lami fofana

Department of Writing, Rhetoric & American Cultures

Michigan State University

education
Ph.D. Candidate in Rhetoric and Writing,
Michigan State University, expected May 2016.
Concentration: Cultural Rhetorics.
Dissertation Title: Uncommon Accents, Like Bodies, Still Matter
Committee: Malea Powell (Chair), Trixie Smith, Alexandra Hidalgo and Candace Epps-Robertson
MA: English, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia, 2011
A.A. Diploma of Bible Ministry & Training Faith Landmarks Biblical Institute, Richmond, Virginia, 2011.
B.A: Broadcast Journalism, English Department, High Point University, High Point, North Carolina, 2006
AA: Liberal Arts, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond, Virginia, 2004

academic appointments
Composition Adjunct Instructor, Davenport University, English Department, Grand Rapids
Campus 08/2015-05/2016
Graduate Teaching Assistant. Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures,
Michigan State University, 08/2013-05/2016.
Writing Instructor, Engineering & Science Summer Academy, Michigan State University,
Summer 2013 & 2015
English and Writing Tutor, Davenport University, Lansing Campus, 08/2012-Present
Interdisciplinary, Inquiry and Teaching Research Fellow, James Madison Residential College,
Michigan State University, 08/2012-05/2014
Graduate Writing Center Fellowship, Michigan State Writing Center, 08/2011-05/2013
English Adjunct, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA. 8/2009-5/2011
English Teacher, Williamsburg James City County Public Schools, Williamsburg, VA. 2006-2007

publications
BOOK CHAPTER
Coogan, David, Kelly Libby, Rebekah Holbrook, Lindsay Chudzik, Lami Fofana-Kamara. The
Extra-curriculum of the M.A. in Rhet/Comp, University of Georgia Press, 2012.
Fofana, Lami. (Forthcoming) Playcook & Teaching Writing: Rethinking Space Construction in
Teaching Writing. Enculturation.
Fofana, Lami, Carrie K. W. Li, and Yi Ting Chua. Making Writing Visible Through a Global Thirdspace
Paradigm. Auto-Biography Studies. Teaching Lives: Contemporary Pedagogies of Life Narrative
(2016): (Under-Review).

presentations
NATIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATION:
Fofana, Lami. (2014, October) Collaborative Contribution: Doing Inter/Trans/Multi Disciplinarily Work.
Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, Michigan State University.

Lami Fofana: CV 2
Fofana, Lami. (2014, November) Group Projects As Epistemic: Rethinking Collaborative Pedagogy, Space &
Student Learning. Cultural Rhetoric Conference, Michigan State University
Fofana, Lami. (2014, March). De/Colonial Second Language Pedagogy: Responding To The New Basic
Writers/Writing Exigency Conference on College Composition and Communication. Indianapolis.
Fofana, Lami. (Chair, 2013, March) Literacy Education Outside of the Curriculum. Conference on College
Composition and Communication, St. Louis, Missouri.
Fofana, Lami. (2013, November). (De/Colonizing B/lackness Narratives: Under/Through A Western Gaze.
African Studies Association. Baltimore.
Fofana, Lami. (2013 September). Delinking Monolithic Blackness: A Rhetorical Embodiments of Black
is/not Beauty FemRhet Conference; San Francisco.
Fofana, Lami. (2013, March). De/colonizing African Rhetorics: Publicizing, Histories & Narratives of
Colonized Subjects, Conference on College Composition and Communication. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fofana, Lami. (July, 2013,). Publicizing B(lack)ness: Theorizing Supermodel Alek Weks
Beauty/Beast, ISHR Nineteenth Biennial Conference, Chicago.
Fofana, Lami. October, 2013). Writing with Ex-offenders: Retelling and Retooling
Writing Processes, Watson Conference 2012. University of Louisville, Kentucky.
Fofana-Kamara, Lami. (2012, March) Discovery sites of writing: A writing project with exoffenders, College English Association, Richmond, VA.
Fofana-Kamara, Lami. (March, 2012) Literacy Education Outside of the Curriculum.
Conference on College Composition and Communication, St. Louis, Missouri.
Fofana, Lami and Novotny, Maria. (2012, February). Re(arranging) the Middle:
Navigating thirdspaces as a new contact zone ECWCA.
Fofana, Lami. (2009, March). Remixing the MA. Conference on College Composition and
Communication. Louisville, Kentucky.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Fofana, Lami and Emily Riley (2013, April). Understanding Backwards Design: An interdisciplinary
Course Design to Teach Gender, War and Conflict. Symposium on Teaching, Learning and
Graduate Education at MSU.
Fofana, Lami and Maria Novotny. (2012, June) Re(arranging) the Middle: Navigating Thirdspaces as a
new contact zone poster will be presented at the IWAC.
GRADUATE CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Fofana, Lami. (2015, April). Situating our Space: A Thirdspace Contact Zone CAL Pedagogy
Conference.
Fofana, Lami. (2014, April). Understanding by Design: An interdisciplinary Course Design to Teach
Gender, War and Conflict. College of Arts and Letters Graduate Symposium on Teaching,
Learning and Graduate Education at MSU.

