DLLC Spring Symposium

DLLC Symposium 2026

Theme: "Eco-logics: Reading and Writing Environmental Change"

As we navigate an era defined by rapid climatic shifts and ecological precarity, the ways in which we narrate, translate, and archive our relationship with the Earth have never been more critical. This campus-wide symposium seeks to explore the "logics" of ecology — the underlying structures of thought, language, and culture that shape our environmental realities. We aim to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue that moves beyond data to examine the stories we tell about the planet’s past, present, and speculative futures.

Call for Proposals

The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Appalachian State University is pleased to announce their annual symposium to be held on March 25-26, 2026. We welcome proposals for presentations from faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and members of the local community. Topics of interest for this year's symposium include (but are not limited to):

  • Climate Fiction
  • Digital Ecologies & The Screened Wilderness
  • Eco-refugees & Eco-migrations
  • Ecocriticism
  • Endangered Languages & Cultures
  • Environmental Justice & Marginalized Voices
  • Environmental Movements
  • Local Ecologies
  • Nature as Character
  • Post-Apocalyptic Narratives
  • The Poetics of Loss

We also welcome diverse topics in the domains of the humanities and pedagogy, preferably with a focus on world language, literature, and culture.

Please, submit proposal for presentation including, but not limited to, the following formats:

  • Joint Presentations Exploring Collaboration between Faculty and Students and/or the University and the Community

  • Pedagogical Demonstrations

  • Presentations of Academic Research In-Progress

  • Presentations of Academic Papers

  • Presentations of Original Art or Creative Writing

  • Reflections on Teaching and/or Learning Experiences

  • Roundtable Presentations around a Specific Theme

Depending on the type of presentation, symposium presentations can range between 15–30 mins.

The submission deadline for presentation proposals is Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Submissions should include:

  • Presenter’s information (contact information and relationship to university (faculty/student department, etc.)
  • Clear denotation of the type of presentation to be given and time needed (15–30 mins).
  • A title and 200-word abstract.

Please submit proposals via email and direct any question pertaining to format to Dr. Benito del Pliego (delpliegob@appstate.edu).

All submissions will be reviewed by the members of our Events Committee, with notifications of acceptance to be sent by Sunday, March 8, 2026.