category: professional topics

Friendly Fire: Renaissance Humanists’ Critiques of Renaissance Humanism

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:33:10 -0400

The clarion call of “Humanities Under Attack!” is by now an academic commonplace. Much of the aggression is seen as stemming from external forces such as shrinking budgets, hostile legislature, and disappearing enrollments. However, there is also a persistent strain of self-critique among scholars working in the humanities, which challenges the intellectual system’s perceived exclusivity and alleged inability to speak to what is considered valuable in higher education today. Anthony Grafton and Lisa Jardine assert that the modern fields of the humanities carry the elitist baggage of their Renaissance humanist forebears. This panel recognizes that the tendency to question the inculcated virtues of humanism has always been endemic to our profession: this critical gaze is itself a product of a humanist pedagogy that has historically trained individuals to read against the grain.

Submissions should focus on how Renaissance humanists resisted the educational system that trained them. What were their grounds of contention? How did artists, chroniclers, musicians, philosophers, poets, and prose writers frame their opposition? What were the cultural, epistemological, hermeneutic, and material consequences of their antagonistic analyses? How do these early modern critiques of humanism anticipate current concerns about the humanities? Proposals from all fields are welcome.

Please send an abstract of 150 words and a one-page C.V. to Kat Lecky at klecky@astate.edu by 1 June 2013.

CFP: Special Issue on Teaching Old Norse Literature (proposals due Aug. 31, 2013)

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:11:28 -0400

The New England Saga Society is pleased to announce plans for a special issue of Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching (SMART). This issue will address the subject of Teaching Old Norse Literature. We will consider proposals concerning any perspective on this subject, and are especially interested in essays offering innovative ideas for integrating Old Norse literature into the modern undergraduate curriculum.

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching is a journal of essays designed to assist teachers in communicating an understanding of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. SMART essays are scholarly and pedagogical, informative and practical. All papers are judged by at least two peer reviewers.

We invite short abstracts (250 words) from interested parties proposing articles of 3000-5000 words on all aspects of this topic.

We anticipate the following schedule:

Abstracts due: August 31, 2013

Completed articles due: June 30, 2014

Abstracts or requests for further information can be sent to either of the following (e-mail attachments preferred):

John P. Sexton
john.sexton@bridgew.edu
Department of English
Bridgewater State University
45 School St.
Bridgewater, MA 02325

Andrew M. Pfrenger
apfrenge@kent.edu
Department of English
Kent State University–Salem
2491 St. Rt. 45 South
Salem, OH 44460

Navigating the Online Classroom: A Roundtable Discussion (NeMLA Conference - Harrisburg, PA - April 2014)

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:28:55 -0400

Amidst a city steeped in history, this session will focus attention on the future: online education. This roundtable aims to open the discussion to all of the productive possibilities that an online move can permit. This panel seeks scholars to discuss their experiences, good and bad, in online course work. Some institutions already offer many of their courses either as hybrid options or in completely online formats. Others utilize one of the many online supplements to a traditional course, such as Moodle, Blackboard, or Google Apps, as they attempt to capture the best of what the online world can offer without losing the best elements of a traditional classroom environment.

This roundtable seeks participants whose experiences can help to focus a discussion about how online tools / assignments have been or can be incorporated into the traditional face-to-face classroom model, used to augment that model in a hybrid format, or launched independently in a wholly online course. Both success stories (what has worked) as well as failures (what didn’t work and why) are encouraged. We can all learn from both types of experiences.

Topics might include:
- For faculty used to being in the same physical space with students, what is lost? What might be gained?

- Can discussion board postings in literature courses replace in-class discussion?

- How do assignments change when being undertaken in the online environment?

- Pros and cons of going wholly online versus a hybrid

- The challenge to establishing a student’s identity (how do we know she is who she says she is?)

Send 250 word abstracts to Kathleen McDonald at kmcdonal@norwich.edu by Friday, September 20, 2013.

Special Issue: Feminisms, Academia, Austerity

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:24:11 -0400

JOURNAL OF GENDER STUDIES
Special Issue 2014: Call for Papers

‘Feminisms, Academia, Austerity’
Guest Editors: Helen Davies and Claire O’Callaghan
(JGS Editor: Blu Tirohl)
The current age of austerity is posing significant challenges to feminist scholarship within academia. Recent government funding cuts to higher education are jeopardising the future of research in the arts and humanities more broadly, but the decline of centres, institutes and courses devoted to gender and women’s studies has the potential to threaten the future of feminism in the academy. Retirements and redundancies may signal the end of feminist teaching and research in certain higher education institutions. The dearth of employment opportunities for postgraduates and early career researchers has the potential to elide the next generation of feminist scholars. The increasingly competitive environment of employment in higher education is generating divisions and inequalities which put pressure upon the networks of support, co-operation and community which have been integral to feminist research, teaching and practice
This special issue of the Journal of Gender Studies, ‘Feminisms, Academia, Austerity’, provides a multi-disciplinary space to critically investigate such concerns from a range of perspectives. In what ways are these changes affecting our work and lives? What potential is there to resist these narratives of decline? How might feminist teaching, research, theory and activism engage with and combat such challenges? The guest editors invite articles of 5000-7000 words in length which might address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
• The impact of the age of austerity upon women’s and feminist writing, art, performance, scholarship, theory, teaching and activism;
• Resistance to narratives of decline in the age of austerity;
• The challenges posed to ‘sisterhood’ in the current academic environment;
• Bridging the gap between postgraduate/early career feminist researchers and established scholars;
• Postcolonial, queer, and/or differently abled responses to the age of austerity in feminist research;
• Historical, political and sociological responses to the age of austerity in feminist research;
• Exploring alternative futures for feminism in the academy;
• Strategies of resistance to the marginalisation of feminist research;
• Encouraging the next generation of feminist scholars.

The deadline for submissions is 30th June 2013. Please see the Journal of Gender Studies’ guidance for authors at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjgs20/current
If you have any queries, please contact Helen Davies (Helen.Davies@tees.ac.uk) and Claire O’Callaghan (cfo3@le.ac.uk)

Beyond 'SparkNotes': Motivating Student Engagement, NeMLA, April 3-6, 2014, Harrisburg, PA (abstract by Sep. 30, 2013)

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:23:38 -0400

This roundtable addresses the realities of students’ reading and interpretive practices and explores practical, innovative ways instructors can promote direct engagement with literature and other texts. What types of activities/assignments encourage independent reading and analysis? How can we deter dependence on online text summaries and analyses, or design assignments to re-direct the use of websites and cultivate critical thinking? And what are effective ways to respond to classes that reflect a range of student commitment to coursework? Please send a 200-300 word abstract for a 5-10 minute talk to Natalie Mera Ford at nford@sju.edu and Mary Sizemore at Mary.Sizemore@lsco.edu by Sep. 30, 2013.

Please include with your abstract:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)

The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association's tradition of sharing innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This capitol city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish Country, antique shops and Hershey Park. NeMLA has arranged low hotel rates of $104-$124.

The 2014 event will include guest speakers, literary readings, professional events, and workshops. A reading by George Saunders will open the Convention. His 2013 collection of short fiction, The Tenth of December, has been acclaimed by the New York Times as “the best book you’ll read this year.” The Keynote speaker will be David Staller of Project Shaw.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. http://www.nemla.org/convention/2014/cfp.html

Anaphora Looking for New Journal and Press Board Members

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:29:11 -0400

If you have a strong publication record, and if you are tenured in your academic or publishing job, please send a note of interest in participating as a Board Member of the Anaphora Literary Press, and the Pennsylvania Literary Journal. PLJ is now in its 5th volume, and with 11 issues in print, it's ready to undergo some changes. Your area of study should be modern or current literary or creative writing studies in all genres (novel, poetry, film, art, theater). You should be interested in actively contributing by finding established peer-reviewers and by soliciting work from established creative and critical writers that you are familiar with. This is not a silent position. You might also help by contributing business and creative operations and methodology ideas on how to improve the organization, publishing process and other components of the press and the journal. Email a query to director@anaphoraliterary.com, with a brief statement of what you can offer in this position, and a paragraph biography. You can learn more about Anaphora at www.anaphoraliterary.com.

