Category: Announcement

2018 MWCBS Hotel and Registration Information: Lexington, September 14-16, 2018

MWCBS Conference Hotel:

Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington Green

245 Lexington Green Circle

Lexington, KY 40503

The room rate is $159 per night. You can use this link to make your reservations http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/L/LEXLGES-MWA-20180913/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG or call 859-271-4000. Be sure to mention that you are with the Midwest Conference on British Studies. The room comes with complimentary Wifi and parking.

Travel to Hotel from Blue Grass Airport (LEX):

The Embassy Suites offers a complimentary shuttle to and from Blue Grass Airport (LEX). Additionally, taxi, Uber, and Lyft rides may be arranged to/from the airport with pickups at baggage claim and drop-offs curbside at the terminal. For those who wish to rent a car there are also a large number of rental car options available in the terminal. For a handy guide of these transport options with phone numbers, please see the Blue Grass Airport (LEX) ground transportation page at https://bluegrassairport.com/ground.html.

Registration:

Please use the following link to register for the conference. Your registration includes the Friday evening reception and plenary talk.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/midwest-conference-on-british-studies-tickets-47558436564

The rates this year are the following:

  • Early Registration (through August 31): $150.00
  • Late Registration (beginning September 1): $170.00
  • Early Registration Graduate Students (through August 31): $120.00
  • Late Registration Graduate Students (beginning September 1): $140.00
  • Saturday Luncheon and Keynote Address: $40. A vegetarian lunch option will be available.

Please note: All panelists must register for the conference by Friday, September 14, 2018. Participants will be able to pick up conference materials beginning on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 13th at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington Green. Sessions begin Friday morning at 9:00 am with the conference materials available again available starting at 8:00 am.

Student Travel Grants: The registration process will also allow you to donate to the MWCBS Jim Sack Student Travel Grant fund, which helps subsidize costs to the annual conference for the youngest members of our organization, who find it increasingly difficult in these times of shrinking university budgets to secure conference funding. The MWCBS relies on member contributions to fund the grants, and the donations we receive will determine the number of awards we are able to give out. Donations are tax deductible since the MWCBS is an official 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

The Travel Grant Application was distributed by the Program Chair via email and the deadline is August 24, 2018.

Programming:

Friday Reception and Plenary Address: On Friday, September 14th, there will be an early evening reception and plenary address beginning at 5:00 pm. The plenary speaker is Dr. Matthew Giancarlo of the University of Kentucky.

Saturday Luncheon and Keynote Address: On Saturday, September 15th, there will be a luncheon at noon and the Arnstein graduate student award and keynote address beginning at 12:45 pm. The keynote, titled “We Do Not Want Ugly and Trivial Memorials: The Arts and Crafts Movement and World War One Commemoration” will be presented by Dr. Carolyn Malone, Ball State University.

*****

For program related questions, please contact:

John Krenzke, Ph.D.

Program Committee Chairperson, MWCBS

Associate Professor of History

Tidewater Community College

jkrenzke@tcc.edu

For all other conference related questions, please contact:

Eric G. Tenbus, Ph.D.

President, MWCBS

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Georgia College

eric.tenbus@gcsu.edu

MWCBS Call for Papers Extension to May 15, 2018

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is happy to announce an extension for the Call for Papers for its 65th Annual Meeting to May 15, 2018. The meeting will be hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY, September 14-16, 2018. The keynote speaker will be Carolyn Malone of Ball State University, and the plenary address will be given by Matthew Giancarlo of the University of Kentucky.

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 from Roman Britain to the modern age. We welcome scholars from a broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies, art and music history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will also be welcome. The MWCBS encourages scholars to use H-Albion to find additional panelists. Our organization can also help find chairs, commentators, and additional panelists, if needed.

We welcome individual proposals and proposals for panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator), roundtables (of four participants plus chair), poster sessions, and panels featuring the pre-circulation of papers among participants and audience members.

We welcome proposals that:

  • offer comparative analyses of different periods of British Studies, such as comparing medieval and early modern issues in context
  • situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context
  • present new research on the political, social, cultural, and economic history of the British Isles
  • examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities, including the construction of identities shaped by race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and dis/ability
  • 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, pedagogies, and/or research methodologies
  • present professional development sessions on collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom or on topics of research, publication, public outreach, or employment relevant to British Studies scholars.

