Midwest Conference on British Studies (MWCBS)

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its
fifty-ninth annual meeting will be hosted by the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, October 12-14th, 2012.

The keynote speaker will be John Gillis, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University. The plenary address will be given by Ian Gentles, Professor of History, York University at Glendon.

The MWCBS seeks papers from scholars in all fields of British Studies, broadly defined to include those who study England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Britain’s Empire and the Commonwealth. We welcome scholars from the broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies and art history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will be considered. We welcome roundtables (of four participants plus chair) and panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator) that:

* offer cross-disciplinary perspectives on topics in British Studies
* situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context
* examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities
* consider Anglo-American relations, past and present
* examine new trends in British Studies
* assess a major work or body of work by a scholar
* explore new developments in digital humanities and/or research methodologies

After a very positive response to last year’s first teaching roundtable, we would particularly like to receive proposals for teaching roundtables that discuss collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom.

The MWCBS welcomes papers presented by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference.

Proposals must:

-    Include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators.

-    For full panels, include a brief 200-word preview of the panel as a whole.

Please place the panel proposal, the accompanying paper proposals and vitas in one file and send it as a single attachment. Also identify within the email the contact person for the panel.

All proposals should be submitted online by April 1, 2012, to the Program Committee Chair, Lia Paradis at lia.paradis@sru.edu.

Program Committee: Phil Harling, University of Kentucky; Robin Hermann, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Isaac Land, Indiana State University; Jennifer McNabb, Western Illinois University; Lia Paradis, Chair, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania; Lisa Sigel, Depaul University.

Visit the MWCBS website at http://mwcbs.edublogs.org/

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its fifty-ninth annual meeting will be hosted by the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, October 12-14th, 2012.

The MWCBS seeks papers from scholars in all fields of British Studies, broadly defined to include those who study England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Britain’s empire. We welcome scholars from the broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies and art history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will be considered.  We welcome roundtables (of four participants plus chair) and panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator) that:

* offer cross-disciplinary perspectives on topics in British Studies

* situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context

* examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national
identities

* consider Anglo-American relations, past and present

* examine new trends in British Studies

* assess a major work or body of work by a scholar

* explore new developments in digital humanities and/or research methodologies

After a very positive response to last year’s first teaching roundtable, we would particularly like to receive proposals for teaching roundtables that discuss collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British
Studies classroom.

The MWCBS welcomes papers presented by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference.

Proposals must:

-    Include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators.

-    For full panels, include a brief 200-word preview of the panel as a whole.

Please place the panel proposal, the accompanying paper proposals and vitas in one file and send it as a single attachment. Also identify within the email the contact person for the panel.

All proposals should be submitted online by April 1, 2012, to the Program Committee Chair, Lia Paradis at lia.paradis@sru.edu.

Visit the MWCBS website at http://mwcbs.edublogs.org/

The fifty-ninth annual meeting of the Midwest Conference on British Studies will be hosted by the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, October 12-14th, 2012.  We are proud to announce that the keynote speaker will be John Gillis, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University. The plenary address will be given by Ian Gentles, Professor of History,  York University at Glendon.

The MWCBS seeks papers from scholars in all fields of British Studies, broadly defined to include those who study England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Britain’s Empire and the Commonwealth. We welcome scholars from the broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies and art history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will be considered. We welcome roundtables (of four participants plus chair) and panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator) that:

* offer cross-disciplinary perspectives on topics in British Studies

* situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context

* examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities

* consider Anglo-American relations, past and present

* examine new trends in British Studies

* assess a major work or body of work by a scholar

* explore new developments in digital humanities and/or research methodologies

After a very positive response to last year’s first teaching roundtable, we would particularly like to receive proposals for teaching roundtables that discuss collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom.

The MWCBS welcomes papers presented by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference.

Proposals must:
Include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators.
For full panels, include a brief 200-word preview of the panel as a whole.

Please place the panel proposal, the accompanying paper proposals and vitas in one file and send it as a single attachment. Also identify within the email the contact person for the panel.

All proposals should be submitted online by April 1, 2012, to the Program Committee Chair, Lia Paradis at lia.paradis@sru.edu.

Program Committee: Phil Harling, University of Kentucky; Robin Hermann, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Isaac Land, Indiana State University; Jennifer McNabb, Western Illinois University; Lia Paradis, Chair, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania; Lisa Sigel, Depaul University.

Visit the MWCBS website at <http://mwcbs.edublogs.org/>

A number of people have inquired about the best way to get from the Indianapolis airport to Terre Haute.  Our local arrangements chairs have investigated the various alternatives and have suggested a number of options for those traveling to Terre Haute.

1.  The best option is to carpool together.  We encourage you to use H-Albion to arrange rides.  Alternatively, you can use the NACBS Facebook site.  A third option would be to arrange a ride with iCarpool.com <http://www.icarpool.com/>.  The easiest way to organize is probably through H-Albion.

