Centers & Research Groups

The Center for the Critical Analysis of Contemporary Culture, founded in 1986 by Rutgers Professor of English George Levine, changed its name in 2005 to the Center for Cultural Analysis (CCA). In making this change, it announced that it has greatly enlarged the scope of its work and its role in the life of the Rutgers campus and beyond.
The CCA will continue to connect the local Rutgers community with international intellectual debates by exploring rich themes such as "Evidence and Explanation in the Arts and Sciences", “New Media Literacies,” “Mind and Culture,” and “Intellectual Property.” It will pursue a broad mission to address problems that lie across the traditional disciplines of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, but the new Center will host a greater range of programs and seminars than it has in the past. Organized around a core of year-long CCA fellows studying selected themes, these events will be open to all Rutgers faculty and students. They will include working groups for faculty, public events connected to ongoing projects on different interdisciplinary topics, graduate seminars related to the Center’s themes, and undergraduate seminars.

Fellowships at the CCA are designed to be held by Rutgers faculty and graduate students, as well as by postdoctoral scholars from outside the university. Graduate fellows enjoy a year-long dissertation residency at the CCA, supported by a stipend. Faculty fellowships come in two forms: working group fellows and CCA graduate teaching fellows. The former run year-long working groups for Rutgers faculty and graduate students on themes they propose to the Center. The latter conduct graduate seminars relating to one of the Center’s projects. Working groups and classes will be held in the “smart” seminar room at the CCA, which is equipped for multimedia presentations.

Postdoctoral fellows pursue individual research projects relating to a CCA theme, as well as participate in working groups and seminars. Each postdoctoral fellow will teach an advanced undergraduate course during his or her year at Rutgers.

In addition to other programming, the Center will continue to explore new modes and venues for the publication of CCA research. Prior to 2007, it was the home of the journal Social Text.

CCA projects and programs are guided by an Executive Committee made up of the director, six faculty members conducting interdisciplinary research, and the chair of the Rutgers Department of English, which sponsors the Center. The committee consults regularly with an Advisory Board of distinguished scholars from across the university.

The Plangere Writing Center and Culture Lab was established through an endowment by the late Jules L. Plangere, and the support of the Plangere Foundation. At the Plangere, we foster a welcoming and inclusive environment where writers of all levels can develop their skills through dialogue, practice, and feedback. Rather than simply correcting errors, our center focuses on supporting the writing process, promoting critical thinking, and encouraging lifelong learning.

Writing Tutoring: The Plangere collaborates with the English Writing Program and the Rutgers Learning Centers to provide writing tutoring to students across all Rutgers-NB schools and campuses. Tutoring work happens both in the centers and online, and soon, tutors will also be embedded in SAS Core classes devoted to writing. Read more about Writing Tutoring.

Digital Creation Studio: The Plangere also provides technical and pedagogical support for English department students, staff and faculty who are interested in pursuing coursework and research projects anchored in the interdisciplinary work of the digital humanities. Fostering a collaborative environment that utilizes computational or digital technologies in a truly cross disciplinary manner, we concentrate on areas such as publishing, teaching, or conducting research. We offer a full array of video, audio and digital equipment to the English department community and affiliated student groups. Read more about the Plangere Culture Lab.

The Challenge of Generative AI: The Plangere is working to address the challenges of generative AI for students and faculty involved in the project of humanistic thought and writing pedagogy. We now host workshops to help faculty and students investigate the current wave of generative AI tools through their own probes and analyses. A widely published leader in the field, Professor Lauren Goodlad, has also led "troubleshooting" workshops for collaborative discussion of the practical and ethical implications of AI for writing and communication in higher education. Read more about the Plangere’s collaboration with the Critical AI initiative.

Media Makersspace: As a compliment to the digital initiatives, we are also developing a Media Makerspace at the Plangere—an instructional and exploratory makerspace, designed to bring students and faculty together around analog media like print and manuscript. It will be a space for students and faculty alike to keep literature alive by making it. Working in collaboration with the Rutgers Book Initiative and Scarlet Letterpress, the Plangere will offer a space in the heart of the department for current faculty and students to explore written and printed ideas in their many forms.   Read more about the Plangere’s work in analog media here.

The Plangere is located on the third floor of Murray Hall.

To request a room for an event please use the Plangere Event Request Form

To request equipment please use the Plangere Equipment Request Form