University of Aarhus
Department of English
Institute of Language, Literature and Culture

ESSE 9 CONFERENCE
ÅRHUS
22-26 August 2008

CALL FOR SEMINARS, ROUND TABLES AND LECTURES

The Department of English looks forward to welcoming you to ESSE 9 at the University of Aarhus in the city of Århus (same place, different spellings!). ESSE members are invited to submit proposals for seminars and round tables on topics related to our fields of study: English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural Studies (broadly defined). National Associations are invited to nominate potential lecturers. Proposals may be submitted directly to the Academic Programme Committee (APC, see address below) or through the Presidents or representatives of the National Associations, who will in due course forward them to the APC.

ESSE 9 Programme Format

Seminars

Proposals for seminars on specialised topics within our field should be submitted jointly by two ESSE members, preferably from two different National Associations. The degree of international appeal will be one of the selection criteria used by the APC. Proposals will not be entertained if they come from two people in the same institution. In exceptional cases the APC may permit that one of the two convenors is not an ESSE member (e.g. because they come from outside Europe), if it is argued that their presence is especially important for the seminar. Seminar proposals must include the names, affiliations and addresses of the convenors and a 100-word description of the topic. Unlike round tables, seminars are not pre-constituted events and will therefore be included within the APC's future call for papers, although convenors may take an active role in approaching potential participants. The seminar format is intended to encourage lively participation on the part both of speakers and of members of the audience. For this reason, papers will be orally presented in no longer than 15 minutes rather than read. Reduced versions of the papers will be circulated beforehand among participants. Further directions will follow in the call for papers. NB: proposals for individual papers should not be submitted at this stage.

Round Tables

The aim of round tables is to present topics and problems currently seen as shaping the nature of the discipline. At a round table a pre-constituted panel discusses issues of fairly general scholarly or professional interest in front of (and subsequently with) an audience. In other words, round tables are not sequences of papers but debate sessions. Proposals should include a 100-word description of the topic and the names and affiliations of at least three participants (including the convenor), who must be drawn from more than one national association. The maximum number of speakers will be five.

Lectures

A number of distinguished keynote speakers, including at least one representing each of the three main fields covered by ESSE (English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural Studies), will give plenary lectures by direct invitation of the organisers. In addition, there will be approximately 12 sub-plenary lectures given by ESSE members nominated by their national associations. These lectures are expected to have a wide appeal and to reflect recent developments in scholarship in one of the three areas mentioned above. They will be fifty minutes in length. National associations should forward a description of their nominee's proposed topic together with a brief summary of his or her CV.

Poster Sessions

A new feature of the 9th ESSE conference will be poster sessions devoted to research-in-progress and project presentations. The aim is to provide additional opportunities for feedback and personal contacts. Further details will appear in a future issue of the Messenger, together with the call for papers.

Deadlines

For Lectures (nomination by national organizations): 1 March 2007. For Seminars and Round Tables (proposals from prospective convenors): 1 June 2007.

Academic Programme Committee

Dr Dominic Rainsford (University of Aarhus) (chair)
Professor Marina Bondi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
Dr Kenneth Drozd (University of Aarhus)
Professor Warwick Gould (University of London)
Professor Martin Procházka (Charles University, Prague)
Associate Professor Michael Skovmand (University of Aarhus)

Proposals should be sent by e-mail, fax or regular mail to:

ESSE 9
Department of English
University of Aarhus
Jens Chr. Skous Vej 5, Building 1463
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

Email: proposals@esse2008.dk

Tel: +45 8942 6500; Fax: +45 8942 6540

Århus

Highly accessible and at the geographical heart of Europe (if one includes Greenland), Denmark's second-biggest city and port (population approx. 300,000) is renowned for its broad streets and light traffic (in which bicycles figure prominently), its youthful and easygoing atmosphere, and its multi-faceted nightlife. Århus, the unofficial capital of Jutland, dates back to the Vikings and its rich history is reflected in fine old buildings which have been complemented in recent times by a great deal of internationally-celebrated modern architecture, not least that of the University of Aarhus (founded in 1928), which often claims to have the most beautiful campus in Scandinavia. The city has a wealth of excellent restaurants, a fascinating café environment, and a rich musical culture, with the Concert Hall, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, and the Danish National Opera among its many features. Århus also has a large and splendid art museum, hosting both a representative Danish collection and major international exhibitions, and a range of excellent historical and archaeological museums, such as the Old Town (consisting of buildings transplanted from all over the country) and the Moesgård Museum, best known as home of the Grauballe Man (just one of a range of remarkable Heaney-esque bog bodies that you are liable to meet in Jutland). The city is surrounded by pleasant woods and beaches - which have every chance of being enjoyable in late August. The academic programme for the conference will be supplemented by a range of excursions, so that participants can make the most of these cultural and natural attractions.

Further details about the city, the University and conference can be found at the official conference website:

Web address: http://www.esse2008.dk

All general enquiries should be addressed to the conference organiser:

dominic.rainsford@hum.au.dk