We welcome presentations by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference. A limited number of Jim Sack Travel Awards will also be available, and all graduate students are encouraged to apply.

Proposal Requirements and Deadline:

  • Include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators.
  • For full panels, also include a 200-word abstract for the panel as a whole.
  • Please place the panel abstract, accompanying paper proposals, and vitas in one Word of PDF file and submit it as a single attachment. Also identify, within the e-mail, the panel’s contact person.
  • All proposals should be submitted electronically by May 15, 2018, to the Program Committee Chair, John Krenzke at jkrenzke@tcc.edu.

Program Committee: Steven Catania, the University of Wisconsin; Carrie Euler, Central Michigan University; Patrick Kirkwood, Metropolitan Community College; John Krenzke, Chair, Tidewater Community College; Bonnie McLean, the College of DuPage; Rebecca Nesvet, the University of Wisconsin—Green Bay; Lacey Sparks, the University of Southern Maine.

Call for Papers for the 65th Annual Midwest Conference on British Studies

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its 65th Annual Meeting will be hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY, September 14-16, 2018. The keynote speaker will be Carolyn Malone of Ball State University, and the plenary address will be given by Matthew Giancarlo of the University of Kentucky.

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 from Roman Britain to the modern age. We welcome scholars from a broad spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to history, literature, political science, gender studies, art and music history. Proposals for complete sessions are preferred, although proposals for individual papers will also be welcome. The MWCBS encourages scholars to use H-Albion to find additional panelists. Our organization can also help find chairs, commentators, and additional panelists, if needed.

We welcome individual proposals and proposals for panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator), roundtables (of four participants plus chair), poster sessions, and panels featuring the pre-circulation of papers among participants and audience members.

We welcome proposals that:

  • offer comparative analyses of different periods of British Studies, such as comparing medieval and early modern issues in context
  • situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context
  • present new research on the political, social, cultural, and economic history of the British Isles
  • examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities, including the construction of identities shaped by race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and dis/ability
  • 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, pedagogies, and/or research methodologies
  • present professional development sessions on collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom or on topics of research, publication, public outreach, or employment relevant to British Studies scholars.

We welcome presentations by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference. A limited number of Jim Sack Travel Awards will also be available, and all graduate students are encouraged to apply.

Proposal Requirements and Deadline:

  • Include a 200-word abstract for each paper and a 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators.
  • For full panels, also include a 200-word abstract for the panel as a whole.
  • Please place the panel abstract, accompanying paper proposals, and vitas in one Word of PDF file and submit it as a single attachment. Also identify, within the e-mail, the panel’s contact person.
  • All proposals should be submitted electronically by April 15, 2018, to the Program Committee Chair, John Krenzke at jkrenzke@tcc.edu.

Program Committee: Steven Catania, the University of Wisconsin; Carrie Euler, Central Michigan University; Patrick Kirkwood, Metropolitan Community College; John Krenzke, Chair, Tidewater Community College; Bonnie McLean, the College of DuPage; Rebecca Nesvet, the University of Wisconsin—Green Bay; Lacey Sparks, the University of Southern Maine.

2017 MWCBS Hotel and Registration Information: St. Louis, September 29-October 1

MWCBS Conference Hotel:

Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch

315 Chestnut Street

St. Louis, MO 63102

The room rate is $159 per night. You can use this link to make your reservations https://aws.passkey.com/event/49056792/owner/988/home or call 888-421-1442 and be sure to mention that you are with the Midwest Conference on British Studies. The room comes with complimentary Wifi.

Parking: The hotel provides valet parking for $36 per day. An alternative is to use a public parking garage. Kiener Plaza Parking East/West offers parking for $20 per day Monday-Friday and $7 on weekends. It is open 24-7 and is located two blocks from the hotel. You can find more information here: https://www.stlouis.interparkonline.com/KIENER-PLAZA-EAST-PARKING/Location/SL003

Travel to Hotel from Lambert International Airport:

MetroLink is the light rail service that runs from the airport to the downtown area. The ride from the airport takes about 40 minutes and runs about $3.00 to the MetroLink Civic Center. From there, you can take the bus or taxi to the hotel or walk about 25 minutes. The light rail link is https://www.metrostlouis.org/trip-planner/

There is also a shuttle service available here: http://www.gobestexpress.com/

Registration:

Please use the following link to register for the conference. Your registration includes the Friday evening reception and plenary talk.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/midwest-conference-on-british-studies-tickets-36216990995

The rates this year are the following:

  • Early Registration (through August 31): $120
  • Late Registration (beginning September 1): $140

 

  • Early Registration Graduate Students (through August 31): $90
  • Late Registration Graduate Students (beginning September 1): $110

 

  • Saturday Luncheon and Keynote Address: $35. There will be a buffet with vegetarian options.