Rhetoric Society of America Conference - Popular Genres Panel - June 7, 2013 Deadline

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:24:50 -0400

I plan on submitting a panel proposal to the Rhetoric Society conference coming up in May 2014. I would like to find 2-3 other presenters for my panel. You should be an assistant+ professor at a college or university in the US. I am currently finishing a book for McFarland called "Formulaic Writing within Genres" on currently popular literary genres. I would like to create a panel on the generic structure of currently popular fiction genres (primarily in the novel). Please familiarize yourself with the Rhetoric Society prior to sending a query - they are interested in close rhetorical textual studies (genre, tone, characters, etc.). If you are interested, please email a couple of sentences on the topic that you would like to present on, and a short paragraph bio with your credentials. The proposals are due on July 1, 2013, so I need to receive all queries by June 7, 2013 - so I'll have enough time to pull the panel together. Participants will also have a chance to publish their papers in the tri-annual Pennsylvania Literary Journal, now in its 5th volume. Email queries to director@anaphoraliterary.com, to the attention of Anna Faktorovich, Ph.D., Director, Anaphora Literary Press, www.anaphoraliterary.com.

Common Ground, Conference Date October 25,2013, Proposals due October 5, 2013

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:13:39 -0400

http://www.michcea.com
Call for Papers: MCEA Conference, Friday, October 25, 2013
Theme: Common Ground

Luncheon Speakers: Artist David Small & Writer Sarah Stewart
Collaborators on Award-Winning Books for Children

Location: Henry Ford Community College
Mazzara Building, 5101 Evergreen Road, Dearborn MI 48128

Our country and our world are fraught with tension and conflict between different groups, including conflict between generations; administrations, faculty, and students; different ethnicities and cultural traditions; sexual orientations; genders; and socio-economic classes. How do we find a common ground to bridge our differences? We welcome papers about the topics below.

fiction, poetry, drama, creative non-fiction professional expectations/evaluation
classroom management teaching composition, literature, linguistics
preparing students for the work world English departments
research the lives of our students
curriculum development the creative process
computer or on-line instruction union/administration differences
race, class, and gender studies film studies

The Michigan College English Association invites proposals for individual papers and for complete or open panels for our Fall 2013 conference. We welcome proposals from experienced academics as well as from young scholars and graduate students. We encourage a variety of papers, including pedagogical and scholarly essays as well as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction from creative writers. Graduate students with the best scholarly paper and the best creative writing will receive awards. To qualify for graduate student awards, the completed papers must be submitted to Janet Heller and David Settle by October 5, 2013.

Although we are calling for papers and panels that reflect the conference theme, we also welcome proposals in the variety of areas that English and Writing departments encompass: composition and rhetoric; computers and writing; critical pedagogy; critical studies in the teaching of English; cultural studies; developmental education; English as a second language; literary studies; multicultural literature; on-line English courses and the virtual university; popular culture; progressive education; reading and writing across the curriculum; student demographics; student/instructor accountability and assessment; student placement; study skills; and technical writing.
Proposals are due by October 5, 2013. Early submissions are welcome. Please submit proposals to Janet Heller and David Settle, Program Chairs, via email at janetheller@charter.net and dsettle@grcc.edu Please specify your needs for audio-visual equipment and the best time of day for your presentation.

[REMINDER] Allegory Studies? (abstracts deadline 31 May)

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:48:16 -0400

CALL FOR PAPERS

ALLEGORY STUDIES?
University of Warwick
7 November 2013

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jon Whitman (English, The Hebrew University)

OTHER CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AND CHAIRS: Raymond W. Gibbs Jr. (Psychology, UCSC), Lisa Rosenthal (Art and Design, UIUC), Christiania Whitehead (English and CLS, Warwick)

CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/emforum/events/allegory

The one-day interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together scholars of different disciplinary backgrounds who share an interest in the history and theory of allegory in order to explore and promote the notion of allegory studies as an emergent nexus of interdisciplinary scholarship.

Since the mid-twentieth century, allegory has increasingly been approached as a subject in its own right, informed by, but transcending particular disciplinary, periodical, or author-focused contexts. This development seems to have reached a critical point over the past two decades, which have seen a steady stream of articles and monographs, as well as such comprehensive reference works as an Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature (Leeming and Drowne 1996), a Dictionary of Allegorical Meanings (Brumble 1999), a pioneering collaborative overview of allegorical interpretation in the West (Whitman 2000), and, most recently, volumes in the New Critical Idiom (Tambling 2010) and Cambridge Companions (Copeland and Struck 2010) series. A number of recent conferences and seminar panels have approached the subject without disciplinary or periodical restrictions, and the phrase “allegory studies” – although traceable at least to Gordon Teskey’s Allegory and Violence (1996) – has begun to appear in contemporary scholarship on the subject.

By all accounts, then, the current state or research on allegory seems to be marked by the consolidation of a long and extraordinarily productive tradition of scholarship – including contributions from such fields as art history, classics, intellectual history, linguistics and cognitive science, literary studies and literary theory, philosophy, theology, religion studies – into a coherent interdisciplinary formation in its own right. At this propitious moment, papers are invited from scholars of any disciplinary background to discuss the various issues raised by these developments, such as (but not limited to):

- Why allegory studies? What is it about this subject that seems to demand a dedicated interdisciplinary platform in its own right?

- What are the main achievements of allegory studies thus far? What are the most promising avenues of exploration?

- Theory and history in allegory studies – what light does theoretical work throw on the history of allegory, and conversely, how do historically contextualized perspectives bear on the theoretical approaches to the subject?

- What is the relation between the marked rise in allegory scholarship since c. 1950 and the roughly coextensive “revival of allegory” originating in the work of such thinkers as Walter Benjamin and Paul de Man and permeating various corners of the contemporary academic and cultural sphere?

Papers are solicited from scholars of any disciplinary background and career stage – proposals from graduates and junior academics are especially welcome. Applicants are encouraged to engage with the subject of allegory and allegory studies in ways which transcend traditional disciplinary and periodisational boundaries, and priority will be given to abstracts clearly demonstrating the ability to communicate effectively to the interdisciplinary audience the conference aims to attract. It is hoped that the conference will lead to a publication showcasing the wide array of current approaches to the subject and paving the way for further collaboration and research.

500-word abstracts for 20-minute papers, accompanied by a brief biographical note, to be sent to the convenor, Vladimir Brljak (English and CLS, Warwick), at v.brljak@warwick.ac.uk by 31 May 2013.

[UPDATE - deadline extended] 5th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference, September 20-21, 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:27:39 -0400

The 5th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference will be held September 20-21, 2013 at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Conference Committee is now accepting presentation proposals for the upcoming conference. The theme of this year’s conference is “Preserving Louisiana.”

This interdisciplinary conference will be accepting proposals from the following disciplines: American studies, anthropology, architecture, archival studies, communications, craft, creative writing, criminal justice, cultural studies, cultural tourism, dance, design, English and literary studies, environmental studies, ethnic studies, fashion design, film studies, fine arts, folklore, gender studies, geography, heritage resources, history, interior design, journalism, linguistics, museum studies, musicology, music performance, philosophy, photography, political science, preservation studies, psychology, queer studies, religious studies, Romance languages, social work, sociology, theatre, and vernacular architecture.

Although we are especially interested in proposals that deal with Preserving Louisiana, all papers, creative writing, and short performances (dance, music, or theatric) that address ANY aspect of Louisiana studies are welcome. Proposals are being solicited for fifteen minute presentations from scholars at all career stages as well as graduate students. Creative work (creative non-fiction, short fiction, and poetry) is welcome. Undergraduates are invited to submit, provided they are working with the guidance of a trained scholar. Proposals for panels and roundtable discussions are welcome. Registration for Conference attendees will be $40.

