Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mormon Media Studies Symposium Paper Call




CALL FOR CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PANELS

Sponsored by BYU Department of Communications, BYU Broadcasting, and BYU Studies

In Conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of BYU Broadcasting

November 11 & 12, 2010
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA

Conference Theme:
"Mormon Media Studies: Across Time, Space, and Disciplines"

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have been highly visible in the media in recent years, and also have been actively engaged in the production of media content. While circumstances and technologies have changed over time, the media always have been central to the Mormon experience, and to the interface of Mormonism with societies, institutions, and individuals. This first-ever interdisciplinary Mormon Media Studies Symposium will focus on the academic study of all aspects of Mormons and the media, in the present as well as the past. (The term "media" is used broadly to encompass print and electronic media, books, film, etc.)

Submission of Paper and Panel Proposals
Academics, practitioners, and students are invited to submit competitive papers or panel proposals about any aspect of Mormons and the media. Papers and panels may be broadly interdisciplinary; international perspectives are encouraged; all rigorous scholarly methodological frameworks and theories are welcome.  Audio-visual presentations (with rigorous analysis) and short films are welcome. Papers recently presented or published elsewhere may be considered (provide full information). Submissions (which will be peer-reviewed) may be made in three categories: Full Papers; Presentation Papers; and Panels.  Full papers should be approx. 6,000-8,000 words. They will be considered by BYU Studies for possible publication (if the author wishes). (They must be adapted for a 20-25 minute presentation.)  Presentation papers should be approx. 3,000 words.  They may be accepted to presentation, panel, or poster sessions.  Panel proposals should be approx. 2-3 pages. They should include panel topic and relevance, and panel members' names, titles, and contact information. For all submissions, include title and short abstract (100 words), author's full name, title or student status, and contact information. Identifying information should appear only on the cover page.

Deadline:  Papers and panel proposals must be submitted by June 30, 2010 in Word or PDF formats as an e-mail attachment to Dr. Sherry Baker at: sherry_baker@byu.edu.

As this is the first ever interdisciplinary Mormon Media Studies Symposium, the range of topics to be explored in paper and panel sessions is wide. Possible topics falling under the theme of the conference include but are not limited to:
·          Analyses of media content by or about Mormons (textual, rhetorical, thematic, etc.)
·          Mormon media (contemporary, historical, international, etc.): newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio, film, Internet, social sites, etc.
·          Content and effects of recent Mormon depictions in news and popular culture
·          Mormons, media & politics—U.S. and international
·          Mormon media uses and effects, including social media
·          Mormon media image (present & historical)
·          Content and effects of Mormon PR, advertising, messaging
·          Audience studies: meaning-making; effects; responses; influences; behavior and attitudinal changes
·          Institutional LDS perspectives on media; responses and effects
·          Mormons as media creators, producers, publishers, inventors, disseminators, editors, writers, etc.; or others in these categories who have produced LDS-related media or content
·          Mormon-related film, TV programming, etc.
·          Historical, sociological, literary, rhetorical, international, etc. perspectives


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