2.  There are a number of rental car services available at the Indianapolis Airport.  A list of rental car services are available here:
<http://www.indianapolisairport.com/parking_transportation/rentalCar.aspx>

3.  While expensive, there are also private car services available from the airport.  A list of services is available here:
<http://www.indianapolisairport.com/parking_transportation/limousine.aspx>

Dear MWCBS Members and Friends,

I am pleased to invite you to the annual Midwest Conference on British Studies, 4-6 November 2011.   Our meeting is at the historic Hulman & Company building (900 Wabash Avenue) in downtown Terre Haute.  Our host is Indiana State University, and our conference will run simultaneously with the Midwest American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies.  The Hilton Garden Inn (750 Wabash Avenue) is offering a discounted conference rate for MWCBS attendees.

In addition to our annual reception and luncheon, we have some exciting changes to the conference schedule this year.  We are adding a second reception on Saturday evening at which we will present the Walter L. Arnstein Graduate Student Paper Award. And, because of the high levels of interest in the conference and the quality of the papers, we have decided to run four simultaneous panels instead of three.  Finally, we have moved our registration process online.  That way, if you wish to register using your credit card, you can.  We are using the same system as the North American Conference on British Studies, so for many of you, the interface should be familiar.

We will hold our annual Friday reception jointly with the MWASECS, and our plenary speaker will be Professor Paula Backscheider, Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar at Auburn University.  Professor Backscheider specializes in Restoration and eighteenth-century literature, feminist criticism, and cultural studies.   She is the author of several books including Daniel Defoe: His Life; Spectacular Politics; Reflections on Biography; and Eighteenth-Century Women Poets and their Poetry: Inventing Agency, Inventing Genre.

Our Saturday luncheon keynote speaker will be Professor Peter Bailey, Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba.  Professor Bailey specializes in the social and cultural history of modern Britain; leisure, popular culture and sexuality; Victorian music hall and the twentieth century variety stage; and jazz in Britain.  His publications include Leisure and Class in Victorian England; Popular Culture and Performance in the Victorian City; and Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure.

If you would like to see the MWCBS 2011 program, you can download it as a .pdf.  Please keep in mind that while the schedule is confirmed, the program is a draft and there may be a few slight adjustments in the coming weeks.

To register for the conference, please visit the Regonline interface.*  The conference fees are as follows:

Early Registration (through 30 September): $70.00
Regular Registration (after 30 September): $80.00
Early Registration for Graduate Students (through 30 September): $50.00
Regular Registration for Graduate Students (after 30 September): $60.00

Luncheon: $25.00
Receptions are open to registered MWCBS attendees

* all panelists are required to register

To reserve a hotel room at the discounted MWCBS rate of $99.00 plus taxes and fees, please contact the Hilton Garden Inn by calling (812) 234-8900.  They will have discounted rates on 3-5 November.  We encourage to you to book by telephone.  According to the hotel, people can book online, but the MWCBS rate cannot be assured.

As you can see, the MWCBS 2011 will be full of interesting panels and social activities.  This is due to the hard work of our Program Committee and Local Arrangements Chairs.  For their work in putting together a stellar line-up of panels, I would like to thank Lia Paradis, Chair of the Program Committee, and the Program Committee members, Gene Beiriger, Lori Campbell, Essaka Joshua, Chris Otter, and Anne Rodrick.  I would also like to thank our Local Arrangements Chairs, Isaac Land and Kit Kincade. who have accomplished the difficult task of finding great locations for our events and keeping our registration costs down.  Finally, I would like to thank ISU’s Schick Lecture Series Committee and Chris Olsen, Chair of ISU’s History Department for their generous support.

I very much look forward to seeing all of you in Terre Haute in November.  Please be sure to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jason M. Kelly
Associate Professor of British History, IUPUI
President, Midwest Conference on British Studies

School of Liberal Arts
Indiana University
Department of History, IUPUI
Cavanaugh Hall 503N
425 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140

telephone: 317.274.1689
fax: 317.278.7800
email: jaskelly@iupui.edu

We have now posted a draft of the MWCBS 2011 program online as a .pdf.  We will post the registration information soon.  This year, we will be using the same registration system that NACBS uses, which means that you will be able to register online and pay with a credit card.  Please stay tuned for more details.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Midwest Conference on British Studies 57th Annual Meeting
November 4-6, 2011, Terre Haute, IN

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its
fifty-seventh annual meeting will be hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. The plenary speaker will be Paula Backscheider,
Phillpott-Stephens Eminent Scholar of English Literature at Auburn
University, and author of Eighteenth Century Women Poets and Their Poetry.
Peter Bailey, Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, and the
author of Leisure and Class in Victorian England, will deliver the keynote address. The program will also include panels honoring the career of Hilda Smith, Professor at the University of Cincinnati, and author of All Men and Both Sexes.