Abstracts (300 words max.) for scholarly proposals, creative writing, films, and short performances (dance, music, or theatric) should be sent as e-mail attachments to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu. Presentations should run no longer than 15 minutes. Briefly detail the audio / visual tools (laptop, projection screen, data projector, DVD or VCR player, etc.) or space (the stage in the Magale Recital Hall will be provided for short performances) your presentation will require, if any. Please include a separate cover page with your name, affiliation, mailing and e-mail address, and the title of your presentation. E-mails should be entitled: Louisiana Studies Conference Submission. We will send an e-mail acknowledgement of having received each abstract within one week of having received it. If you do not receive an acknowledgment please resend your submission as we may not have received it. The deadline for submissions is July 15. Accepted presenters will be notified via e-mail by July 31, 2013.

Read broadly, consider the following possibilities for presentation topics relating to Preserving Louisiana. (Note: The following list of suggestions is not meant to be comprehensive.)

Archaeology
Architecture (including Vernacular Architecture)
Archives
Art
Bridges and Structures
Built Environments
Cemeteries and Gravestones
Churches
Conservation
Crafts
Cultural Heritage
Cultural Landscapes
Curation
Dancehalls
Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Farming and Agricultural Practices
Film
Folk Industries
Folk Traditions
Folklife Apprenticeships
Gardens and Arboretums
Historical Landmarks and Sites
Historical Significance
History
Industrial Sites (cotton gins, fisheries, sugar houses)
Language Preservation
Libraries
Main Streets
Material Culture
Monuments
Murals
Museums
Native American Sacred Spaces
Oral History
Photography
Plantations
Preservation and Heritage Advocacy
Preservation and Heritage Education
Public Art
Public Spaces
Roadside Attractions
Rural Life
Sculptures
Sense of Place
Signs
State and National Parks
Theaters
Threats to Preservation

A selection of scholarly and creative work presented at the conference will be solicited for publication in Louisiana Folklife, a peer reviewed academic journal produced by the Louisiana Folklife Center, Northwestern State University, General Editor, Dr. Shane Rasmussen.

Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University: http://louisianafolklife.nsula.edu/.

Dr. Lisa Abney, Provost, Vice President for Student and Academic Affairs, and Professor of English, Northwestern State University (Conference Co-chair)

Dr. Shane Rasmussen, Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and Assistant Professor of English, Northwestern State University (Conference Co-chair)

The Conference is co-sponsored by the Folklife Society of Louisiana, the Louisiana Folklife Center, and the NSU College of Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies and Research.

Popular and Current Art Submissions and Criticism Wanted: Open Deadline

Thu, 16 May 2013 01:37:42 -0400

While great works of literature were written in the 19th century and prior, we live today in an age with major problems and solutions in the realm of art and communication that should be addressed by current artists and critics. The tri-annual Pennsylvania Literary Journal is in its 5th volume and 5th year in operation. It is available on EBSCO, ProQuest and in print from various distribution channels. It has published interviews with best-selling young adult authors like Cinda Williams Chima and Carrie Ryan, as well as with winners of the Brooklyn Film Festival, and top academic editors across the country. PLJ’s special issues have focused on film, fiction, British literature, formalism, new historicism, and various other fields. In the future years, PLJ would like to see primarily criticism of current research, fiction, poetry, film, and works of art. For example, the most recent issue of PLJ “Reviews of Popular Fiction” includes reviews of Twilight, A Kurt Wallander Novel, and The Last Boyfriend. Most of these reviews are very negative, as the editor-in-chief, Anna Faktorovich, Ph.D., is pretty pessimistic about the current state of literature. Thus, negative, sarcastic, and highly critical and detailed book reviews and essays are especially wanted. Reviews of films, TV series, as well as of photography and art are also of interest. Please remember to support your negative criticism with facts and details from the works, but don’t include quotes over 5 lines in length. In addition, if you can access a celebrity (living) author at a convention, a reading, or through their agent and they agree to do an interview with you – PLJ would be delighted to publish interviews with any recognizable or award-winning author. Interviews with filmmakers, poets, editors, and even businessmen are also of interest. Please review prior issues of PLJ for the interview style that PLJ prefers. Scholarly essays on popular, award-winning, or merited literature published since 1980 is also of special interest. Essays on methods for teaching literature, composition and other fields are also a good fit. Also send fiction, poetry, art, photography and other forms of art you’ve created. If you’ve published with a major academic publisher or with one of the best popular presses, and would like to be interviewed or reviewed, send a query. There is no payment for publication, but also no reading fees or publication fees for you. Only famous authors receive a free contributor copy. PLJ is a for-profit venture and subscriptions are what feeds its future success; so feel free to ask your school’s library to subscribe. If you have an idea for an essay, work of fiction, review, interview, work of art, or anything else that was not mentioned above (including criticism of 19th century and prior works), send a query to determine if it’s a good fit for PLJ. While PLJ is moving into popular art, it’s not yet fully there and a wide variety of other projects is still very welcomed. When submitting a project email a Word document with the full text of the work (with an abstract for scholarly articles), and a biography paragraph in the third-person for the author to director@anaphoraliterary.com, to the attention of Dr. Anna Faktorovich, Editor-in-Chief. PLJ is a part of the Anaphora Literary Press (www.anaphoraliterary.com), which has published over 50 book titles and is actively soliciting academic and creative book manuscripts. We are especially interested in books that will be taught as part of the writer’s class(es). To submit a book-length project email the full manuscript, bio, book summary paragraph, and a marketing paragraph (with specifics) to director@anaphoraliterary.com.

Apollon eJournal - Undergraduate Submissions deadline 6/15/2013

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:43:39 -0400

Check the website, apollonejournal.org, for submission details on publication, or for an application to work with us

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
Apollon invites undergraduate students to get published in, review submissions for, or help edit a the third issue of our peer-reviewed eJournal, Apollon. By publishing superior examples of undergraduate academic work, Apollon highlights the importance of undergraduate research in the humanities. Apollon welcomes submissions that feature image, text, sound, and a variety of presentation platforms in the process of showcasing the many species of undergraduate research.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Apollon, an undergraduate humanities eJournal, is a peer-reviewed publication for undergraduate humanities majors. Apollon features undergraduate research developed in humanities courses, and thus emphasizes faculty-student collaborations beyond the classroom. We invite interested students to join us by contributing leadership or original work to Apollon. Our student team participates at all levels of this ongoing project (design, review, and publication) to offer their peers a real outlet for intellectual work in the humanities. For more information you can go to the program website, www.apollonejournal.org, talk to your professors, or contact the Faculty Director, Jason Cohen, at (859) 985-3765 or cohenj@berea.edu.

CFP: Aloha at Risk: Education in Hawaii (Edited Collection)

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:51:27 -0400

Since the release of “A Nation At Risk” in 1983, public education has been subjected to increased scrutiny from political officials, parents, and concerned citizens. In recent years, such scrutiny has given way to calls for comprehensive education reform. Both the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and Race to the Top program, respectively inaugurated under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, focus on increasing standards for public schools throughout the United States, while more local initiatives like private school voucher systems and parent “trigger” laws attempt to increase learning opportunities for children by maximizing parental choice and administrative participation.

Yet, these reforms—or 'deforms' as they're called by opponents—have been condemned for being undemocratic, corporatist, and overly punitive. NCLB, for example, has been said to subsume diverse groups of children under reductionist statistical metrics, failing to account for demographic and developmental variances. RTTT continued this trend, according to critics, and added pressure for local school districts to implement costly teacher evaluation protocols based largely on standardized achievement tests, rather than holistic measures of learning growth and professional practice. In an ironic display of political harmony, small-government 'conservatives' and labor-minded 'liberals' alike have attacked national education reforms, the former for impugning states' rights and the latter for undermining collective bargaining.

Hawaii, considered by some political pundits to be the most labor-friendly state in the nation, has been on the frontlines of the battle over public education. One year after receiving an RTTT grant award in 2010, the state was placed on “high risk” status by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to implement reforms quickly enough and prolonging a regressive contract dispute with the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Education reforms are further complicated by events from Hawaii's historical trajectory, including settler colonialism, imperial overthrow of native governance, suppression of indigenous culture, and plantation economics, each of which inform the state's current sociopolitical structure and discursive condition.

