cfp.english.upenn.edu

New York Institute of Technology/Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Spring Conference 2011
“Crossing Borders: Traveling, Teaching, and Learning in a Global Age”

Location: Nanjing, China
Dates: April 16th and April 17th, 2011
Abstract and panel proposal submission deadline: August 31st, 2010

Our conference topic focuses on border crossings, both real and imagined. Border crossings can take place, for instance, between nations, cultures, and minds, and may express limitations or enhanced understanding. As borders suggest both barriers and closeness, they paradoxically can be sites of fear, trauma, displacement or stagnation; or they can be dynamic and fluid places of discovery and change. In this age of technology, borders have shrunk, been redefined, replaced, and reestablished. We are interested in exploring how we perceive and interpret border crossings that take place as we travel, teach, and learn in a global age. Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Teaching: online courses vs. traditional courses, ESL courses, teaching abroad
Communication and Linguistics: translations, telecommunications, bi- or multilingualism, texting/IM, linguistic borders, oral tradition
Arts: visual arts, creative writing, photography, dance, music
Travel: travel writing genre, studying abroad, living abroad, virtual travel
Culture and Identity: multiculturalism, transnationalism, disability, postcolonialism, cyber culture (facebook/myspace/twitter), cyber identities, race relations, gender, sexuality, self vs. community, fetishism, rituals, customs, globalization, diasporas and migration, imaginary homelands
Science and Technology: Western vs. traditional or holistic medicine, genetic engineering, space exploration, doctors without borders, internet, “gaming” (i.e. World of Warcraft), piracy, copyright infringement, film reception across borders
Philosophy and Rhetoric: comparative/contrastive philosophical thought

We welcome academics and researchers, along with graduate students and postgraduate students, from local, national and international universities to submit abstracts pertaining to border crossings. We seek submissions from all branches of the humanities, the social sciences, the sciences, and the arts.

Guidelines:
500 word abstracts should be submitted in English to Dr. Katyna Johnson at kjohns03@nyit.edu. The presenter’s name, a short bio, address, telephone, email, and institutional affiliation should be submitted along with the abstract. Please indicate if you need any audio-visual equipment or need any other technical equipment.

Proposals for panel sessions should include three speakers. Each session will last for one hour: forty-five minutes for the speakers and fifteen minutes for questions and discussion. Panel proposals should include:
(1) Panel title
(2) Paper titles
(3) Abstracts for each paper (500 words)
(4) Names of presenters
(5) Short biography for each participant
(6) Institutional affiliation, telephone, email and address for each participant
(7) Audio-visual and other technical requirements.

Final papers should be approximately 15 minutes and no longer than 20 minutes. We also welcome other presentation formats such as photography, film, and dance.