The MWCBS seeks papers from scholars in all fields of British Studies, broadly defined to include those who study England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Britain’s empire. We welcome scholars from the broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies and art history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will be considered. Especially welcome are roundtables and panels that:

* offer cross-disciplinary perspectives on topics in British Studies

* discuss collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom

* situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context

* examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities

* consider Anglo-American relations, past and present

* examine new trends in British Studies

* assess a major work or body of work by a scholar

The MWCBS welcomes papers presented by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize at its plenary luncheon for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference.

Proposals should include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators. For full panels, please include a brief 200-word preview of the panel as a whole. Please place the panel proposal, and its accompanying paper proposals and vitas in one file. Please make certain that all contact information, particularly email addresses are correct and current. All proposals should be submitted online by May 1, 2011, to the Program Committee Chair, Lia Paradis at lia.paradis@sru.edu.

Visit the MWCBS website at <http://mwcbs.edublogs.org>.

MWCBS Program Committee:  Lia Paradis, Chair, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania; Gene Beiriger, DePaul University; Lori Campbell, University of Pittsburgh; Essaka Joshua, University of Notre Dame; Chris Otter, Ohio State University; Anne Rodrick, Wofford College.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Midwest Conference on British Studies 57th Annual Meeting
November 4-6, 2011, Terre Haute, IN

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its fifty-seventh annual meeting will be hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. The plenary speaker will be Paula Backscheider, Phillpott-Stephens Eminent Scholar of English Literature at Auburn University, and author of Eighteenth Century Women Poets and Their Poetry. Peter Bailey, Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, and the author of Leisure and Class in Victorian England, will deliver the keynote address. The program will also include panels honoring the career of Hilda Smith, Professor at the University of Cincinnati, and author of All Men and Both Sexes.

The MWCBS seeks papers from scholars in all fields of British Studies, broadly defined to include those who study England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Britain’s empire. We welcome scholars from the broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies and art history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will be considered. Especially welcome are roundtables and panels that:

– offer cross-disciplinary perspectives on topics in British Studies

– discuss collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom

– situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context

– examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities

– consider Anglo-American relations, past and present

– examine new trends in British Studies

– assess a major work or body of work by a scholar

The MWCBS welcomes papers presented by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize at its plenary luncheon for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference.

Proposals should include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators. For full panels, please include a brief 200-word preview of the panel as a whole. Please place the panel proposal, and its accompanying paper proposals and vitas in one file. Please make certain that all contact information, particularly email addresses are correct and current. All proposals should be submitted online by April 15, 2011, to the Program Committee Chair, Lia Paradis at lia.paradis@sru.edu.

MWCBS Program Committee:  Lia Paradis, Chair, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania; Gene Beiriger, DePaul University; Lori Campbell, University of Pittsburgh; Essaka Joshua, University of Notre Dame; Chris Otter, Ohio State University; Anne Rodrick, Wofford College.

Dear Friends of the MWCBS:

Please join us for our upcoming conference, to be held in Cleveland from 8-10 October.  Thanks to Prof. Connie Evans and Baldwin Wallace College for hosting the conference this year.  We’ll meet in the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Public Square, in the heart of downtown Cleveland with easy access to restaurants, the lakefront, and local attractions (including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for those who want to see the Beatles exhibit!).

As always, we have a full program of papers representing a wide spectrum of scholarly interests and approaches within British history.  This year’s program features plenary addresses by Prof. Retha Warnicke of Arizona State University and Prof. Martha Vicinus of the University of Michigan.  Continuing the tradition begun at last year’s conference, we will devote several panels to the work of a single scholar; this year’s panels will examine the work of Prof. David Cressy of Ohio State University.

If you have previously attended an MWCBS conference, you know that this is a thought-provoking, convivial gathering of scholars eager to discuss ideas.  If you haven’t yet enjoyed that experience, you’ll be welcomed as warmly as if you had been coming for years.  In either case, we hope you will join us for this year’s conference.  Registration information is available through the MWCBS homepage.

Please consider getting involved in the MWCBS.  We especially welcome participation on the program committee; please contact Prof. Rick Incorvati (rick.incorvati@wittenberg.edu) to express an interest in that committee.  If you would like to host the conference in the future, please contact the incoming president, Prof. Jason Kelly (jaskelly@iupui.ed).

I look forward to seeing you in Cleveland.

With all good wishes,

Carol Herringer

The registration form for the MWCBS 2010 is now available for download as a Word document here:
https://sites.google.com/site/mwcbs1/conference-programs-1/2010MWCBSRegistrationForm.doc?attredirects=0&d=1

Conference attendees arriving from outside the United States may simply return the registration form (or email Eric Tenbus at tenbus@ucmo.edu), indicating that you will be paying for your registration fee and lunch in cash at the registration table at the hotel.  Please respond by September 21.

To access other information about the conference, including hotel registration and the program, visit the MWCBS 2010 Conference page.