This interdisciplinary essay collection seeks to engage the theme of “education in Hawaii” from a critical vantage point. Submissions will be accepted for each of the book's four sections: “Pedagogy of Aloha” (critical pedagogical studies); “Decolonizing Aloha” (colonialism in/and the classroom); “Re/Deforming Aloha” (general education theory, including social, political, and philosophical analysis); and “Teaching Aloha” (classroom stories). Potential topics might include:

- How do socioeconomic and ethnic inequality affect Hawaii's classrooms and education politics?

- To what extent does money drive education reform in Hawaii? Do reforms (re)produce corporate infrastructure and economic division, rather than quality learning experiences?

- How does Hawaii's history, including settler colonialism and plantation development, impact the present state and future direction of the state's education system?

- In what ways are native or marginalized knowledge(s) suppressed by standards-based education reforms? What pedagogical techniques might be used to advance such knowledge(s)?

- What progressive teaching modalities (i.e. feminist composition, queer- and eco-pedagogy, or ethnomathematics) might be employed to address Hawaii's diverse student populations?

Educator and author Doug Robertson will serve as editor for this collection. Essays should be approximately 4,000 to 8,000 words in length and employ Chicago Manual of Style formatting (using endnotes). Submissions should be sent to editors@interstitialjournal.com. Initial inquiries are welcome. Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2013.

SAMLA Special Session on Creating or Expanding a BA Program in English During Uncertain Times (June 20th- Abstract Deadline)

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:05:03 -0400

This panel invites participants from any college or university where there is an interest in building a B.A. in English or establishing a new programmatic track within the discipline. Participants need not be at any particular point in the process, and we hope to incorporate a diverse array of experiences and viewpoints. In other words, participants may only be thinking about the possibility of creating a program or they might be on the other side of the process. This panel will also consider what types of programs should/need to be created to meet the changing needs of students in the 21st century. We hope that this session will produce a vibrant dialogue that will serve as a bridge to future cooperation.

Because of the collaborative nature of this panel, we would like to create a roundtable atmosphere in which the audience plays an active role. Participants will each provide an informal 5-10 minute talk about their experiences and the advice they have about the process and then the rest of the session will be dedicated to having an open dialogue.

Instead of traditional proposals, those interested should send a brief 250 word description of their experiences and what they would like to gain from participating in the panel. Accepted descriptions will be shared with all participants to help generate a productive discussion. In order to be considered, these descriptions should be sent to SOrtolano@Edison.edu by June 20th.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Kristie Fleckenstein, Professor of English at Florida State University; co-collaborator in the creation and administration of FSU's undergraduate program in Editing, Writing, and Media

Call for Papers - Patents for Humanity Special Issue - August 23 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:08:55 -0400

In recognition of the USPTO’s Patents for Humanity program, Technology and Innovation - Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors, will be publishing a special issue highlighting influential humanitarian technologies, including the innovation and imagination seen in the Patents for Humanity contest submissions.

To this end, T&I is soliciting abstracts for articles or commentaries on humanitarian patents. We hope that all finalists of the Patents for Humanity contest will consider contributing to the issue.

Abstracts should be submitted by June 8, 2013. The abstract submission should contain: title, author affiliation, abstract of no more than 250 words, key words, and corresponding author’s contact information. Upon approval, full manuscripts will be due by August 23, 2013.

All submissions should meet Technology and Innovation’s author instructions and should be submitted through T&I’s website, http://submissions.academyofinventors.org/index.php/journal/about/.

Articles should concern patented technologies or innovations that have made/have the potential for making significant contributions to humanity. Articles may include commentaries by field experts concerning patents, original articles describing the development and research towards a technology or patent, and/or narrative-like stories that emphasize the societal benefits of select innovations.

Submissions may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:
• Economics of a technology, governmental and policy action, and innovation
• Environmental impact of various technologies/patent types
• Health impacts of technologies and innovations
• Analyses of the distribution and access to technology

If you have any questions, please contact Editorial Assistant Diana Vergara at TIJournal@research.usf.edu.

Technology and Innovation is published by Cognizant Communication Corporation.

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching: General Studies Learning Communities in a Post Humanities World; April 3-6, NeMLA

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:08:59 -0400

While the rising cost of college education, spiraling student debt, and a changing global job market have impelled university administrators to redefine and/or remodel the core curriculum in the interest of better addressing the challenges/opportunities of a 21st century world, these changes have fallen most directly on the humanities. Quite plainly, as universities have placed increasing value on the common languages of globalization--math, science, and technology--a liberal arts core has become an almost anachronistic element of higher education.
Yet, when we look at the continued need for critical thinking, creativity, and communication in our global economy, it is clear that writing and communication still needs to play a vital role in higher education. But, what exactly will that role be, or should be? Considering that "knowledge" based disciplines such as English, History, etc. have traditionally been elevated over "skills" programs or instruction, how might previously marginalized programs like General Studies ironically find their identity in this changing landscape?
The following roundtable, therefore, invites scholars or faculty in General Studies or non-degree interdisciplinary programs to discuss what they see as continued and/or changing role of the humanities and writing and research in the core curriculum. Particularly, as enrollment in upper division English, History, etc. classes dwindle--with less students seeing the economic value in these majors--how can these disciplines of learning be strengthened at the university level in General Studies' through a focus on the global skills these fields provide? Considering the diminishing level of tenure-track positions available in the aforementioned disciplines, and the increasing amount of tenured faculty teaching introductory level humanities courses, how can tenured and contingent faculty-- spanning a variety of disciplines--work together to create or agree on a common set of skills and/or instruction for a 21st century college education?

Please submit abstract of no more than 500 words to Dotterman@Adelphi.edu by 9/15/13

Comparative Innovations Workshop- Call for Participants- May 24th, 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 07:25:04 -0400

Comparative literature, by its multidisciplinary nature, may be well matched to innovation in the digital humanities. In Britain the subject is expanding yearly, with more and more students choosing to undergo training in an area that embraces many different languages and disciplines, ranging from aesthetics to neuroscience, from classical studies to philosophies of technology.

To facilitate the growth of trans-disciplinary studies, we propose the creation of a digital hub, or interactive social media database of interdisciplinary scholars in Britain. This would enable researchers to come together in informal conversation on their topics, as a springboard towards more formal collaboration. Because interdisciplinary literary studies is a fast evolving area in the humanities, we feel it is vital that the hub promotes and engages with, as well as problematizes, cutting edge technological innovation. To this end, this one day workshop will comprise three complementary elements and a roundtable: a session on collaboration with digital humanities, a workshop on how to create and maintain such a hub, a series of presentations on cutting edge innovations in digital technologies that might contribute to our area in the future, and a final discussion, in which we tackle the implications,both helpful and problematic, of these advances for the future of comparative research.

Workshop Leaders / Convenors:
Dr Faith Lawrence, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London
Stuart Dunn, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London
Michael Firman, Graduate Researcher, UCL Dept of Computer Science
Antonio García Castañeda, UCL Dept of Computer Science, Centre for Digital Humanities, Griphos Project
Dr Rosa Mucignat, Department of Comparative Literature, King's College London
Catherine Crossley, Masters Researcher, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London

Registration:
If you would like to participate in this workshop, please complete our online registration form by Friday, May 17th 2013

Workshop Schedule:
09.30-10.00
Registration and coffee

10.00-10.15
Introduction and welcoming remarks

10.15-11.45
Session One: Digital Collaborations in the Humanities. Speaker: Dr Faith Lawrence, Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London

11.45-12.00
Coffee

12.00-13.30
Skills workshop panel: Co-ordinator: Stuart Dunn, Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London

13.30-14.30
Lunch

14.30-16.00
Showcase of contemporary innovations in digital technologies. Presentation 1: Automated analysis of Rhyme: Michael Firman, Graduate Researcher, UCL Department of Computer Science and National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan. Presentation 2: Automatic Reconstruction of Fresco Fragments. Antonio García Castañeda, UCL Dept of Computer Science, Centre for Digital Humanities, Griphos Project. Presentation 3: Digital Cartographies: Digitalizing the Medieval Mappa Mundi. Catherine Crossley, Masters Research Student, Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London.

