Students in the Program
James E Savage
James E Savage
memory and narrative ethics; multilingual writing, critical language awareness, and critical information literacy
James Savage is a Term Associate Professor of English and has taught at George Mason since 2014. He teaches Composition for Multilingual Writers, Advanced Composition, and HNRS 122: The Art of Memory, which draws on his doctoral research in writing and rhetoric (PhD expected summer 2026) and the storytelling practices of the Moth Slam. In spring 2025, he served as Interim Associate Director of Composition while contributing to the ongoing redesign of ENGH 100. He holds an MFA in fiction from George Mason and an MA from St. John's College.
Current Research
James's work includes scholarship and creative practice, both shaped by a sustained interest in memory and the ethics of remembrance. He is at work on a book-length project that braids personal narrative and theory to ask how attending carefully to a single life might shape how we remember or forget many others. His scholarly research draws on memory studies and narrative ethics, and informs his teaching: HNRS 122: The Art of Memory introduces undergraduates to this scholarship alongside creative work, including The Moth Story Slam. His work also takes up multilingual writing and critical language awareness, areas where voice and recognition return in different form.
Selected Publications
Cohen, R. K., Opatosky, D. K., Savage, J., Stevens, S. O., & Darrah, E. P. (2021). The metacognitive student: How to teach academic, social, and emotional intelligence in every content area. Solution Tree Press.
- Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Medal (Education), 2021
- Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal (Education), 2022
Grants and Fellowships
Collaborator (17%) — Curriculum Grant with an Inclusive Teaching Focus, 2024–25
PI: C. Adams Wooten
"Language Equity and Inclusion in Action: Redesigning Mason's Written Communication Curriculum through the Lens of Linguistic Justice Pedagogy"
Collaborator (17%)— ARIE Faculty Capacity Building, 2023–24
PI: C. Adams Wooten
"Building Anti-Racist Approaches to Language in Composition Courses"
Collaborator (17%) — ARIE Faculty Capacity Building, 2022–23
PI: C. Adams Wooten
"Building Anti-Racist Approaches to Language in Composition Courses"
Courses Taught
ENGH 100: Composition for Multilingual Writers
ENGH 302: Advanced Composition
HNRS 122: The Art of Memory
Education
PhD, George Mason, forthcoming summer 2026
MA, St. John's College, 2009
MFA, George Mason University, 2005
BA, University of Michigan, 1996
Recent Presentations
Adams-Wooten, A., Cho, H., Gibson, K., Habib, A., Janisch, J., Lister, L., Paul, E., Savage, J. (2025). Making it mainstream: Honoring students’ language diversity and experiences by cultivating program-wide language equity initiatives. CCCC Annual Convention: Computer Love: Extended Play, B-sides, Remix, Collaboration, and Creativity. Baltimore, MD.
Kirkler, M., Gring-Pemble, L., Savage, J. (2024). Alternative and ungrading roundtable discussion. In-person roundtable discussion as part of the GMU Honors College May meetings. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Habib, A., Lister, L., Paul, L. Savage, J., Adams Wooten, C. (2024). Alternative grading overview and approaches. Online workshop for composition faculty seeking to adapt alternative grading. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
Savage, J. (2024). Integrating linguistic justice into 101. Online workshop and teaching demonstration for 101 faculty incorporating linguistic justice and critical language awareness into ENGH 101. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.