friday, 29 December

Session 460. Opportunities in Publishing, Research Assistance, and
Leadership: Your Regional MLA

1:45-3:00 p.m., 308, Philadelphia Marriott

Program arranged by the Regional MLAs

Finding Funding at the Regional Level, Grady C. Wray, Executive Director SCMLA, Univ. of Oklahoma

The six regional modern language associations allow scholars an additional opportunity to present their research at other times throughout the year. They also afford their members the opportunity to compete for prizes and fellowships that many times are unavailable from universities within the six distinct regions. This presentation outlines the many prizes that are available from the regional MLAs and gives the eligibility requirements as well as brochures that outline the application process for these awards.
The regional MLA conferences for 2007 are as follows:

Midwest (MMLA): 8-11 November 2007 - Cleveland

North East (NEMLA): 1-4 March 2007 - Baltimore

Pacific Ancient (PAMLA): TBA

South Atlantic (SAMLA) Date TBA - Atlanta

South Central (SCMLA): 1-3 November 2007 - Memphis

Rocky Mountain (RMMLA): 4-6 October 2007 - Alberta, Canada


The Joy of Leading by Following: Business as Unusual in the Postposturing Era, Catherine Kunce

The personal and professional benefits derived from serving on a regional MLA board are so numerous and profound that one might expect to expend a great
deal of time and effort in such service. But nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, to corrupt unconscionably Winston Churchill words, "Never have so many done so little and received so much." Whereas election to other boards might be impossible, one stands an excellent chance of being elected to a regional board. Whereas the workload on other service organizations proves onerous, due to executive directors' legendary industry and due to the innate structure of regional MLA's, the "work" is at once minimal and pleasurable. Whereas beefing up a CV frequently requires many hours of research and the production of a published essay, simply being
elected to a regional MLA board offers a leg up to tenure-track faculty. Additionally, any hiring committee will consider a graduate student's service on a board a decided plus. Whereas power maneuvers and dealing with complex issues sometimes make leading other committees burdensome, clearly delineated duties that benefit fellow scholars make "leadership" on a regional MLA board both simple and democratic. In fact, the only downside to serving on a regional MLA is that the term eventually ends.


MLA Regional Journals: Accountability, Innovation, Laurence Roth, Susquehanna University, Editor, Modern Language Studies

As with other refereed, academic journals, editing and publishing an MLA regional journal is fraught with professional, technical, and political challenges. Foremost among these is maintaining accountability to the board and the membership of the MLA regional. On a practical level, such accountability is a necessity. The journal's reason for being is precisely to support the research, teaching, and learning of its members and to be a site of intellectual, cultural, and literary exchange. But as the cultural studies scholar Toby Miller points out, on a theoretical and critical level "accountability" also underscores the hegemony produced and reinforced by a professional publication that arbitrates entry and success within a discipline. While I do not think that Miller is correct in assuming that journals of profession are inevitably conservative in their approach to (inter)disciplinary innovation in the work they publish, I do think most editors unwittingly subscribe to a conservative notion of what a professional journal should look like. MLA regional journals offer an untapped opportunity for experimenting with the form and look of an academic journal. Through such innovation they can offer more avenues for entry and recognition within our discipline (a goal of the regionals in general), and, at the same time, by attending to a material signifier of the intellectual
work we do they can help reshape student and laypeople's perceptions of, and uses for, that work.

Plus, final comments by Josephine McQuail.