16.00-16.15
Coffee

16.15-17.00
Problematizing Innovation: Roundtable discussion featuring panelists and Dr. Rosa Mucignat, Department of Comparative Literature, King's College London

17.00-18.00
Wine Reception

‘Is the Biographer an Artist?’: Tracing Authority within Collected Remembrance--NeMLA 2014 April 3-6

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:40:59 -0400

45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 3-6, 2014
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Host: Susquehanna University

In 2000, critic Tom Paulin attacked biographer Richard Holmes’ Sidetracks: Explorations of a Romantic Biographer, asking: ‘Is the biographer an artist who can and should exist on equal terms with the dramatist, fiction writer and poet? The short and robust answer is ‘certainly not.’’ Even today, many biographies are treated as permanent (if frequently flawed) vessels conveying important knowledge about their subjects rather than dynamic texts worthy of aesthetic study. Jean Marc Blanchard speaks to this problem by assuming in his criticism that "autobiography is a literary genre, whereas biography is not." Laura Marcus, in her text Auto/Biography, comments on biography’s strange position between history and literature, noting that while autobiography is approached as a literary genre, biography "remains very largely untheorized."

This panel seeks papers discussing authority, performativity, or the relation between subjectivity and objectivity within autobiography and/or biography. While this panel welcomes papers centering on auto/biographies of specific subjects, it also aims to query the extent to which auto/biographies can be considered as subjective artistic works of aesthetic value, theoretically objective works of reference, or somewhere in between. Please submit 250-500 word abstracts and brief biographical statements to Amanda Weldy Boyd at weldy@usc.edu.

Deadline: September 30, 2013

Please include with your abstract:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)

The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association's tradition of sharing innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This year's conference will be held in Harrisberg, Pennsylvania. This capitol city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish Country, antique shops and Hershey Park. NeMLA has arranged low hotel rates of $104-$124.

Call for Papers - The Journal of Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

Sat, 11 May 2013 09:13:26 -0400

Call for Papers

The Blue Water Institute invites you to submit a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Behavior. The journal provides a platform for researchers, academics and professionals to present new research and developments in their related fields. The Journal of Leadership and Organizational Behavior is an open access journal. It publishes extended full-length research articles that have the scope to substantively address current issues in fields related to business, leadership, economics, organizational behavior and education. There are no restrictions to the length of submitted manuscripts.

Journal Website: http://www.thebluewaterinstitutejournals.com/Home_Page.html

To submit a manuscript, go to: http://thebluewaterinstitute.com/journal_submissions

For additional information contact:

Frederick Alex
Administrative Director
The Blue Water Institute
Journal of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
falex@thebluewaterinsitute.com

Culture Identity Diversity: The Challenge of Multicultural Classes

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:05:51 -0400

45th Annual Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 3-6, 2014
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Host: Susquehanna University
Deadline: September 30, 2013

This session explores effective ways of integrating different identities in the language class and considers the question of how diversity can successfully contribute to language learning.
Diversity comprises a variety of concepts, ranging from basic ways of communicating to cultural and social behavior. Language instructors need to recognize who they are, as well as who their students are and what they bring to the table, in terms of ethnicity, language, country of origin, and religion. If identity is complex and the result of a multiplicity of aspects, how can instructors succeed in both recognizing the students’ identities and promoting their diversity in order to establish a comfortable environment in the classroom?
Instructors should find ways to acknowledge diversity, without assimilating it, to integrate diversity, without stigmatizing it, and to valorize each student’s identity as a precious asset in the learning process. Students should be seen not as stereotypical representatives of a cultural group, which only creates a misconception of diversity and an affective filter against students of other ethnicities, but rather as fundamental resources for language and cultural learning, so as to facilitate the learning process and improve language skills.
This session will provide instances of the challenges that instructors face in a diverse teaching environment, in addition to offering practical examples of how to integrate different cultural systems in the lesson plan. It will question how the acts of identifying, describing, and sharing different cultures may lead students to interact inter-culturally with each other and, most importantly, contribute to the learning process.
Please, submit a 250-word abstract to Daniela D’Eugenio, Graduate Center (CUNY) at ddeugenio@gc.cuny.edu by September 30, 2013. Please include with your abstract: name and affiliation, email address, A/V requirements.

THATCamp Wisconsin: "Big Ideas for Small Campuses" (Aug. 9, 2013)

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:30:56 -0400

THATCamp stands for “The Humanities and Technology Camp.” It is an unconference: an open, inexpensive meeting where humanists and technologists of all skill levels learn and build together in sessions proposed on the spot. Here are a few characteristics of a THATCamp:

- It’s collaborative: there are no spectators at a THATCamp. Everyone participates, including in the task of setting an agenda or program.
- It’s productive: participants are encouraged to use session time to create, build, write, hack, and solve problems.
- It’s non-hierarchical and non-disciplinary and inter-professional: THATCamps welcome graduate students, scholars, librarians, archivists, museum professionals, developers and programmers, K-12 teachers, administrators, managers, and funders as well as people from the non-profit sector, people from the for-profit sector, and interested amateurs. The topic “the humanities and technology” contains multitudes.

And this THATCamp is free!

The theme will be “Big Ideas, Small Campuses.”

Session proposals and conversations around this theme are encouraged. Suggested topics include: how small colleges can be more nimble and more innovative than their larger counterparts; what steps are needed to create inter-campus networks that leverage pockets of expertise; what activities and applications work particularly well in the small classroom or in small majors; and how participants might help one another with personal goals and projects. To propose a session, visit http://wisconsin2013.thatcamp.org/propose/.

Or simply register to come be part of it all:

http://wisconsin2013.thatcamp.org/

Contemporary American Creative Non-Fiction

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:32:19 -0400

The genre of creative nonfiction—exemplified both by engaging, intellectual essays and by narratives with attention to literary style—has received increasing scholarly and public attention. Moreover, such writing is taking new forms—on the page, as in the past, and on the web as well. This panel highlights and celebrates creative non-fiction composed for both page and screen. Papers on any aspect of writing, writing about, or teaching creative nonfiction are welcomed, and papers that connect to this year’s special focus-"Cultures, Contexts, Images, Texts: Making Meaning in Print, Digital, and Networked Worlds"-are especially encouraged. By June 25, 2013, please send abstracts of 300 words or so and a brief bio to Diana Eidson, Georgia State University, at deidson@gsu.edu.

This panel will be a regular session at the 85th Annual Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, November 8-10, 2013 at the Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel and Conference Center. More information on the conference is available at samla.memberclicks.net.

Call for Abstracts/Book:"A Practical Guide to Prepare Graduate Students of Color for their First Job in Academia"

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:35:03 -0400

As many of us who are members of academia know, most graduate students are not prepared for the political and social rigors of their first tenure track position. Most colleges and university environments are filled with roadblocks, pitfalls and other often unexpected challenges for newly minted Ph.D., Ed.D., MFA., J.D.s, and those with other terminal degrees. This is particularly true for junior faculty of color, women, Gay and Lesbian, and other underrepresented faculty.

Professors Dwayne Mack and Elwood Watson, the editors of a forthcoming collection of essays tentatively titled "Telling it Like it Is: A Practical Guide to Prepare Graduate Students of Color for their First Job in Academia," invite faculty and administrators to submit abstracts related to their early and/or current experiences in academia. While stories of challenges, adversity and barriers are welcome, this is primarily an anthology for educators to mentor, rather than simply outline grievances. This edited volume will give faculty and administrators the opportunity to reflect and share strategies with graduate students of color on how to transition from graduate school to a tenure-track/tenure-stream position.

