2010 MSA conference at the University of Victoria

[Allana Lindgren]

CFP: Modernist Networks (MSA12; Nov 11-14, 2010)

The organizers invite proposals for panels, round tables, and seminars for inclusion in the twelfth annual meeting of the Modernist Studies Association, to be held at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, November 11-14, 2010. 

This year’s theme of “Modernist Networks” indicates a number of possible vectors of inquiry: networks among modernist artists, critics, consumers, scholars; networks of influence, borrowing, theft, attribution; the networked modernisms of communications technologies, digital literary studies, electric and virtual modernisms; geographical, political, ethical, ethnic, personal, psychic networks; modernism’s networks and its claims to globality; modernism’s histories and its linkages to other movements, trends, traditions, and our own contemporary moment. Broad as it is, the theme should in no way discourage proposals that do not appear to fit: we welcome panel, seminar, and roundtable proposals on any topic. The primary criterion for selection will be the quality of the proposal, not its link to the conference theme.

All queries should be directed to msa12 at uvic.ca.

All those who attend the MSA conference must be members of the organization with dues paid for 2010-11. (MSA membership runs from July 1 until June 30 each year.) 
Because we wish to involve as many people as possible as active participants, MSA limits multiple appearances on the program. Thus, you may participate once, but only once, in each of the following categories:
• Seminar, either as leader or as presenter

• Panel or roundtable, as chair or participant
• “What Are You Reading?” session

You may lead a seminar, present a paper on a panel, and participate in a “What Are You Reading” session, but you may not present two papers. MSA rules do not allow panel or roundtable organizers to chair their own session if they are also speaking in the session. The session chair must be someone who is otherwise not participating in the session. Panel organizers are encouraged to identify a moderator and include this information with their proposals; the MSA Program Committee can also ask another conference attendee to serve as a moderator.

CALL FOR SEMINAR PROPOSALS
Deadline: Feb. 15, 2010
Leading a Seminar: (Information for Seminar Leaders)

Seminars are one the most significant features of the MSA conference. Participants write brief “position papers” (5-7 pages) that are read and circulated prior to the conference. Because their size is limited to 15 participants, seminars generate lively exchange and often facilitate future collaborations. The format also allows a larger number of conference attendees to seek financial support from their institutions as they educate themselves and their colleagues on subjects of mutual interest. Seminars are two hours in length. Seminars led solely by graduate students are not likely to be accepted. We encourage graduate students to invite a faculty member to lead the seminar with them.

Please note that this is the call for seminar leaders. Sign-up for seminar participants will take place on a first-come, first-served basis coinciding with registration for the conference.

Seminar Topics:
There are no limits on topics, but past experience has shown that the more clearly defined the topic and the more guidance provided by the leader, the more productive the discussion. “Clearly defined” should not be confused with “narrow,” as extremely narrow seminar topics tend to exclude many potential applicants. To scan past seminar topics, go to the Conference Archives http://msa.press.jhu.edu/conference.html on the MSA website, click the link to a prior conference, and then click on “Conference Schedule” or “Conference Program.” You'll find seminars listed along with panels and other events.

Proposing a Seminar:
Seminar proposals must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: SEMINAR PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF SEMINAR LEADER] (e.g., SEMINAR PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* List the seminar leader's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Provide a brief curriculum vitae (including teaching experience) for the seminar leader
* Give a brief description (up to 100 words) of the proposed topic
Submit proposals by Feb. 15, 2010 to:

CALL FOR PANEL PROPOSALS
Deadline: May 3, 2010
Topics are not limited to the theme “Modernist Networks.” Successful proposals will introduce topics that promise to expand research and debate on a topic, and will present a clear rationale for the papers’ collective goal. Please bear in mind these guidelines:
* We encourage interdisciplinary panels and discourage panels on single authors.
* In order to encourage discussion, preference will be given to panels with three participants, though panels of four will be considered.
* Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted.
* Graduate students are welcome as panelists. However, panels composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than panels that include presenters with degrees together with graduate students.
Proposals for panels must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: PANEL PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF PANEL ORGANIZER] (e.g., PANEL PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* Session title
* Session organizer's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Chair's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, and contact information (if you do not identify a chair, we will locate one for you)
* Panelists' names, paper titles, institutional affiliations, disciplines, positions or titles, and contact information
* A maximum 500-word abstract of the panel as a whole
* Brief (2-3 sentence) scholarly biography of each panelist
Submit proposals by May 3, 2010 to: msa12 at uvic.ca

CALL FOR ROUNDTABLE PROPOSALS
Deadline: May 3, 2010
Unlike panels, which generally feature a sequence of 15-20 minute talks followed by discussion, roundtables gather a group of participants around a shared concern in order to generate discussion among the roundtable participants and with the audience. To this end, instead of delivering full-length papers, participants are asked to deliver short position statements in response to questions distributed in advance by the organizer, or they take turns responding to prompts from the moderator. The bulk of the session should be devoted to discussion. No paper titles are listed in the program, only the names of participants.
Other MSA roundtable policies: 
* Roundtables may feature as many as 6 speakers.
* We particularly welcome roundtables featuring participants from multiple disciplines, and we discourage roundtables on single authors.
* Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted.
* Graduate students are welcome as speakers. However, roundtables composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than roundtables that include degreed presenters together with graduate students.
Proposals for panels must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: ROUNDTABLE PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF ROUNDTABLE ORGANIZER] (e.g., ROUNDTABLE PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* Session title
* Session organizer's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Moderator's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, and contact information (if you do not identify a moderator, we will locate one for you)
* Speakers' names, institutional affiliations, disciplines, positions or titles, mailing addresses, phones, faxes, and e-mail addresses
* A maximum 500-word rationale for the roundtable
* Brief (2-3 sentence) scholarly biography of each speaker
Send proposals by May 2, 2010 To: msa12 at uvic.ca

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Dr. Allana C. Lindgren
Assistant Professor
Department of Theatre
University of Victoria
PO Box 1700, STN CSC
Victoria, British Columbia
CANADA   V8W 2Y2
Phone: (250)721-8005
Email: aclind at uvic.ca
Web: www.phoenixtheatres.ca