News from the MLA » MLA in the News

Fitzpatrick Speaks about Open Access

Anna Chang — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:40:49 +0000

In a statement at the National Academy of Sciences meeting on public access to federally supported research and development publications, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, the MLA’s director of scholarly communication, discussed the changing role of professional societies in the Internet era. Citing the ability to disseminate one’s work through a platform like MLA Commons, Fitzpatrick posited that “the value of joining a scholarly society in the age of open, public Web-based communication may be in participation.” Read the full text of her statement on the office of scholarly communication blog.

The MLA and the Humanities: An Interview with the MLA’s Executive Director

Anna Chang — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:19:26 +0000

In an interview with Ernesto Priego for 4Humanities, Rosemary G. Feal, the executive director of the MLA, discusses the association’s new initiatives, its ongoing work on behalf of teachers and students, and the importance of supporting a public role for the humanities.

Article on the Role of Contingent Faculty Members in Governance

Anna Chang — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:56:23 +0000

The 2013 MLA convention’s Presidential Forum, which addressed the working conditions of non-tenure-track faculty members in higher education, was featured in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article (log-in required) about the issue. Examining a recent vote by faculty members of New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the piece considers the role of non-tenure-track faculty members in university governance and how that affects their working conditions.

MLA President on MOOCs

Anna Chang — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:05:12 +0000

In a New York Times letter to the editor, MLA President Marianne Hirsch responds to Thomas L. Friedman’s article on the potential of massive open online courses (MOOCs). While acknowledging that MOOCs may expand access to university curricula, Hirsch warns that current models provide a narrow range of perspectives. She argues instead for cultivating “a multitude of professors with different views who can share deep critical thinking in a community of learners such as only the embodied experience of the classroom can yield.”

MLA President on Reforming Graduate Studies

Kathleen Fitzpatrick — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:19:04 +0000

In a speech to the Council of Graduate Schools, MLA President Michael Bérubé articulated the importance of reforming graduate programs in the humanities and acknowledged the hurdles that must be overcome. Despite the challenges, reports Inside Higher Ed, Bérubé affirmed the value of graduate education in the humanities and its continuing vitality.