CFP: SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

Conference
Conference of the Popular and American Culture Association (PCA/ACA)
Indianapolis
March 28 - 31, 2018
Stichtag: 01.10.2017

One of the largest and most vibrant of the association, the Science Fiction and Fantasy (SF/F) Area invites proposals for its 2018 national conference to be held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis. The goals of our area are (1) to share and support research, scholarship, and publication and (2) to mentor emerging scholars. As a result, we invite proposals from professors, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates (with the guidance of a professor).

PCA/ACA SF/F welcomes any theoretical or (inter)disciplinary approach to any topic related to SF/F: art; literature; radio; film; television; comics and graphic novels; video, role-playing, and multi-player online games. The SF/F Area is also interested in featuring science fiction and fantasy writers and poets. Creative writers are welcomed.

Special Session(s)

The New Women: Superheroes and Anti-heroes

The new Wonder Woman film has brought to light the portrayal of the women in superhero genre films and comics. This special session invites proposals for papers or roundtables that discuss the role, performance and relationships of women in action movies and comics. Examples for discussion are Gamora, Nebula, Black Widow, Jessica Jones, Harley Quin, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman.

When proposing for a special session please clearly indicate this, and contact the area chairs pcasff@gmail.com to ensure that your paper is considered for the appropriate session.

Submission Guidelines: In Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or PDF, completed papers or 250-word proposals for individual papers, or creative writing readings should be submitted through the PCA website and only through the PCA website. If you wish to submit a panel for the conference, all presenters must submit individually through the website, and then notify the Area Chairs of your intentions to present together. Please do not include panel colleagues on the electronic submission as this confuses the program. Instructions for submission can be found at www.pcaaca.org/conference/instructions.php and submissions made at http://ncp.pcaaca.org. Submissions can be made on the site after July 1st, 2017. The document should contain the following information in this order:

  • Name of presenter—indicate main contact person if submitting a multi-authored paper
  • Institutional affiliation—if applicable
  • Name and contact information of Supervising professor—undergraduates only
  • Address(es), telephone number(s), and current email address(es) of presenter(s)
  • Title of paper
  • Completed paper(s) or 250-word proposal(s)—if submitting a workshop, please specifically indicate what those in attendance will gain

Roundtables and special sessions can only be created by Area Chairs—if you wish to organize one of these sessions, please contact the Area Chairs, who will create the event for you in the schedule. Note that beginning with the 2015 conference, ALL areas are limited in the number of roundtables that can be held. If you wish to propose one, then do so as soon as possible.

The proposal will be acknowledged within 2 days of its receipt, and the sender will be notified of the submission’s status no later than 15th October 2017. Please be aware that acknowledgement of receipt does not automatically denote acceptance. Deadlines for submission are firm, and we cannot accept any papers made after the deadline. Earlier submission is appreciated.

Please, do not simultaneously submit the same proposal to multiple areas. Doing so is a discourtesy to area chairs, and will result in your paper being refused. Per PCA/ACA guidelines, a person may present only one paper at the annual meeting, regardless of subject area. If you try to submit to two areas, the master program will not accept your proposals (which may result in your paper not being accepted in either area).

Submission Deadline: 1 October 2017

Each year the SF/F Area hosts a fundraising event that includes a film, snacks, and a prize raffle of DVDs, novels, academic books, etc.—thousands of dollars in merchandise. Come enjoy the food, friendship, and fun! This year’s movie will be a science fiction film, TBD. Fundraising supports area activities and, beginning with the 2011 conference, awards to the two best papers, graduate student and professional. The Student Award includes a cash prize. More details about these awards can be found at the area’s website: www.pcasff.wordpress.com. We do accept donations of items for the raffle, so if your shelves are starting to bulge under all of your SF/F memorabilia, ask yourself if you really need 3 Thor action figures. If not, then donate that stuff to us.

Please be aware that the PCA offers several (highly competitive) travel bursaries and deadlines for them are the 7 January 2018. Check the PCA website www.pcaaca.org for more information. PCA/ACA SF/F Area Chairs: Gillian I Leitch, Sherry Ginn and Heather M Porter. Direct all enquiries to our email address: pcasff@gmail.com.

NOTE: While the PCA/ACA welcomes fresh approaches to subjects, we also appreciate serious commitment to scholarship and to presenting at the conference. Please note that this is a professional conference and once you are accepted, your presentation becomes integral to the success of the event. If you must cancel, please notify the Area Chairs of your withdrawal as soon as you know. Failure to do so will impact future opportunities to present at this conference.

Next year’s conference will commence early Wednesday morning. Be advised that your panel will be assigned a time randomly by the master scheduler. We cannot change the schedule after it is completed, so please ensure that you will be able to attend the entire conference before you submit your proposal. In other words, clear your schedule from Wednesday through Saturday. We will notify you of your exact presentation time as soon as we can, but know that the program is not likely to be completed before December 1st; make your hotel reservations as soon as possible. The number of reserved rate hotel rooms is limited.

Please consult our handy guide for proposing here: https://pcasff.wordpress.com/a-guide-to-academic-and-professional-conferences-or-how-not-to-be-killed-or-ridiculed-by-your-colleagues/

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