Please note: all panelists must register for the conference by Friday, September 29, 2017. Participants will be able to pick up conference materials beginning on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 28th on the Fourth Floor of the hotel. Sessions begin Friday morning at 9:00 am with the conference materials available again available on the Fourth Floor starting at 8:00 am.

Student Travel Grants: The registration process will also allow you to donate to the MWCBS Student Travel Grant fund, which helps subsidize costs to the annual conference for the youngest members of our organization, who find it increasingly difficult in these times of shrinking university budgets to secure conference funding. The MWCBS relies on member contributions to fund the grants, and the donations we receive will determine the number of awards we are able to give out. Donations are tax deductible since the MWCBS is an official 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

The Travel Grant Application was distributed by the Program Chair via email and the deadline is September 1, 2017.

Programming:

Friday Reception and Plenary Address: On Friday, September 29th, there will be an early evening reception and plenary address beginning at 5:00 pm in the Park View Room. The plenary speaker is Dr. Jonathan Sawday, Saint Louis University, who will be speaking on “Rule, Britannia? The Genesis and Afterlife of a National Song.”

Saturday Luncheon and Keynote Address: On Saturday, September 30th, there will be a luncheon at Noon and the graduate student award and keynote address beginning at 12:45 pm. The keynote, titled “Beyond God, Country, and Empire: The United Kingdom and the Transnational Turn in World War I” will be presented by Dr. Tammy Proctor, Utah State University.

*****

For program related questions, please contact:

Christine Haskill, Ph.D.

Program Committee Chairperson, MWCBS

Assistant Professor of English

Kendall College of Art and Design

of Ferris State University

christinehaskill@ferris.edu

 

For all other conference related questions, please contact:

Eric G. Tenbus, Ph.D.

President, MWCBS

Professor and Department Chair

University of Central Missouri

tenbus@ucmo.edu

MWCBS CFP Extension to April 23, 2017

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its 64th Annual Meeting will be hosted by Webster University in St. Louis, MO, September 29-Oct 1, 2017. The keynote speaker will be Tammy Proctor of Utah State University, and the plenary address will be given by Jonathan Sawday from Saint Louis University.

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 from Roman Britain to the modern age. We welcome scholars from a 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 also be welcome. The MWCBS encourages scholars to use H-Albion to find additional panelists. Our organization can also help find chairs, commentators, and additional panelists if needed.

We welcome individual proposals and proposals for panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator), roundtables (of four participants plus chair), poster sessions, and panels featuring the pre-circulation of papers among participants and audience members. We welcome proposals that:

  • offer comparative analyses of different periods of British Studies, such as comparing medieval and early modern issues in context
  • situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context
  • present new research on the political, social, cultural, and economic history of the British Isles
  • examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities, including the construction of identities shaped by race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and dis/ability
  • 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
  • present professional development sessions on collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom or on topics of research, publication, or employment relevant to British Studies scholars

The MWCBS welcomes presentations by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference. A limited number of graduate travel scholarships will also be available, and all graduate students are encouraged to apply. Further details will be available on the MWCBS website: https://mwcbs.edublogs.org/

Proposals must:

  • Panel Proposals should include a brief 200-word abstract for the panel as a whole, a 200-word abstract for each paper, and a brief, 1-page c.v. for each participant, including chairs and commentators in one file. Please identify the panel’s contact person within the email.
  • Individual proposals should include a 200-word abstract and a brief 1-page c.v. in one file.

All proposals should be submitted electronically as attachments by April 23, 2017 to the Program Committee Chair, Christine Haskill at christinehaskill@ferris.edu.

Program Committee: Christine Haskill, Program Committee Chair, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University; Carrie Euler, Central Michigan University; John Krenzke, Tidewater Community College; Chad Martin, University of Indianapolis; Linda E. Mitchell, University of Missouri-Kansas City; J. Sunita Peacock, Slippery Rock University; Lacey Sparks, University of Kentucky.

