In late-medieval England, public performances of learning and expertise were political performances, that not only expressed one’s mastery of a subject but also an ability and right to speak to it in public view. Whether speaking to knowledge of theology, or medicine, or carpentry, these public professions of knowledge were subject to scrutiny both institutional (e.g. the Church or craft guilds) and informal (by lay churchgoers or prospective customers). Drama offered a form in which claims to knowledge could be exaggerated, parodied, or reproduced for effect--in a word, staged--to invite medieval audiences to rethink the social and political dimensions to such performances.

Bob Dylan's songs have been the subject of countless close readings and interpretations. Philological research has identified many of the literary sources for Dylan’s lyrics. His songs have been studied in relation to the ballad tradition, romanticism, modernism, and postmodernism. Dylan’s revisionary approaches to what it means to be a poet have also been widely discussed. Drawing on the occasion of Dylan’s recent Nobel Prize, this conference seeks to open up new avenues and different approaches to his songs.

We are especially interested in the following topics:

Attachment and Attunement

With the current spate of contemporary high-budget properties that have sought to engage and adapt online horror content, increasing attention has been turned to communities of amateur critics, writers, illustrators, and fans that work to create horror in digital space. Their influence has been felt in a variety of media, from the television series Channel Zero and Supernatural, to the film The Tall Man and video games like Slender and SCP: Containment Breach. Fora in Something Awful, “r/nosleep”, and the SCP Foundation represent attempts by massive communities to create negotiated fictions, imagining mythic spaces and enduring, horrific creatures.

Apollon, a peer-reviewed undergraduate eJournal in the humanities, announces the call for papers for its eighth issue. The seventh issue is online with five peer-reviewed research contributions from undergraduate scholars across the US, and expanded features such as audio and video interviews, material and art history videos, and editorial pieces. Apollon invites college and university undergraduate students to help edit or get published in a new peer-reviewed digital humanities publication. 

Student submissions deadline is October 01, 2017. Interested faculty should contact us with interest or inquiries as well. Go ahead -- you know you want to.

Over the last few decades, body modification in its many forms and guises has experienced an apparent visibility, appropriation, and revivalism in mainstream media and culture. Spanning centuries of history, body modification can range in intensity and craftsmanship from “normal” (such as earlobe piercings or bodybuilding) to “hardcore” (such as full bodysuit tattoos, surgical modifications, transdermal implants, and even amputations).

The academic job market is famously difficult to navigate. Ironically, the decrease in job opportunities has prompted an increase in the number of materials required by each application—cover letters, CVs, recommendations, dissertation abstracts, research statements, teaching statements, diversity statements—all of which must be customized for each institution to which a candidate is applying. Yet, in spite of these challenges, there are still job openings each year and there are still success stories of people being hired for these positions. While no longer a guarantee, the only way to attain a full-time position in academia is to apply for one.

Call For Papers: Ethics and Choice in the Works of Terry Pratchett
Ed. Kristin Noone and Emily Lavin Leverett
(This is for the same volume Kristin sent out before, if you saw that!)