CFP: COCAL X, Mexico City, 9th-12th August 2012

Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor: CALL FOR PAPERS

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COCAL (Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor) is an international coalition of higher education contingent faculty in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Every two years for over a decade, delegates and participants from these three nations have been coming together at conferences in order to share information and analysis, promote activism, and advocate on behalf of contingent faculty in North America and beyond.

This is a call for papers by individuals and organizations that represent contingent faculty in higher education in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Presentations should not exceed 5 pages (time: 10 minutes) and
should address a topic specified by one of the workshops listed below.
There are three over-arching themes of this conference, each addressed by one of the plenary sessions listed below, and the workshops following each plenary session address some aspect of that central theme.
Workshop presentations should have a experiential and practical focus, that can be applied by contingent faculty in diverse situations.

Abstract proposals are to be submitted to the COCAL X Organizing Committee, by May 15, 2012 at the email address indicated at the end of this document. Once accepted, presenters will be contacted to submit their papers so that they can be translated into the other two languages prior to the conference.

Plenary 1: Changes in academic work in the context of neoliberal globalization

Workshops:

1) Teaching, research, and dissemination of knowledge to the larger community, and academic management of e-learning

2) Health, unemployment, and retirement benefits

3) Academic improvement, evaluation processes and recognition

Plenary 2: Organization and new forms of struggle by academic workers; challenges and strategies for the 21st century

Workshops:

4) Unions, associations, federations, networks and coalitions

5) Employment rights (hiring, retention, tenure, wages, health benefits, safety, etc.)

6) Trade union rights (institutional recognition, collective bargaining rights, alliances and federations, and government restrictions/interference in these rights)

7) Political and cultural rights, including academic freedom

8) Forms of the struggle and achievements (campaigns, negotiations, demonstrations, work stoppages, strikes and other concerted activities, use of new technologies/ social media, and success stories)

Plenary 3: Culture and identity of the new academic citizens in higher education in North America and other parts of the world

Workshops:

9) Academic culture and University identity

10) New academic citizens/workers, new work, and the University community

11) Multicultural identity and race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability/different capabilities

12) Relationship of the contingent academic worker with other sectors of the University community (tenure-line faculty, research faculty, students, other workers, administration)

Guidelines for submitting abstracts:

Send submissions as Word documents only.
Font and font size: Arial or Times New Roman, font size 11 or 12 point
Format: 1.5 line spacing; letter size
Abstract should be no more than 250 words
The presentation should not exceed 5 pages or 10 minutes.
Please include:
- your name,
- your educational institution,
- your union or facultyo rganization,
- the numbered workshop topic,
- and the title of your proposed presentation.
The presentation may be in French, English or Spanish. There will be simultaneous translation at the conference.
Please Include, in additio to your abstract,
- a one-paragraph CV
- with your full name,
- your best contact phone number and email,
- and the name of the institution/organization you will be representing.
In order to participate in the Conference, you will need to register and pay all applicable registration fees. Please visit the COCAL X website at: http://cocalinternational.org/index.html
Deadline for submitting abstracts: May 15, 2012
Email address for submitting abstracts: [email protected] (You will receive a confirmation from the same address.)