CFP NACBS: Extended Deadline to April 3, 2017

Message from the NACBS Program Committee and Executive

North American Conference on British Studies [NACBS]

Denver, Nov. 3-5, 2017

CFP Deadline Extended: April 3

The NACBS Program Committee and the Executive are happy to announce our two plenary speakers for this year’s meeting in Denver: Ethan Shagan speaking on the Reformation and Yasmin Khan on Indian Partition. We will also have two special workshop sessions on ‘Early Modern Bodies, Corporeal and Rhetorical’ and ‘Cultures of Imperialism’, in addition to other special sessions currently in development, e.g., a roundtable on doing British Studies in the age of Trump and Brexit.

If you haven’t put in a panel proposal yet, please do consider joining us in Denver this year. We’re extending the deadline for submissions toApril 3. For further details and to access the online submission site, visit http://www.nacbs.org/conference

We’re especially keen to expand our poster exhibit, which is a good venue for grad students and those with work in progress to get early feedback and exposure. More generally, we hope to have a wide diversity of presenters and subjects, across the full disciplinary and temporal range covered by British Studies.

Please note, too, that the ‘Cultures of Imperialism’ workshop is continuing to accept individual paper proposals. For details, seehttp://www.nacbs.org/blog/cfp-nacbs-denver-2017-workshops-on-early-modern-bodies-and-cultures-of-imperialism/

We hope to see many of you in Denver next fall.

Paul Deslandes

Executive Secretary, NACBS

MWCBS 2017 St. Louis, MO: Call for Papers

The Midwest Conference on British Studies is proud to announce that its 64th Annual Meeting will be hosted by Webster University in St. Louis, MO, September 29-Oct 1, 2017. The keynote speaker will be Tammy Proctor of Utah State University, and the plenary address will be given by Jonathan Sawday from Saint Louis University.

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 from Roman Britain to the modern age. We welcome scholars from a 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 also be welcome. The MWCBS encourages scholars to use H-Albion to find additional panelists. Our organization can also help find chairs, commentators, and additional panelists, if needed.

We welcome individual proposals and proposals for panels (of three participants plus chair/commentator), roundtables (of four participants plus chair), poster sessions, and panels featuring the pre-circulation of papers among participants and audience members.

We welcome proposals that:

  • offer comparative analyses of different periods of British Studies, such as comparing medieval and early modern issues in context
  • situate the arts, letters, and sciences in a British cultural context
  • present new research on the political, social, cultural, and economic history of the British Isles
  • examine representations of British and imperial/Commonwealth national identities, including the construction of identities shaped by race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and dis/ability
  • 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
  • present professional development sessions on collaborative or innovative learning techniques in the British Studies classroom or on topics of research, publication, or employment relevant to British Studies scholars.

The MWCBS welcomes presentations by advanced graduate students and will award the Walter L. Arnstein Prize for the best graduate student paper(s) given at the conference. A limited number of graduate travel scholarships will also be available, and all graduate students are encouraged to apply. Further details will be available on the MWCBS website: https://mwcbs.edublogs.org/

 

Proposal Requirements and Deadline:

  • 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, also include a brief 200-word abstract for the panel as a whole.
  • Please place the panel abstract, accompanying paper proposals, and vitas in one file and submit it as a single attachment. Also identify the panel’s contact person within the email.
  • All proposals should be submitted electronically by March 26, 2017, to the Program Committee Chair, Christine Haskill at christinehaskill@ferris.edu.

Program Committee: Carrie Euler, Central Michigan University; Christine Haskill, Chair, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University; John Krenzke, Tidewater Community College; Chad Martin, University of Indianapolis; Linda E. Mitchell, University of Missouri-Kansas City; J. Sunita Peacock, Slippery Rock University; Lacey Sparks, University of Kentucky.

The MWCBS scheduled the Fall 2017 conference on the same dates as Yom Kippur. As an organization, we strive to be as inclusive as possible and this year, we failed. To our friends and colleagues affected by this scheduling decision, we apologize.

How did this happen? As part of our planning for a Fall Conference, we clear the dates for American Thanksgiving, Canadian Thanksgiving, and the NACBS. We also consider local conditions including competing conferences and events that book area hotel rooms and drive up prices. In fact, we were so thankful that Webster University located an open weekend and found us a great venue and excellent accommodations, that we missed noting the Jewish holiday.

Despite our failure, we hope that you will join us in St. Louis for an excellent British Studies conference. Please know that we will try to balance out all of these considerations to better ends in the future so that we can maintain our reputation as valuing diversity.