cfp.english.upenn.edu

**SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL JANUARY 21, 2013**

“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” – Harvey Dent, Batman: The Dark Knight

Keynote Speakers:

Richard Harrison, Mount Royal University

Aruna Srivastava, University of Calgary

The U of C’s Free-Exchange Committee is hosting its annual, interdisciplinary graduate student conference March 8-10, 2013. We welcome both critical and creative presentations that explore heroism and/or villainy as manifested in history, political science, economics, philosophy, psychology, art and literature, pop culture and other disciplines. Presentations of 15-20 minutes may range from traditional seminar papers to works of short fiction, poetry, film, etc. Applicants are also encouraged to submit panels (ie. groups of three papers or creative works) for this conference.

Topics for possible presentations might include, but are not limited to:

- The postmodern. Has postmodernity re-defined our concept of the hero, anti-hero, villain, and/or sympathetic villain?
- The everyday hero. How is the everyday hero represented in contemporary cultures?
- Failure. How is failure revisioned as heroic? Are villains the heroes that failed? Is that why history remembers them as villains?
- Comics and Film. How do comics and film complicate heroism and villainy?
- Punishment and justice. Who watches the watchmen?
- Otheredness. How do minor literatures address heroism and villainy? How are non-normative heroes constructed?
- Sex. How does the portrayal of sexuality affect ideas of heroism and villainy?

For academic papers please submit a 250-300 word abstract and, for creative projects, a 100-200 word artist’s statement as well as a sample of your proposed project and list of publications, if applicable. Please note: for panel submissions each panel member must present a proposal that adheres to the above guidelines, and the Free-Exchange Committee retains the right to accept any given panel in full or in part.

All submissions are to be sent in an electronic e-mail attachment (MS Word or .pdf files) to freeex@ucalgary.ca and are due no later than January 21th, 2013.

Jess Nicol
Free-Exchange Co-Chair
MA Student, Department of English
University of Calgary
jknicol@ucalgary.ca

Jaclyn Carter
Free-Exchange Co-Chair
MA Student, Department of English
University of Calgary
jaclyn.carter@ucalgary.ca