interdisciplinary

The Early Proverb Society emphasizes the functions of that mobile, morphic form, the proverb.  EPS showcases our readings at a round table (three to four discussants and one respondent) and a panel of papers (three speakers) at the 55th Congress, May 7-10, 2020.  All methodological approaches are welcomed warmly.

Round table:  Medieval Proverbs:  Exchanges, Clashes, and Transactions

Medieval animal studies has tended to privilege literary and encyclopedic texts, viewing animals within Aristotelian hierarchies of rationality, while research on animals in medieval medicine has focused on their use as ingredients, rather than their potential status as patients. There have been few discussions of animals and humans in relationships of care, or of animals as the recipients of medical treatment. In this panel, we seek to expand these conversations by centering veterinary medicine, including treatment manuals (e.g., hawking handbooks), literary representations of veterinary practices (e.g., romance heroes caring for horses), and other genres that concern the (un)ethical, (il)legal, or (im)proper treatment, training, or keeping of animals.

The Fairy Tales Area of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association seeks paper presentations and panels on the diverse range of fairy tales throughout the world. This year, we particularly seek papers focused on pedagogical uses of fairy tales at all levels and in all fields, discussions of folkloric shifts from oral to literary to visual (filmic, artistic, etc) versions of tales, and creative pieces that retell or critique fairy tales or use the tales to comment on some aspect of culture or history. Still, we are interested in as wide an array of papers as possible, so please do not hesitate to send a submission on any fairy tale related subject.

How does the space of comics allow for the shaping of identity or the sharing of experiences? The increase in scholarly attention to the graphic novel genre and category is often linked to the rise of graphic memoir, with texts such as Art Spiegelman's Maus and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis stimulating more respect for the medium of comics and its social/cultural significance. This panel is interested in exploring comics that deal with the complexities of identity—visually, generically, thematically, materially. Texts such as Tillie Walden’s Spinning, Cristy C.

WPU INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE: EXPLORING THE MACABRE, MALEVOLENT, and MYSTERIOUS

OCTOBER 17-18

WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

The WPU Interdisciplinary Conference seeks to advance collaborative and interconnective understanding on a variety of topics. With a sense of a renewed interest, or perhaps a more mainstreamed acceptance of, the horror genre in American culture, we thought it exciting for this annual conference to focus on an exploration of the macabre, malevolent, and mysterious. It is our hope that you will join us in bringing together knowledge from diverse disciplines to further the scholarship being done on the myriad of concepts falling within this theme.