Call for Papers – Special Issue of The CEA Critic
Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) and Teaching in the Humanities
Guest Editors
- Emily Jane Pucker, Georgia College & State University (emily.pucker)
- Roberto S. León, Georgia College & State University (roberto.leon)
Occasion and Direction
Generative artificial intelligence (genAI) programs such as Quillbot, ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude have already had a profound impact on higher education. At their best, such programs can spark ideas and research in helping human users through the writing process. At their worst, they can also encourage academic dishonesty in producing texts that pass as original, human writing. Whether a five-paragraph essay or the bar exam, genAI promises to get the job done—and in a flash. The genAI genie, some say, is out of the bottle, so the question is obvious for educators: what are best practices in moving forward with the teaching of critical thinking and writing?
This special issue of The CEA Critic invites submissions that consider how genAI technology figures in the writing, language, and literature classroom, both today and with an eye on the future. Our goal is to offer a wide variety of papers that attend to questions such as:
- What challenges do teachers face as students turn to AI to complete assignments?
- How might teachers mitigate the effects of “cognitive offloading” when teaching with AI?
- What are the ethical implications of using AI in our classrooms?
- How might teachers use AI to generate course materials?
- How might large-language models become “tutor bots,” helping readers in making sense of difficult texts?
- How might AI support new insights in literary analysis?
- What new frontiers can AI open for the English studies?
These questions are by no means meant to limit inquiry. Rather, we aim to cultivate an issue that spans theorical speculation to hallway conversations. In short, we want to hear from you, no matter your perspective!
Timeline
- August 1, 2025: Proposal abstracts due
- September 1, 2025: Decisions sent out
- November 1, 2025: Full papers due
Submissions will be peer reviewed in accordance with the journal’s guidelines. Completed papers should not exceed 8,000 words (including all references) and be formatted according to emily.pucker) and Dr. Leon (roberto.leon).