cfp.english.upenn.edu

AGSE Call For Papers— Upon A Precipice

The Associated Graduate Students in English (AGSE) at California State University Northridge is currently accepting proposals for its annual graduate conference to be held on April 16, 2011.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Upon A Precipice.” The radical shift occurring throughout the publishing world, the ongoing explosion of technological advances, and the advancement of globalization are just a few ongoing societal evolutions that have placed us upon an exciting and, paradoxically, frightening new precipice. However, as we balance upon the precipice of present and future, it is important to also look to the past. Writing for the Rambler in 1751, Samuel Johnson explained, “He that is pushing his predecessors into the gulf of obscurity, cannot but sometimes suspect, that he must himself sink in like manner, and, as he stands upon the same precipice, be swept away with the same violence.” How does the past – specifically eras in which society found itself at an important and immutable precipice – shape, alter, or reinforce our worldview, as well as inform or influence our future? Further, what new paths of inquiry and discovery in this present moment of change and flux are being made possible?

We welcome papers from a range of disciplines including but not limited to Literature, Rhetoric and Composition, Creative Writing, Pedagogy, History, Philosophy, Linguistics, Comparative Literature, Gender and Women’s Studies, Ethnic Studies, Art History, Film and Screen Studies, and Popular Culture.

Please submit the title and a 500-word (maximum) abstract to jada.augustine@gmail.com. Proposals are due by February 4, 2011.

In addition to the presenters, we are pleased to welcome keynote speaker, Dr. Susan Jarratt. She is a recipient of the National Endowments for the Humanities Fellowship; her studies include Ancient Greek and Roman rhetoric, contemporary rhetoric, political discourse, student writing, and writing pedagogies in universities and public contexts.

We will send confirmations upon the receipt of your proposal. You will be notified no later than February 18, 2011.