Call for Proposals
Call for Proposals: Boston Area Language Pedagogy Conference 2026:
“Language Sustainability and the Future of Language Programs”
Conference email: balpc.harvard@gmail.com
April 11, 2026
Deadline for submissions: January 20, 2026
Acceptance notification: mid-February 2026
The Boston Area Language Pedagogy Conference (BALPC) invites proposals for presentations that explore how language programs and educators can cultivate sustainability in language use, teaching, and learning, both within and beyond the classroom.
As global challenges like climate change, shifting enrollments, and rapid technological transformation continue to reshape higher education, language educators are uniquely positioned to model sustainable, inclusive, and resilient approaches to language and culture learning.
How do we ensure the vitality of languages, particularly Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs), in a time of change? How can curricula, pedagogical practices, and community partnerships sustain both learners and instructors? What might a “de-digitalized” or environmentally conscious language classroom look like?
We invite abstracts on topics related, but not limited, to:
- Language sustainability and long-term program viability in higher education;
- Cultural and linguistic sustainability: nurturing identity, heritage, and belonging through language teaching;
- Labor sustainability and equitable structures for language educators;
- Language preservation and revitalization, particularly for endangered languages;
- Grammar, form, and narrative as laboratories for environmental and ethical imagination;
- Fostering collective consciousness through language;
Interdisciplinary approaches linking language, place, and memory; Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) courses; Foreign Language Across the Curriculum; (FLAC); - Language, environment, and climate change in pedagogy and community engagement;
- Mindful engagement with technology and its environmental footprint;
- Collaborative practices that build sustainable language communities across campuses and communities.
Format of Presentation
15-20 minute presentation
Submission Guidelines
Please submit a title (15 words maximum) and a 250-word abstract outlining the focus of your presentation, the central question or issue it addresses, and how it relates to the theme of Language Sustainability and the Future of Language Programs. Proposals that include practical applications or innovative teaching strategies are highly encouraged.
Due to the linguistic diversity of our community and in the interest of inclusivity and accessibility, please submit titles and abstracts in English. If you include a target-language term, please provide a transliteration.
Submission Deadline: January 20, 2026
Send proposals to: balpc.harvard@gmail.com
Acceptance Notification: Mid-February 2026
Conference Date: April 11, 2026
Review Process
Abstracts will be evaluated by the BALPC Conference Committee according to the following criteria:
- Clear goals, objectives, and intended outcomes;
- Relevance to the conference theme;
- Innovation and significance in the field of language education;
- Organization, clarity, and quality of writing.
Additional Information
We are committed to welcoming presenters and attendees from all language communities, creeds, races, and abilities; ASL interpretation will be provided for the duration of the conference program.