Balloting in the 2014 elections for second vice president, the Executive Council, the Delegate Assembly, and the division and discussion group executive committees closed on 10 December. Diana Taylor was elected second vice president, and Emily Apter, David Palumbo-Liu, and Vicky Unruh were elected to the Executive Council for four-year terms. Full election results are available on… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Feature
New MLA Project to Strengthen Career Preparation for PhDs
The MLA has received generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to undertake a major project, Connected Academics: Preparing Doctoral Students of Language and Literature for a Variety of Careers. The project will run through August 2019 and will support initiatives aimed at demonstrating how doctoral education can develop students’ capacities to bring the… Read more »
Using MLA Commons to Prepare for the Convention
Are you participating in a session in Vancouver? Visit the MLA convention blog for posts on using the Docs feature to collaborate with colleagues and on uploading your convention materials to the Commons. Posting your presentation is a great way to get attendees involved and to provide resources for those who may be unable to… Read more »
New NEH Grants for Public Scholarship
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has launched the Public Scholar Program to support well-researched books in the humanities that are aimed at a broad readership. Books supported through the Public Scholar Program might present a narrative history, tell the stories of important individuals, analyze significant texts, provide a synthesis of ideas, revive interest… Read more »
Join an MLA Commons Discussion about Reforming Doctoral Study
The MLA is pleased to announce the launch of Graduate Education Reform, an MLA Commons site dedicated to encouraging discussion about the association’s Report of the Task Force on Doctoral Study in Modern Language and Literature and about the future of graduate programs in the humanities. The site features the full text of the report with… Read more »
2014 Prizewinners Announced
Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 MLA publication prize competitions. The publication prizes will be awarded in a ceremony on 10 January at the 2015 MLA Annual Convention in Vancouver. The ceremony is open to the public and will be followed by a reception.
Tips for Interviewees from MLA President Margaret Ferguson
In an interview with HigherEdJobs, Margaret Ferguson, the president of the MLA, discusses what new attendees of the MLA convention can expect, offers guidance on preparing for interviews, and highlights resources available on the MLA Web site. Read the full interview for more of Ferguson’s strategies for interviewing success and to get a preview of… Read more »
MLA Doctoral Study Report Featured in Article on Time to Degree
According to a study by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, much of the discrepancy between time to degree in the humanities and time to degree in other fields can be attributed to course work: PhD candidates in the humanities spend nearly twice as long on predissertation course work than do graduate students in… Read more »
Save by Registering for the Convention by 8 December
If you’re planning to attend the 2015 MLA Annual Convention in Vancouver, register by 8 December to avoid paying higher late or on-site registration fees. By registering now, you’ll also be able to take advantage of the best selection of hotels. For more information about the 2015 convention, including the presidential theme, cultural excursions in… Read more »
New Essays Published in Profession
Essays from the 2014 convention session “Public Humanities,” linked to the Presidential Forum, have now been published in Profession. The six essays—by Matti Bunzl, James Chandler, Julie Ellison, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Jean Howard, and Laura Wexler—ask what public humanities means and consider how scholars can create a public face for the humanities in vulnerable times. Also… Read more »