Fofana, Lami. (2010, March). With Pen in Hand: Lets Talk About Text. Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg, VA.

awards & honors

College of Arts and Letters Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Michigan State University,
Summer 2016
Ford Foundation, Dissertation Completion Fellowship Honoree Mentioned, April 2015
Interdisciplinary, Inquiry and Teaching Research Fellow, James Madison Residential College,
Michigan State University, 08/2012-05/2014
Rhetoric and Writing Program Research/Travel Grant. Michigan State University, 2011-2015
College of Arts and Letters Summer Fellowship. Michigan State University, (2012-2015)

workshop & brownbag

Writing Across Curriculum and Culture. (2015, September). For MasterCard Fellows, Michigan
State university
Intro to the Writing Center (2015, October). Michigan State University Writing Center
Personal Statement Writing Workshop for MasterCard Scholars. (2015, October). Michigan
State University Writing Center

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Personal Statement Workshop. (2014, February & April). Michigan State University Writing
Center
Communicating with Visuals (2013, October & November). Michigan State University
Writing Center
Personal Statement Writing Workshop. (2013, March). Facilitator. Spring Workshop Series.
Michigan State University Writing Center
Intro to the Writing Center (2012, October). Michigan State University Writing Center
Navigating the PhD Workshop. (2012, September & October). Assistant. Michigan State
University Writing Center
Navigating the PhD Workshop. (2011, November). Michigan State University Writing Center
CONFERENCE PANEL DEVELOPER
Fofana, Lami. CCCC Panel Developer/Organizer, Reimagining SRTOL: Generation 1.5
Students Right to House their own Languages Indianapolis, March 2014
A Multicultural Re-imagination of 21st Century Humanities Classroom (Feb. 2015)

teaching experiences
INSTRUCTIONAL EXPERIENCE

Graduate Teaching Assistant 2013-2016:

WRA150: Evolution of American Thoughts, (2 Sections)
WRA125: Writing: American and Racial Experiences (4 Sections).
MC 482: Gender, Violent and Conflict Spring 2013 (co-taught this course)
INSTRUCTOR

Courses taught
Davenport: Grand Rapids
Engl 109: Composition (2 Sections)
J.Sargeant Reynolds Community College: Richmond, VA.
Engl 111 Freshman Composition I (Fall 2009 & Spring 2010)
Engl 112: Freshman Composition II (Spring 2010)
English Teacher: Williamsburg James-City County Public Schools. 2005-06, Williamsburg, VA
Substitute Teacher: Hanover County Public Schools, 2006-08, Richmond, VA
GUEST LECTURE:
Fofana, Lami, Women Roles In the Liberia Civil War, MC 482: Gender, Violent and
Conflict, March 20, 2014.
Fofana, Lami, History and conflict: a desire for pan-Africanism turned brutally violent,
March 25, 2014
Fofana, Lami, Charles Taylors blood diamond wars: the mobilization and militarization of
boys as child soldiers, (March 27, 2014)
Fofana, Lami : An unconventional weapon: beyond religious and gender boundaries?
April, 1, & 10th

ALTERNNATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL EXPERIENCE

MENTORING
Graduate Writing Consultant. (08/2011-Present) Michigan State University Writing Center,
Graduate Writing Group Facilitator. (2011-Present) Michigan State University Writing Center (
Writing/English Tutor. (2012-Present) Davenport University, Lansing Campus.
Professional Writing Instructor. (2012-2014) Trinity Church ESL Program, East Lansing

Lami Fofana: CV 4
Basic Writing Instructor. (2008- 2011) Boaz & Ruth Ex-offender Re-Entry Transition Program
(6 Sections), Richmond, VA.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Upper Level Course

MSU James Madison Residential College, Comparative Culture and Politics
MC 482: Gender, War and Conflict (2014).

Workshop
Michigan State Writing Center
Mapping Culture as Writing Practices: Writing Across Curriculum and Culture (2015)

service
NATIONAL
Developer/Creator: Special Interest Group (SiG) Conference on College Composition and
Communication Annual Convention, Tampa Florida, 2015.
Panel Chair. Conference on College Composition and Communication Annual Convention.
2012; St. Louis.
UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE
Planning Committee Member. Edges: The College of Arts and Letters Graduate Conference,
Michigan State University, 09/2012-02/2013.
DEPARTMENT
PhD Student Representative. Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures Chair
Advisory Committee, Michigan State University, Spring 2013.
Graduate Student Recruitment Partner. Graduate Program in Rhetoric and Writing, Michigan
State University, 02/2012 & 02/2013.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Pentecost International Worship Center. (08/2014-Present) Small Group Bible Study
Facilitator, East Lansing, MI
All Nation Christian Fellowship. (July/2012-Present) Writing Lab Facilitator. Trinity Church,
East Lansing, MI.
Co-Founder: MSUs International Women Support Group. Lansing, MI, 2012-2014.

affiliations
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
CCCC Black Caucus
CCCC NESI SiG
Modern Language Association
National Council of Teachers of English
Rhetoric Society of America
Oral History Association
Writing, Rhetoric, and Praxis Graduate Student Organization

languages
English (first language; fluent speaking, reading, writing)
French (intermediate speaking, reading, writing)
Sierra Leone Krio English (advance speaking, reading, writing)

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Last Updated, September 2015