CALL FOR PAPERS, ABSTRACTS, AND PANEL PROPOSALS

Submission link: https://www.mpcaaca.org/submit-panels 

Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association Annual Conference

Friday-Sunday, 06-08 October 2023

DePaul University

Address/Phone:

DePaul Center

1 E. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 362-8000

This is our third year of having our conference at a University instead of a hotel; therefore, conference participants will be responsible for securing their own lodging.

The  Star Trek Studies area of the Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association is now accepting proposals for its 2023 conference in Chicago, IL.  We are seeking papers that examine any aspect of Star Trek. With multiple series within the franchise currently streaming on Paramount+ and more to come, Star Trek’s 57-year legacy is fertile ground for scholarship on its past, present, and future. Potential topics for paper or panel proposals include but are not limited to: 

• Analysis of themes in story arcs, individual episodes, or films

• Issues pertaining to gender, race, and disability representation

• Star Trek’s legacy of influence on culture, technology, and individuals 

• Star Trek and politics

• Exploration of changes to the television and streaming landscape given the multiple iterations of Star Trek streaming on Paramount+

• Star Trek fandom

Please submit a paper abstract of 250-300 words or a panel proposal including short abstracts and titles of each prospective paper to the "Star Trek Studies" area on the MPCA/ACA Submission website. Pre-constituted panels are welcomed and encouraged. 

Remember to include your name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail address, as well as those of each author/participant in your panel if applicable. A preliminary version of the schedule will be posted on our website around August 2023.. The final version will be distributed in hard copy at the conference.

Please email any questions to Shanna Gilkeson at sgilkeso@emich.edu.

Special Notes Regarding Proposal Submissions: (1) AV equipment will be provided. The Association does not provide laptops, cords, or speakers.  (2) If necessary, indicate and submit potential scheduling conflicts along with your proposal. (3) If you wish your presentation to be listed as MACA (rather than MPCA), please include this request with your proposal.

Please plan to attend the entire conference. Panels will run at the following approximate times: Friday 9:00 am-6:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am-5:30 pm, and Sunday 9:00 am-2:00 pm. Special events may include game night on Thursday evening, featured speakers and awards ceremony on Friday evening, and a keynote speaker on Saturday evening. These events will be free for conference registrants. Area Chairs are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP DUES & REGISTRATION FEES: Membership renewal forms for the 2023 calendar year and 2023 conference registration forms will be available on the website in the coming weeks.All participants must register for the conference. Registration is $100 for undergraduate students with ID, $150 for reduced rate members (graduate students with ID, retirees, and unemployed), and $180 for regular members. There will be a $15 late fee for registration on-site or postmarked after

September 15, 2023. (This fee is waived for residents of countries other than the USA or Canada.) Payment on-site will be by cash, check, or via credit card on Square. To preregister, send a check anytime to Paul Booth, Communication, DePaul University, 1 E. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604. Make check payable to Midwest Popular Culture Association. A registration-membership form may be printed from our website at <http://www.mpcaaca.org>.

Day passes will be available for guests of the conference who are not presenting a paper.

Attendees are financially responsible for all costs related to their participation in the conference, e.g., transportation, lodging, meals, registration, membership, etc. Graduate students are invited to apply for competitively awarded travel grants from MPCA/MACA. Details on these grants are available here.

Cancellation Policy: If you submit a proposal (or if you accept an invitation to appear on a panel), you are promising to attend the conference if your proposal is accepted and you are promising to pay the conference registration fee, the Association membership fee, and a late fee of $15 if applicable. If your proposal is accepted and you do not attend the conference, it is expected that you will (1) notify all members of your panel, your Area Chair, and the MPCA/MACA Executive Secretary (Malynnda Johnson) of your cancellation; (2) provide such notification as early as possible; (3) arrange to have your paper distributed at the panel; (4) arrange for somebody else to carry out any other duties you may have; and (5) pay your membership and registration fees (plus late fee if applicable). If conditions 1-5 are met, you may file a written request, after the conference, for a refund of half your registration fee. For co-authored papers, all authors are welcome and encouraged to attend, but only one author is required to attend.

COVID-19:The Midwest Popular Culture Association continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely.  At this point, we intend for the conference to go ahead as planned in-person in October of 2023. Please note that the deadline for registration is September 15 of 2023.  In the event that the conference is moved into a virtual setting, postponed, or canceled, we will notify you and provide you with information as to how the organization will respond as soon as possible. Please check the MPCA website or follow MPCA on Twitter or Facebook for the latest information.