MLA Professional Development Webinars
The MLA offers professional development programming throughout the year to support members and those working in languages and literatures more broadly.
2023–24 Webinars
Resisting Political Threats to Humanities Higher Education
14 November 2023
2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Moderator: Paula Krebs (MLA)
Speakers: Christopher González (Southern Methodist Univ.), Aaron Nisenson (American Association of University Professors), Amy Reid (New College of Florida), Amy Thompson (West Virginia Univ., Morgantown)
Faculty members in states where higher education is under attack by legislators are feeling increasingly vulnerable in their jobs, from seemingly mundane tasks to high-stakes ones—from sending an email to writing a syllabus; from advocating for research, pedagogy, and policy in DEI to applying for tenure. These laws are broad and unclear: teaching and classroom discussion are being restricted, programs are being dismantled, and campuses are struggling to respond. These developments place faculty members in the humanities in deep uncertainty because their work engages with the very questions and conversations governing bodies are attempting to quash through restrictions on intellectual work and slashes in funding.
We’ll talk with faculty members wrestling with tough questions: What can you write in an email or a syllabus, and what can’t you write? What events can you attend, and what ones can’t you attend? How can faculty members resist the prospect of censorship? What are some strategies for talking about academic freedom, and what resources are available to support those who decide to take action? How are faculty members and leaders in the humanities using policy and coalition-building to respond to the dismantling of offices and programs?
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Grant Writing and Project Development in the Humanities
27 September 2023
2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Host: Janine Utell (MLA)
Facilitator: Julie-Françoise Tolliver (Univ. of Oklahoma)
This webinar provides information about grant and fellowship opportunities in the humanities and introduces the practice of grant writing as an integral part of project development. Speakers outline the annual cycle of external funding opportunities and explain the values and uses of grant writing. They demonstrate how, even beyond the tremendous benefit of a potentially successful application, grant proposals can serve as a useful exercise in articulating the scope and central arguments of a project, operate as a blueprint for the article or book in progress, and deliver the introduction to an article or the first draft of a future book proposal. The webinar includes an interactive workshop component to guide participants in selecting a funding opportunity and drafting the beginning of a grant application.
Julie-Françoise Tolliver works at the University of Oklahoma. She is senior faculty fellow for arts and humanities research with the Center for Faculty Excellence, assistant director for grants and fellowships in the Arts and Humanities Forum, and associate professor of English.
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Coming Spring 2024:
Ethical and Effective Mentoring
Career Versatility in Humanities Higher Education