After a six-year hiatus, one of the longest-running graduate student-edited journals in Romance Studies in North America has returned. The publication, TROPOS, which was first published in 1971, is run entirely by graduate students in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University.
The newest and recently launched edition, TROPOS Journal: Interdisciplinary Approaches in the Romance Languages, Literatures, and Culture, features articles from student scholars from across North America and in various disciplines, including literary studies, cultural studies, film and media studies, gender studies, and linguistics.
Named after the Greek word for “way of life, manner, style,” TROPOS offers a unique intellectual space for graduate students to share their ideas. For over 53 years, the journal has been organized and published exclusively by graduate students in MSU’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies, a tradition continued under Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Weller, a third-year Ph.D. student in French and Francophone Studies.
An experienced writer and editor with a background in both fiction and nonfiction, Weller says she was partly drawn to MSU’s Ph.D. program because of TROPOS.
“TROPOS is unique in that it champions work by graduate students and early career scholars…TROPOS, at its core, is meant to give early career scholars a leg up in the publishing side of academic writing.”
Vanessa Weller, Editor-in-Chief of TROPOS
“TROPOS is unique in that it champions work by graduate students and early career scholars,” Weller said. “Everyone has heard the aphorism ‘publish or perish’ in academia, and TROPOS, at its core, is meant to give early career scholars a leg up in the publishing side of academic writing.”
Editorial Vision
The redevelopment of TROPOS took three semesters to complete, beginning with a call for papers in Spring 2023. The editorial staff debated whether to establish a specific theme for the call for papers and eventually decided that reinvigorating the journal was the most important aspect of the project.
“We wanted to open up submissions as broadly as possible to get enough quality submissions in all categories to be able to publish,” Weller said. “Ultimately, letting the submissions dictate the theme worked out well. We were able to create sections that showcased the articles thematically and that created a continuity between the works in the journal.”
The articles in the Fall 2024 issue are interdisciplinary in scope and will have a broad appeal beyond Romance Studies. Many of the studies in the journal focus on 21st century authors, like Canadian content creator Daphné B., Franco-Vietnamese author Doan Bui, and Chicana author Myriam Gurba; current global issues, such as discrimination and bilingualism; and shedding new light on old topics, including atheism during the Enlightenment and racial othering at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
Weller describes the journal as a “labor of love” that has required her to balance its demands alongside the many responsibilities of graduate student life. Working on TROPOS has given her a better understanding of academic publishing.
“I learned so much about the peer review process, crafting a compelling call for papers, honing my editing skills, and correctly using MLA conventions for citations and references,” Weller said. “I also learned valuable tech skills such as using Adobe and other software to edit the manuscript and how to input metadata into the CORE Repository.”
A launch party for the latest volume of TROPOS was held on Oct. 17 in the Wells Hall atrium with many in attendance.
Support for TROPOS
The relaunch of TROPOS was a collaborative effort with several units at MSU supporting its revival. Both the Department of Romance and Classical Studies and Graduate Student Association provided financial support, and faculty members from the Department of Romance and Classical Studies offered to peer review submissions. In addition, MSU Libraries, specifically the Digital Scholarship Lab, provided access to editing software and troubleshooting.
“Terrie Wilson, the art librarian, and Susan Kendall, the copyright librarian, helped us tremendously with questions on copyright and publishing,” Weller said. “Bonnie Russell at Knowledge Commons helped us upload the finished articles to the KC CORE Repository and ensure the metadata in the Commons was correct.”
“”Our graduate students once again elevate the intellectual dialogue and research work of Romance Studies scholars not only at Michigan State University but also nationwide. I am honored to be a faculty member in such an intellectually engaged community.”
Danny Méndez, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies
Danny Méndez, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies, praised the graduate student team for their commitment.
“With the release of the Fall 2024 issue (No. 42), our graduate students once again elevate the intellectual dialogue and research work of Romance Studies scholars not only at Michigan State University but also nationwide,” Méndez said. “I am honored to be a faculty member in such an intellectually engaged community.”
Looking to the Future
Looking forward, Weller hopes to expand the role TROPOS plays in highlighting and supporting graduate students. She also recognizes that one of the main challenges graduate students faced in managing TROPOS in the past was the yearly publication schedule. Considering all the responsibilities graduate students already have, Weller plans to set the precedent of publishing TROPOS every other year.
“This leaves room for finding peer reviewers that are a good fit for each submission or allowing time to extend the call for papers if necessary,” Weller said. “My biggest fear is that interest in keeping TROPOS alive will dwindle when I graduate. One of the things I strive to do is encourage new graduate students to dip their toes into publication through the experiences they get by being a member of GSA-TROPOS (Graduate Student Association-TROPOS) or by working on the journal.”
Weller’s passion for TROPOS fueled the revitalization of the historic journal and its most recent edition marks an important milestone in the journal’s history.
“I hope that I have contributed to the legacy of TROPOS,” Weller said. “I believe in the journal’s mission, to be an outlet for student-led scholarship and to showcase the work of graduate students and early career scholars who often have difficulty having their work accepted by bigger-name publications. Publishing with TROPOS gives these students a leg up in the job market.”
