NPEC welcomes brief essays that discuss approaches to teaching the long eighteenth century at all levels, from high school classes for juniors and seniors, through general education and upper and lower division classes in specific disciplines and majors. The journal is interested in assignments, units, thematically-based syllabi, and other strategies that encourage understanding of the political, social, historical, and cultural context of the period.
Content:
1. Describe in general terms the institution at which you teach and the class setting in which the assignment, strategy, or syllabus is employed, where the individual assignments occur in the syllabus, and their grade weight. For example: “I teach general education at a state teaching-based university; this strategy is a low-stakes writing assignment in a First Year Writing syllabus and is graded on the basis of completeness.”
2. Inclusion of resources like assignment sheets and grading rubrics is encouraged. They should be placed in appendices at the end of the essay and are not included in the word count.
3. Essays may address, but are not restricted to:
Assignments, readings, or units that introduce eighteenth-century subjects in general education and other courses that are not specifically listed as eighteenth-century focused
Strategies for promoting understanding of the period at all levels
Thematically or genre-based course syllabi that include eighteenth-century texts or concepts (for example, a survey of philosophical or historical figures, a course on romance or the Gothic)
Innovative uses of technology in enhancing students’ understanding of the long eighteenth century
4. While we encourage essays that incorporate theoretical frameworks for both period study and pedagogy, the emphasis should be on praxis not theory, the actual details of the assignment rather than the theory that underpins it.
5. For information on format, documentation, reviewing process, and language use, please review the General Guidelines for Essay Submissions to NPEC.
Audience:
The audience for these essays is broad, and thus we encourage essays that indicate how a particular strategy could be adapted for a range of disciplines.
Use of Student Work:
Student work may only be used anonymously and with the prior permission of the student. Local IRB standards may apply.
Length:
Essays should be between 3,000 and 4,000 words, or 8-12 double-spaced pages, not including endnotes or appendices.
Submission:
Essays should be submitted to Martha F. Bowden, Pedagogy Editor, at mbowden@kennesaw.edu.
Authors who are not members of SEASECS are asked to join at the time of submission.