cfp.english.upenn.edu

CFP: Satire
Abstracts/Panel Proposals by 15 December 2009
Registration Deadline: 31 December 2009

Southwest/Texas Popular & American Culture Association 31st Annual Conference
Albuquerque, NM February 10-13, 2010
Conference website: http://swtxpca.org
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras NW * Albuquerque, NM 87102
Hotel phone: (505) 842-1234
Hotel fax: (505) 843-2710
Hotel website: http://albuquerque.hyatt.com

Presentation abstracts and panel proposals are now being accepted for the brand new Satire Area. Satire is one of the most effective ways to call attention to social issues and to establish commentary on them. This area will examine the role of satire in popular culture, including (but not limited to) the issues, events, and people targeted by current satire, the techniques used by satirists, and the various effects that this kind of social commentary has on its audience. Presentations may focus on television, literature, film, radio, live performance, internet sources, and more.

Primary sources might include
• Selected episodes and/or segments of South Park, The Boondocks, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, and others, including a great many from Cartoon Network’s late-night specialty lineup, Adult Swim.
• Selected literature of writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Flannery O’Connor, Tom Robbins, Mark Twain, Jonathan Swift, and others.
• Selected films and/or segments of films such as Brazil (1985), Fight Club (1999), Team America: World Police (2004), and others.
• Selected radio broadcasts, live performances, online videos, blogs, cartoons, and more.

Discussion topics might include politics and government, religion, ethics and morality, censorship, race and ethnicity, gender, corporate America, consumerism, current events, political correctness, and many more.

We are eager to set a solid precedent for this inspiring new area, and would therefore like to encourage presenters to draw a clear distinction between satire and other modes of humor, such as parody. This distinction will help create discussion and debate this year and in the future, while setting the standard for our area. Remember to allow each work to stand on its own as satire, rather than grouping an entire body of work together.

***Submit abstracts of 250 words and/or panel proposals no later than 15 December 2009 with the subject line “Satire Abstract: [Your Topic]” or “Satire Panel: [Your Topic]” to
Alana Hatley, Satire Area Chair
hatleyad@nsuok.edu (email preferred)
P.O. Box 160
Fort Gibson, OK 74434

Be sure to include your own contact information with your submission.