cfp.english.upenn.edu

In recent years, the humanities have been facing a crisis guided by corporate measures taking place in universities across the globe. The changes occurring in the university demand many academic departments to justify their relevance and applicability in our world today. We face a need to redefine what the humanities are in the twenty-first century and more specifically the role of the modern language and literature departments in the new humanities.

Scholars across disciplines have begun to engage in interdisciplinary conversations that address the current state and the future of the humanities. By participating in this debate, we aim to redefine our place inside and outside of the university.

This volume seeks to re-examine the position of the humanities in the university by looking specifically at Romance languages, literatures, and cultural studies. By reflecting on our role within the universal whole of higher education we hope to assert the vitality of the humanities in the twenty-first century.

Possible topics include:
- studies of culture, literature and/or second language acquisition in the 21st century
- human language and its social interactions
- cultural texts: media, film, internet, architecture
- interdisciplinary studies
- new and/or evolving disciplines
- recycling the humanities
- humanities and geopolitics
- digital humanities
- “meta-humanities”
- listening to Other voices
- defining “human” through texts

Please send abstracts (250-300 words) with a proposed title as an attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF to: UBRomance@gmail.com.
All abstracts as well as papers must be in English. Completed essays must be submitted by April 1, 2012, following MLA formatting guidelines. Final essays should be between 15-20 pages (including notes, bibliography, etc.).