Historically, researching and teaching the different art forms took place in a well-sealed vacuum: for example, using literary theory to decipher one of the great texts, visual and compositional analysis to examine a sublime painting, or montage splicing to perceive the nuances of film. However, it is becoming more difficult to recognize the borders that separate cinema, literature, and the visual arts. Factors including the rise of globalized societies and the emergence of new technology have forced us to reconsider medium specificity and our relationship with creative expressions and works of art. As scholars and educators, the current moment compels us to reevaluate our toolbox and to reconceive the humanities more holistically – in and out of its different media. To this end, intermedial approaches have emerged, drawing their meaning from the “impure” circumstances to which they belong. Hence, as a conceptual approach, intermediality stands to both preserve and transform what was once understood as a “print-based public sphere.” How can the concept help us reconceive notions like the commons, the public sphere and civil society in the humanities classrooms of today? How does a scrutiny of the relationships between creative media help nurture the critical skills needed to participate in an ever more dispersed and multimodal civil society? How can interpreting a film as poetic or a brush stroke as literary inform our civic engagement and our research? These are the types of questions we look forward to in this roundtable discussion. All disciplines and time periods are welcome. Submit abstracts here: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/22399 

Questions? contact jchavez@brynmawr.edu and jmesi09@sas.upenn.edu. Deadline: Sept. 30, 2026