Now accepting submissions and ideas for the eighth annual Pop Culture Conferenceat DePaul University in Chicago! DePaul University’s College of Communicationis hosting a one-day celebratory colloquium celebrating the SUPERHERO in all their manifestations on Saturday,May 02, 2020, from 9 am-6 pm. More details can be found at popcultureconference.com.

This event will feature roundtable discussions from scholars and fans of Superheroes and comics. Ourkeynote speaker is Sarah Kuhn, author of the popular Heroine Complexnovels—a series starring Asian American superheroines, as well as I Love You So Mochiand a graphic novel about Batgirl Cassandra Cain for DC Comics. Our academic speaker is Dr. Frederick Aldama, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor at The Ohio State University and expert in Latino literature, film, television, comics, and superheroes.

Participantsmay propose panels and papers about a broad array of ideas related to Superheroesand their cultural impact. The Pop Culture Conference does not feature formal paper presentations, but speakers are invited to have roundtable discussions themed around these topics.The audience for this event is both graduate and undergraduate students, both fans and scholars. You may propose multiple papers and panels.

Some possible topics include: The ubiquity of Superheroes; Power and Responsibility with Superheroes; the morality of Superheroes; race/ethnicity and Superheroes; Gender and Superheroes; Religion and Superheroes,teaching with Superheroes, the financial success of the MCU or DC Universes, etc.

There are three types of submissions:

1. Individual topic submissions. Please submit a 200-300 word abstract abouta topic related to the Superhero. If accepted, you will be placed on a panel with other papers of a similar topic. You will not present a full paper, but rather will present your topic in 5-7 minutes and then engage in a roundtable.
2. Full panel submissions. Please submit a 200-300 word abstract for a full panel at the conference. The full panel should include the names, contact info, and speaking topics of at least four people.
3. Participation/Workshop panels. Please submit a 200-300 word abstract for an interactive panel with the audience. Previous workshops have included: crafting, cooking, debates, fantasy casting; etc. Depending on the topics, we may place additional people in the workshop.

If you’re interested in speaking on a roundtable, or want to propose a panel, or have ideas for other events/lectures, please email your abstractsand a CV/resume to Pop Culture Conference (popcultureconference@gmail.com) by Jan 15, 2020. Please aim your abstracts for a more general audience and for a discussion rather than traditional scholarlypaper presentation. We will also have the opportunity to publish a longer version of your talk in an update to our Time Lords and Tribblesbookseries.

For more information, please check out popcultureconference.com, and sign up for updates on Facebook (search “A Celebration of Heroes”). We hope that you will be able to join in the discussion and celebration