David Young

Candidate statement

I envision this position with the Modernist Studies Association as one that advocates for graduate student members of the organization. I would like to see the MSA make a commitment to more graduate student inclusion—especially those from underrepresented communities and small programs—at the annual conference including doing away with “panels composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted” language in CFPs, more graduate student focused seminars/workshops on the profession and modernism’s role in the profession, and how to engage in more public facing scholarship. I would, however, prefer to hear from other graduate student members of MSA to discover what they want and need from the organization, taking those requests to the board, and begin to implement those deemed viable at future conference or through electronic means, including a graduate student portal of some kind on MSA websites. I have participated in MSA seminars in Pittsburgh, Pasadena, and Columbus and am currently working on a dissertation that explores modernist authors engagement with fascist thought. I also continue to use modernist texts in my classrooms, incorporating them in literature and composition course to help students understand modernism’s lasting importance on contemporary culture. I have served on several committees at my graduate institution, including VP of the English Graduate Organization, in which I acted as a liaison between faculty and graduate students, including attending monthly faculty meetings.