Contributors are asked to share their personal experiences on topics such as interviewing strategies, c.v. preparation, finding the right institutional fit, negotiating a contract, outlining a tenure and promotion plan, responding to microaggressions, macroaggressions, sexism, racism, homophobic attitudes, religious and cultural prejudice, avoiding cultural taxation, effective teaching and publishing strategies, managing service and teaching expectations, and developing meaningful relationships with junior and senior faculty. Other similarly related topics are welcomed as well.

We feel that this forthcoming collection of essays will provide a valuable service as well as prepare graduate students of color for professional success. We welcome collaborative pieces and submissions from scholars at majority White institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), small liberal arts colleges, Research I institutions, and Community Colleges.

Please send an abstract – no more than 350 words by July 29, 2013 to
Dwayne Mack, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History and Carter G. Woodson Chair of African American History
Berea College
Department of History
CPO 2027
Berea, Kentucky 40404
dwayne_mack@berea.edu
We will accept abstracts via U.S. mail, but electronic abstracts are preferred.

The Phenomenology of Reading: Experiencing Literature Today, Keynote: Charles Altieri, Oct. 11-12, Philadelphia, PA

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:48:30 -0400

The Phenomenology of Reading: Experiencing Literature Today
October 11th-12th, 2013
Temple University: Philadelphia, PA
Keynote: Charles Altieri (Berkeley)

As a result of the ongoing rhetoric of “crisis” in the humanities, literary and cultural studies scholars seem to be perpetually reassessing their vocation. While the introduction of new theoretical models or critical approaches promise to carry the torch for scholarship into the era of the globalized university, other scholars seek to exhume past methodologies that were possibly lost in the scramble for innovation. Within this intellectual climate one topic has repeatedly come under critical scrutiny: reading. Whether it is the concern over the fate of close-reading, the return to aesthetics, surface reading, distant reading, new formalism, the digital humanities, ethics, affect theory, “world” literature, medical humanities, network/systems theory, newer historicisms, or new materialisms, all of these topics are not only attempts to rethink how we read, but also efforts to buttress what seems to be a perilous state for certain disciplines and practices.

This conference seeks to assess these recent scholarly trends and, to this end, we invite papers from different fields and disciplines that interrogate the relationship between theories of reading and past, present, and future directions for literary and critical theory. Because the goal of this conference will be to foster a dialogue concerning these debates, we will attempt to limit the conference’s size to prevent overlapping panels and allow for ample feedback from respondents, other speakers, and guests.

The conference will take place at Temple University in Philadelphia on October 11th and 12th, 2013. Feel free to ask any questions and send abstracts of 250-500 words by June 30th, 2013 to: templegeaconf@gmail.com

Making Libraries Integral in the Lives of Baby Boomers

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:31:02 -0400

Book Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Editor: Carol Smallwood, Library Management Tips That Work, ed., (ALA Editions, 2011); Library Services for Multicultural Patrons to Encourage Library Use co-ed., (Scarecrow Press, 2013)

Chapters sought for an anthology by practicing public librarians and LIS faculty in the United States and Canada: creative, practical how-to chapters on strengthening and expanding services to the age group called baby boomers. Possible topics: fostering positive staff attitudes; encouraging endowments and advocacy; programming and workshops; maximizing their experience as volunteers; instruction in technology; needs assessment surveys; genealogy and oral histories; grants.

Concise, how-to chapters based on experience to help colleagues totaling 3,000-4,000 words, or two chapters that come to 3,000-4,000 words. No previously published or simultaneously submitted material. One, two, or three authors per chapter; if two chapters they are to be by the same author(s). Compensation: one complimentary copy per 3,000-4,000 word accepted submission, discount on more copies.

Please e-mail titles of 2-4 topics each described in 2 sentences by June 15, 2013 with brief biography sketch(s); place BOOMERS and Last Name on the subject line to: smallwood@tm.net

Women, Work, and the Web: How the Web Creates Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:29:29 -0400

Book Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Editor: Carol Smallwood, Women on Poetry: Writing, Revising, Publishing and Teaching (McFarland, 2012) on Poets & Writers Magazine "List of Best Books for Writers." Writing After Retirement: Tips by Successful Retired Writers forthcoming from Scarecrow Press.

Seeking chapters of unpublished work from writers in the U.S. and Canada for an anthology. Interested in such topics as: Women Founding Online Companies; Women Working on the Web With Young Children or Physical Disabilities; Woman's Studies Resources and Curriculum; Surveys/Interviews of Innovative Women on the Web.

Chapters of 3,000-4,000 words or two chapters coming to that word count (up to 3 co-authors) on how the Internet has opened doors, leveled the playing field and provided new opportunities for women, are all welcome. Practical, how-to-do-it, anecdotal and innovative writing based on experience how women make money on the Web, further careers. One complimentary copy per chapter, discount on additional copies.

Please e-mail 2-4 chapter topics each described in two sentences by June 15, 2013, along with a brief bio to smallwood@tm.net Please place INTERNET/Last Name on the subject line; if co-authored, paste bio sketches for each author.

Creative Management of Small Public Libraries in the 21st Century

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:27:57 -0400

Book Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Co-editor: Carol Smallwood, public libraries consultant; Library Management Tips That Work, ed., (ALA Editions, 2011); Library Services for Multicultural Patrons to Encourage Library Use co-ed., (Scarecrow Press, 2013)

Co-editor: Lawrence Grieco, library director, Gilpin County Public Library, Black Hawk, Colorado; Key Contact, Association for Rural & Small Libraries; contributor, Bringing the Arts into the Library: An Outreach Handbook (ALA Editions, 2013)

Chapters sought for an anthology by practicing public librarians and LIS faculty in the United States and Canada: creative, practical how-to chapters for a handbook on strengthening small and rural public libraries as centers of communities serving populations under 25,000. Possible topics: fostering positive staff attitudes; making an inviting atmosphere; successful living endowments; programming; handling patrons, volunteers, meetings; using technology; effective networking; staff evaluations; professional development; needs assessment surveys.

Concise, how-to chapters based on experience to help colleagues totaling 3,000-4,000 words, or two chapters that come to 3,000-4,000 words. No previously published or simultaneously submitted material. One, two, or three authors per chapter; if two chapters they are to be by the same author(s). A complimentary copy per 3,000-4,000 word accepted submission as compensation, discount on more.

Please e-mail titles of 2-3 topics each described in 2 sentences by June 15, 2013 with brief biography sketch(s); place SMALL and Last Name on the subject line to: smallwood@tm.net

Writing After Retirement: Tips by Successful Retired Writers

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:25:58 -0400

Book Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Co-editor: Carol Smallwood co-edited Women on Poetry: Writing, Revising, Publishing and Teaching (McFarland, 2012), on Poets & Writers Magazine's "List of Best Books for Writers"; edited Pre- & Post-Retirement Tips for Librarians (American Library Association, 2012).

Co-editor: Dr. Christine Redman-Waldeyer, Assistant Professor, Coordinator of the Journalism Option Program, Passaic County Community College, Paterson, New Jersey; Editor/Founder, Adanna Literary Journal; Author, Eve Asks (Muse-Pie Press, 2011).

An anthology of unpublished 3,000-4,000 word chapters or two chapters coming to that word count by successful, men and women retired writers from the U.S. and Canada (up to 3 co-authors) previously following other careers than writing. Fiction, poetry, memoir, nonfiction, journalism, and other writers welcome. Looking for topics as: Business Aspects of Writing, Writing as a New Career, Networking, Using Life Experience, Finding Your Niche, Privacy and Legal Issues, Using Technology. With living longer, early retirement, popularity of memoir writing, this is a how-to for baby boomers who now have time to write. Compensation: one complimentary copy per chapter, discount on additional copies.

Please e-mail two chapter topics each described in two sentences by June 15, 2013 with brief pasted bio to smallwood@tm.net placing RETIREMENT/Last Name on the subject line. If co-authored, pasted bios for each.

