Old Email Archive

digest 2001-02-21 #001.txt

11:16 PM 2/20/01 -0800
From: "Society for Literature & Science" 
Daily SLS Email Digest

-> Call for Papers/SLS Conference
     by James McManus 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 20 Feb 2001 22:23:06 -0800
From: James McManus 
Subject: Call for Papers/SLS Conference

Call for Papers �? SLS 2001, Buffalo NY
October 11-14, 2001

Conference Theme: 3Technologies-Bodies-Narratives  The Accountability of
Scientific and Medical Practices.2

Session Theme: MAINSTREAMING SCIENCE: EXCHANGES BETWEEN SCIENCE AND
POPULAR
CULTURE

This session proposes to examine ways that science has informed popular
culture and visa-versa from the late 19th century to today- say, Jules
Verne
or Tom Tit to the X-Files. The genre for exchanges between science and
popular culture are many �? literature (dime novels, you name it),
radio,
film, TV, amusement parks ,painting and sculpture. The topics treated
have
been many and their implications diverse.

When I proposed the topic to conference director Jim Swan he responded,
3 I
like this idea a great deal -- because it suggests ways into fundamental
perceptions about science, the way it figures as both liberator and
menace,
and possibly ways in which those perceptions get used to gain acceptance
of
social goals, policy decisions, expenditures, etc. That is, it may be
that
the topic is bi-directional -- both the way science feeds popular
culture
and also the way popular culture feeds (or gets used to feed) science.
Does
X-files paranoia encourage a progressive view of science, or does it set
us
up to accept a star-wars missile shield?2

Jim ran with the idea in some very interesting directions, suggesting
the
many dimensions possible for this session. I have kept the conceptual
framework of the session open, hoping for multi-dimensional (even
trans-dimensional) input.

Please send me an abstract of your proposed topic by March 15. Along
with
that abstract list any AV equipment you will need.

My Captain Midnight Secret Squadron Decoder is set, ready to receive
your
message:

Session Chair: James W. McManus
        Department of Art and Art History
        California State University, Chico
        Chico, CA 95929-0820

    Email: jmcmanus@csuchico.edu
    FAX: 530-877-8513

Please respond, prior to March 15.