Scholar · Teacher · Writer

James L. Dunn Jr. PhD Candidate (ABD) in Composition & Applied Linguistics

Centering literacy as liberation — examining how adult, developmental, and non-traditional learners navigate time, language, and identity within institutional spaces.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania City College of New York · Medgar Evers College · Pace University Chair, MLA Global English Forum Executive Board Member, Council on Basic Writing
Enter
"The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy."
— bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress
About

A Life in
Language

James L. Dunn Jr.

I am a college educator and scholar with over fifteen years of experience teaching writing and composition in urban and multicultural CUNY and community college environments.

My work centers on adult, developmental, and non-traditional learners. My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that all students — particularly those navigating developmental and basic writing courses — are capable of rigorous intellectual work.

Drawing on frameworks from Basic Writing Theory, critical literacy, and Adult Education, I approach every classroom as a site of possibility, where high expectations, creativity, and collaborative inquiry drive student growth.

Current Roles
Assistant Program Director, Adult Literacy – Workforce Development at BronxWorks
Adjunct Lecturer, The City College of New York (CUNY)[cite: 2]
Adjunct Associate Professor, Pace University[cite: 2]
Adjunct Lecturer, Medgar Evers College (CUNY)[cite: 2]
Affiliations
National Council of Teachers of English[cite: 2]
College Composition & Communication[cite: 2]
Modern Language Association[cite: 2]
Council on Basic Writing[cite: 2]
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.[cite: 2]
Inquiry

Research Areas

I design student-centered learning environments that honor diverse lived experiences while building the critical thinking, academic discourse, and writing skills students need to succeed[cite: 2].

James L. Dunn Jr.[cite: 2]
01

Basic Writing Theory

Examining pedagogical frameworks and innovation to build rigorous academic spaces for developmental writers[cite: 2].

02

Chrononormativity

Investigating metric time, institutional acceleration, and their direct impact on the jagged lives of corequisite students[cite: 2].

03

Adult & L2 Literacy

Integrating evidence-based instructional strategies across community, workforce, and higher education programs[cite: 2].

Doctoral Project

Title: “Metric Time and Jagged Lives: Corequisite Education, Chrononormativity, and the Politics of Acceleration at CUNY”[cite: 2]

Institution Indiana University of Pennsylvania[cite: 2]
Program Ph.D. English, Composition and Applied Linguistics (ABD)[cite: 2]
Status Dissertation in Progress[cite: 2]

This doctoral project focuses heavily on how systemic structural shifts toward corequisite education and standard accelerated learning impact non-traditional, adult, and multilingual student bodies across urban educational frameworks like the City University of New York[cite: 2].

Chrononormativity Corequisite Education Politics of Acceleration Basic Writing Pedagogy
Scholarship

Publications & Presentations

Peer-Reviewed Publications

2026
Book Chapter

"Teaching and Learning in Three Institutional Contexts"

In Basic Writing in the 21st Century, edited by Laura Gray-Rosendale and Barbara Gleason, Peter Lang, pp. 399–415.[cite: 2]

2023
Book Chapter

"Linguistic Instrumentalism"

With Islam Farag and Marcela Hebbard. In Critical Pedagogy in the Language and Writing Classroom, edited by Gloria Park et al., Routledge.[cite: 2]

2018
Journal Article

"Forming Adult Educators: The CCNY MA in Language and Literacy"

Journal of Basic Writing, Vol. 37, Number 2, Fall 2018, The City University of New York.[cite: 2]

Selected Presentations

2020
Conference Presentation

"Teaching Academic Writing Through the Lens of History and Biography"

Northeast Modern Language Association, Boston, March 2020.[cite: 2]

2018
Conference Presentation

"Teaching Cultural Competence in College Writing Courses"

Two Year College Association Northeast. LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York. October 2018.[cite: 2]

Pedagogy

Classroom Spaces

The City College of New York

CUNY System

Adjunct Lecturer (Fall 2023 – present)

  • ENG 11000: Freshman English (College Now Dual Enrollment, Fall 2022 – present)[cite: 2]

Medgar Evers College

CUNY System

Adjunct Lecturer & Former Full-time Substitute Lecturer[cite: 2]

  • ENG 112: College English I[cite: 2]
  • ENG 112C: College English I (Corequisite)[cite: 2]
  • ENG 150: English Composition II[cite: 2]

Pace University

Private Sector

Adjunct Associate Professor (Fall 2021 – present)[cite: 2]

  • ENG 110: Composition[cite: 2]
  • ENG 120: Critical Writing[cite: 2]
  • ENG 201: Writing in the Disciplines[cite: 2]

Borough of Manhattan Community College

CUNY System

Adjunct Lecturer (Fall 2007 – Fall 2019)[cite: 2]

  • ENG 095: Intensive Writing[cite: 2]
  • ENG 101: English Composition I[cite: 2]
  • ENG 201: English Composition II[cite: 2]

Hudson County Community College

Community College

Adjunct Instructor (Spring 2012 – Fall 2015)[cite: 2]

  • ENG 102: College Composition II[cite: 2]
Leadership

Institutional Service

Mina Shaughnessy Conference
Co-Chair (June 2027)

Organizing the upcoming conference themed “Errors in Our Expectations” at the City College of New York alongside Missy Watson[cite: 2].

Modern Language Association (MLA)
Chair, Global English Forum

Serving the profession as Chair and Executive Committee Member of the Global English Forum[cite: 2].

Council on Basic Writing
Executive Board Member

Contributing strategic oversight to national research and pedagogical supports for developmental writing programs[cite: 2].

Medgar Evers College Department Service
Committee Member

Active contributor to the Advisement, Retention and Mentoring (ARM) Committee, the Composition Committee, and Peer Observations[cite: 2].

Dialogue

Get in Touch

I welcome opportunities for professional academic collaboration, panel inquiries, or inquiries regarding basic writing program models[cite: 2].

Email jld@professorjamesdunn.com[cite: 2] Location New York, NY[cite: 2]
"For hunger is a cold thing
And sugar only sweet
And dynamic literacy
Is standard for the street." — Gwendolyn Brooks