‘Bibliography in the Digital Age’ conference: Sydney, Australia, 20–22 November 2013 [CFP deadline 26 July]

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:25:07 -0400

The annual conference of the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand will be held at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, 20–22 November 2013 on the theme of ‘Bibliography in the Digital Age’.

The Society invites abstracts for presentations relevant to the theme of the conference, ranging from digital scholarship, digital scholarly editions, digitising and promoting collections online through to antiquarian dealers and the material book in the digital age.

Abstracts should be of approximately 250 words for 20 minute presentations and should be received by the conference convenor, Maggie Patton, Manager, Original Materials, State Library of New South Wales, Macquarie Street, Sydney, 2000 (mpatton@sl.nsw.gov.au) by Friday 26 July.

See www.bsanz.org for further information and updates.

CREATING MYTHS AS NARRATIVES OF EMPOWERMENT AND DISEMPOWERMENT

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:52:45 -0400

Call for Papers: CREATING MYTHS AS NARRATIVES OF EMPOWERMENT AND DISEMPOWERMENT from 10 to 12 March 2014.
LDC of the High Institute of Human Sciences of Jendouba, University of Jendouba, Tunisia and the Institut de Recherche en Langues et Littératures Européennes, ILLE of the University of Haute Alsace, Mulhouse, France are pleased to announce the organisation of an international conference on ʻCreating Myths as Narratives of Empowerment and Disempowermentʼ to be held at the High Institute of Human Sciences of Jendouba from 10 to 12 March 2014.

Literacy, the advance of philosophical inquiry and Plato’s separation of ‘mythos’ from ‘logos’ signaled the birth of an intellectual hierarchy that caused the association of myth with implausibility, something that was later corroborated by the growth of scientific inquiry and rationalism. Yet, while myths seem to become distinctively associated with fantasy, their impact can still be contemplated with respect to every aspect of human history that implicates narration and (dis)empowerment. The discourses that have accompanied rising and waning orders and monarchies have shaped national feeling and identity as ‘myths’, whereby private and public narratives intersect. Whether we try to think of narratives related to the Arthurian tradition, the birth of Rome or the founding of Carthage out of an oxen skin, national identity is shaped as a space where myths of beginnings overlap with history and power. Political narratives turn into mythical accounts in the sense that they interfere between leaders and social groups to shape, explain and justify ideologies. In politics, mythologizing the narrative produces narratives that are repeatedly replicated to spawn an illusion of truth. Thus, terms such as the ‘Cold War’ or the ‘Arab Spring’ may lead us to think of uniform patterns that guided a complex set of events, disregarding their complexities and discounting alternative narratives. Moreover, as nationalism consolidated the mythologization of narratives, alternative histories started to acquire mythological significance, borrowing mythical names and imports, a trend postmodern thinking has supported.
Branches of the social sciences like anthropology and sociology have equally lent attention to myth as a space through which unrepresented groups can tell their stories in non-linear patterns, hence, for instance, the growing interest in myth in relation with gender studies and folk studies. With the works of De Saussure and Levi Strauss, linguistics and structuralism acquired a novel interest in myth. Believed to be a big vessel for collective consciousness in the Jungian sense, structuralism contends that myths of the ancient times are still present with little variations in their essential structures. While it is believed that the fading of religion and spirituality in contemporary times led to the obliteration of myth, it is not difficult to find traces of myth within the recurrence of symbols and paradigms in media and popular culture. This recurrence is akin to the telling and retelling of narratives, serving, as Hanno Hardt argues, ‘the new gods of mass culture.’

Starting from these assumptions, the organizers invite proposals for papers (of 20 minutes duration) addressing ‘Creating Myths as Narratives of Empowerment and Disempowerment.’ They particularly welcome interdisciplinary contributions, especially ones that bridge the domains of literature, cultural studies, gender, psychoanalysis and linguistics, but they equally encourage submissions on all aspects of myths that involve the ideas of narrativity, empowerment and disempowerment. To encourage innovative dialogues, we warmly welcome papers from diverse disciplines, falling within the scope of one of the following themes, among others:
Redefining myths
The Arab world, change and myth
Myth and narratives in the postcolonial context
Postmodernism and myth
Myth and folk studies
Myth and the politics of race and ethnicity
Myth as resistance and/or perpetuation
Myth in popular culture
Responses to myths
Myths, rewriting history, and power
Creating new myths
Myths of political reform and/or political repression
Myth and national identity
Feminist approaches to myths
Revisionism and myths
Science vs. myths
Myth and rhetoric
Myths and oral traditions of the Americas
(Dis)empowering myths and visual arts

PROPOSALS should be about 400 words, including the abstract and a brief biography and sent to myth.creation2014@gmail.com NO LATER THAN 30th November 2013.

CONFERENCE FEES: -Either 70 Euros for international participants and 100 Tunisian dinars for local participants (including publication, accommodation, food, refreshments, printing services, and cultural programme).
-Or 35 Euros for international participants and 50 Tunisian dinars for local participants (including presentation, lunch, coffee break, and publication).

CONFERENCE LANGUAGE is English, but proposals in French can also be accepted.

NOTIFICATION: Acceptance of proposals will be notified by December 2013.

CONTACT: For questions, please write to myth.creation2014@gmail.com

Apollon eJournal - Undergraduate Submissions deadline 6/15/2012

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:37:24 -0400

Check the website, apollonejournal.org, for submission details on publication, or for an application to work with us

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Apollon, an undergraduate humanities eJournal, is a new peer-reviewed publication for undergraduate humanities majors. Apollon features undergraduate research developed in humanities courses, and thus emphasizes faculty-student collaborations beyond the classroom. We invite interested students to join us by contributing leadership or original work to Apollon. Our student team participates at all levels of this ongoing project (design, review, and publication) to offer their peers a real outlet for intellectual work in the humanities. For more information you can go to the program website, www.apollonejournal.org, talk to your professors, or contact the Faculty Director, Jason Cohen, at (859) 985-3765 or cohenj@berea.edu.

The First Asian Conference on Politics, Economics and Law 2013

Thu, 02 May 2013 04:19:10 -0400

The First Asian Conference on Politics, Economics and Law will be held from November 21-24 2013 at Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

ACPEL 2013 Conference Theme: Political Governance, Legal Structures and Economic Sustainability

ACPEL 2013 Sub-Themes:
Asian Political Systems, Trends and Sustainability
Asian Economic Systems, Trends and Sustainability
Asian Legal Systems, Trends and Sustainability
Asian Political, Economic, and legal Systems in Global Context
Current Issues in Asian Politics, Economics and Law

Authors are asked to submit under the following ACPEL streams:

Politics Streams (P)

P1. Political Participation and Representation
P2. Governance, Institutions and Public Policy
P3. Gender, Sexuality and Politics
P4. Political Economy, Welfare and Labour
P5. International Governance, Conflict and Development
P6. Political Theory
P7. Multiculturalism
P8. Human Rights
P9. Social Movements

Economics Streams (E)
Streams arranged under the JEL codes

Law Streams (L)

L1. Civil Law and the Court
Including: Torts, Equity and Succession, Court Management, Judicial Administration, Civil Procedure, and Civil Litigation
L2. Environmental and Resource Management Law
(Including: Water Law, Land Law, Energy Law, Mineral Resource Law, Mining and Petroleum Law, International Environmental Law, Environmental Regulation and Reform, Issues in Development, Asian Environmental Law in a Global Perspective, and Resource Management Law
L3. International Law: Contemporary Issues and Solutions
Including: Public International Law, Laws of Armed Conflict and International Humanitarian Law, Law of International Trade, Legal Issues in International Development, The Law of the Sea, International Treaties and Conventions, United Nations Charter, Globalisation and Governance, Terrorism and International Law, The Law of the World Trade Organisation, Indigenous Peoples and International Law, Private International Law, International Trade Law, and Refugee and Asylum Law
L4. Corporate and Commercial Law
Including: Regulatory Regimes and the Global Economy, Creditors' Remedies and Consumer Protection, Revenue Law, Commercial Transactions, Competition Law, Insurance Law, Corporate Governance in Context: Legal and Ethical Issues, Sports and Media Law, Corporate Governance and Directors Duties, Shareholders' Remedies, International Business Law, Issues in Commercial Law, Issues in Corporate Law, Corporate Entities, Revenue Law, Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law, The Law of Contracts
L5. Banking, Securities and Finance Law
Including: International Securities Regulation, Banking Law, Bankruptcy and Foreclosure, Corporate Securities and Finance Law
L6. Law of Human Rights and Social Justice
Including: Access to Justice, Restorative Justice, Race, Gender, Sexuality and the Law, Asian and Pacific Indigenous Peoples, Women and the Law, Relationship Property Issues in Family Law, Comparative Child and Family Law, International Legal Issues of Child Access and Custody, Legal Action and Research for Communities and Sustainability, Contemporary International Indigenous Issues, Reconciliation and Indigeneity, Indigenous Governance, Indigenous Land Law, Family Law, The Law of Restitution, Customary Law and Indigenous Peoples Rights, National and International Human Rights Law, Intersectionalities: Gender, Race, Sexuality and the Law, Immigration and Refugee Law, and Feminist Legal Theory
L7. Public Law and Policy
Including: Public Policy, Comparative Law in the Asia Pacific Region, Issues in Constitutional Law, Issues in Public Law, Judicial Review, Constitutional Law and Administrative Law
L8. Dispute Resolution: Contemporary Approaches
Including: Arbitration and Litigation, Mediation: Law, Principles and Practice, Managing Conflict and Consensus, Negotiation and Mediation, and Issues in Alternative Dispute Resolution
L9. Law of Intellectual Property, Information and New Technologies
Including: Cyberlaw, Law and New Technologies, Intellectual Property Law, Information Technology and the Law, and Legal Issues in the control and Access to Information
L10. Laws of Health and Medicine
Including: Health and Safety Law, Medical Law, Disability Law, Laws of Accident Compensation, and Mental Health Law
L11. Labour and Employment Law
Including: International Industrial Relations and Labour Law, Legal Issues in the Globalized Workplace, and Employment Law
L12. Criminal Justice Policy and Law
Including: Criminal Law, Advocacy, Transnational Criminal Law, Sentencing: Rehabilitation and Punishment, and the Law of Evidence.
L13. Legal Theory, Methodology and Ideology
Including: Legal Research, Theory and Methods in an Asian Context, Jurisprudence, Issues in Private Law, Applied Legal Theory, Issues of Legal Practice, and Legal Ethics

Interdisciplinary Streams (ID)

ID 1: Interdisciplinary Law, Economics and Politics
ID 2: Interdisciplinary Law and Politics
ID 3: Interdisciplinary Law and Economics
ID 4: Interdisciplinary Politics and Economics

Deadline for submission of abstracts: July 1 2013

Results of abstract reviews returned to authors: Usually within two weeks of submission

Deadline for full conference registration payment for all presenters: November 1 2013

Full Conference Programme Published Online: November 6 2013

Deadline for full paper: December 1 2013

Conference Proceedings published: January 15 2013

ACPEL Conference: November 21-24 2013

Yozo Yokota
ABMC/ACPEL Keynote Speaker
Jerry Platt
ABMC/ACPEL 2013 Conference Co-Chair and Featured Speaker
Peter Gardiner
ABMC/ACPEL 2013 Featured Speaker

The Fourth Asian Business & Management Conference 2013

Thu, 02 May 2013 03:54:18 -0400

The Fourth Annual Asian Business and Management Conference will be held from November 21-24 2013 at Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

Conference Theme 2013: Corporate Governance and Business Sustainability

ABMC 2013 Conference Sub-themes

- Asian Leadership Styles and Trends
- Implications and Sustainability of "Abe-nomics"
- Asian Demographics and Workforce Implications
- Asian Business and Management in a Global Context
- Sector and Industry Trends
- Business and Consumer Technology Trends
- Energy Policy and Business Opportunities
- Asian Entrepreneurship

Authors are asked to classify under the appropriate JEL code.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: July 1 2013

Results of abstract reviews returned to authors: Usually within two weeks of submission

Deadline for full conference registration payment for all presenters: November 1 2013

Full Conference Programme Published Online: November 6 2013

Deadline for full paper: December 1 2013

Conference Proceedings published: January 15 2013

ABMC Conference: November 21-24 2013

Yozo Yokota
ABMC/ACPEL Keynote Speaker
Jerry Platt
ABMC/ACPEL 2013 Conference Co-Chair and Featured Speaker
Peter Gardiner
ABMC/ACPEL 2013 Featured Speaker

Telling Stories: Personal Narrative in Writing Instruction

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:09:33 -0400

CALL FOR PAPERS
(Proposal deadline: June 15, 2013)

Telling Stories: Personal Narrative in Writing Instruction
Editors: Duncan Koerber (York University); Robert G. Price (University of Toronto)

We are now accepting paper proposals for an edited collection that will bring together the latest research on the use of personal narrative writing in the classroom.

In writing personal narratives, students tell stories about their own lived experiences while working on grammar and style. Personal narrative assignments have grown in popularity as a means to improve students’ writing skills and also to help students understand the fundamentals of academic disciplines. This book will explore how personal narrative belongs, and makes good pedagogical sense, in college and university classes.

We will gladly accept proposals from instructors of writing and composition courses. Additionally, we are quite interested in submissions from instructors who are using personal narrative in disciplines that do not have a tradition of using personal narrative writing (examples include biology, chemistry, physics, math, business, sociology, psychology, political science). Looking broadly, the collection will reveal the wide suitability of this written form, and it will help us understand the varied ways instructors have employed personal narrative writing in their disciplines.

Solely theoretical submissions will be considered; however, preference will be given to papers that present quantitative and/or qualitative research projects such as surveys, ethnographies, experiments, case studies, rhetorical analysis, discourse analysis, content analysis and so on. Nonetheless, proposals must connect research projects with current theoretical conversations in writing and composition pedagogy.

Please circulate this call to your colleagues, particularly those working in the disciplines listed above.

Submit your 500-word proposal and CV to Duncan Koerber (dkoerber@yorku.ca) by the deadline of June 15, 2013. We will notify contributors by July 15, 2013. Final drafts of 6000 to 8000 words will be due by December 15, 2013.

[UPDATE] The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy: Submission Deadline Extended to June 5, 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:02:48 -0400

The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy invites work that explores critical and creative uses of interactive technology in teaching, learning, and research. We invite submissions of audio or visual presentations, interviews, dialogues, or conversations, creative works, manifestos, or jeremiads as well as traditional long-form articles. Submissions might explore content-neutral uses of technology, such as blogs, clickers, or multimedia projects, used in any discipline; they might also focus on disciplinary uses of technology, such as software designed specifically to aid language learning or physics instruction. Discipline-specific submissions should be written for non-specialists.

Submissions that focus on pedagogy should balance theoretical frameworks with practical considerations of how new technologies play out in the classroom. Research-based submissions should include discussions of approach, method, and analysis. Successes and interesting failures are equally welcome (although see the Teaching Fails section below for an alternative outlet).

We intend that the journal itself – both in process and in product – serve as an opportunity to reveal, reflect on, and revise academic publication and classroom practice. Therefore, all submissions will be considered for our Behind the Seams feature, in which we publish dynamic representations of the revision and editorial processes, including reflections from the participants.

All work appearing in the Issues section of JITP is reviewed independently by two scholars in the field, who provide formative feedback to the author during the review process. The submission deadline for Issue Four is June 5, 2013. Tool Tips, Teaching Fails, Assignments, and Reviews sections operate under a publish-then-peer-review model. Submissions for these sections are accepted on a rolling basis.

All work should be original and previously unpublished. Essays or presentations posted on a personal blog may be accepted, provided they are substantially revised; please contact us with any questions at editors@jitpedagogy.org.

As a courtesy to our reviewers, we will not consider simultaneous submissions, but we will do our best to reply to you within 2-3 months of the submission deadline.

To submit and read our full guidelines, go to http://jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/submit/