Category Archives: CFPs

2020 Call for Papers / Call for Proposals

The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for our 13th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, September 4-7, 2020.

CPAC is an annual academic conference for the studies of comics and the popular arts, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, gaming, etc., presented to a mixed audience of scholars and fans. The mission of CPAC is to promote scholarship on popular culture and to encourage the engagement between scholars and fans in order to deepen our understanding of comics and other popular arts. CPAC presentations are peer reviewed, based in scholarly research.

Please submit a proposal that engages in substantial scholarly examinations of comic books/graphic novels, anime, manga, science/speculative fiction, fantasy, or other parts of popular culture.

A broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives is being sought, including, but not limited to, proposals pertaining to literary and art criticism, philosophy, linguistics, history, communications, law, pedagogy, and natural and social sciences. Some examples of appropriate subjects include: discussions of the nature of the comics medium; the science of a particular franchise; how to utilize pop culture in the classroom; analyses of particular works or authors; cross-cultural and cross-medium comparisons; etc. 

This year, we are encouraging submissions on: sci-fi themes in African American music; sociopolitical topics in scifi media (Star Trek, The Expanse, etc.); diversity and representation in Person of Interest; narrative structure in video games; and a variety of digital media and online culture topics. However, we are open to any and all academic topics relevant to the study of the popular arts.

CPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans, and take place in conjunction with DragonCon. Presentations should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters must register for DragonCon if their paper is accepted in order to present. Presenters from out of town should make lodging arrangements far in advance.

Individual and group submissions should both be tailored to fit in one of the following tracks:

ComicsAnimationAnime/Manga
American SF MediaDigital MediaDiversity in Speculative Fiction
Electronic Frontiers ForumSci-Fi LiteratureStar Trek
Tabletop GamingHorrorParanormal Fiction 
Video Gaming Apocalyptic / Post-Apocalyptic Alt History / Steampunk
American SF Classics Urban FantasyFantasy Literature
Military SciFiPuppetryStar Wars
Asian Cinema & CultureHigh FantasyYoung Adult Lit

While there may be great intellectual merit in cross-track proposals, or proposals that include materials covered by various tracks, administratively, it can be very difficult to place such proposals. We prefer that you select one topic per proposal, though if your proposal would fully fit either track, you may select two.

We are interested in proposals for any of the above tracks, not only Comics.

Submission instructions: please follow the submission instructions for the kind of presentation as listed below. Prospective participants may submit multiple proposals, but only one per track.

For individual papers and presentations: please submit up to 500 word abstracts to the link below.

For group panels and presentations: in addition to the up to 500 word abstract, you should submit a 1-2 page document that further explains the rationale for a group session and explains the format and the planned contributions of all panelists. Group panels should not be individual papers loosely organized around a theme, but genuinely collaborative presentations with a strong reason to be considered as a group as opposed to individually. (This differs from our requirements from previous years.)

For informal sessions such as roundtables, workshops, and book sessions: please submit an abstract of up to 500 words to the link below, plus a 1-2 page document that outlines the objective of the workshop or roundtable, or a brief description of the format of the book session including title and subject matter of the book (author meets critic, book discussion, etc).

For all proposals, because this is an interdisciplinary conference, and because the reviewers come from a variety of scholarly and intellectual backgrounds, it can be to your benefit to include explicit language describing your critical approach or references the literatures your work is drawing on and responding to.

Please submit your proposal via the following link:

Submissions Deadline:To receive the fullest consideration, proposals will be submitted by January 7, 2020. 

This submission process is open to everyone, but we are especially interested in receiving submissions from members of those groups traditionally underrepresented in academia, such as women, LGTBQIA+ academics, and academics of color.

Send any questions to: organizers@comicspopularartsconference.org

CPAC Coordinating Board

2019 Call for Papers / Call for Proposals

Deadline has been extended to February 11.

The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for our 12th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, August 30-September 2, 2019.

CPAC is an annual academic conference for the studies of comics and the popular arts, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, gaming, etc., presented to a mixed audience of scholars and fans. The mission of CPAC is to promote scholarship on popular culture and to encourage the engagement between scholars and fans in order to deepen our understanding of comics and the other popular arts. CPAC presentations are peer reviewed, based in scholarly research.

Please submit a proposal that engages in substantial scholarly examinations of comic books/graphic novels, anime, manga, science/speculative fiction, fantasy, or other parts of popular culture.

A broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives is being sought, including but not limited to proposals pertaining to literary and art criticism, philosophy, linguistics, history, communications, law, pedagogy, and natural and social sciences. Proposals may range, for example, from discussions of the nature of the comics medium, the science of a particular franchise, how to utilize pop culture in the classroom, analyses of particular works or authors, cross-cultural and cross-medium comparisons, and more. We are open to any and all academic topics relevant to the study of the popular arts.

CPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans, and take place in conjunction with DragonCon. Presentations should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters must register for DragonCon if their paper is accepted in order to present. Presenters from out of town should make lodging arrangements far in advance.

Individual and group submissions should both be tailored to fit in one of the following tracks:

Comics Anime/Manga American SF Media
Sci-Fi Literature Star Trek Tabletop Gaming
Animation Horror Paranormal Fiction 
Apocalyptic /
Post-Apocalyptic
Alt History /
Steampunk
American SF
Classics
Urban Fantasy Electronic Frontiers Forum Fantasy Literature
Military SciFi Podcasting Puppetry
Star Wars Asian Cinema & Culture Young Adult Lit
Diversity in Speculative Fiction High Fantasy Video Gaming

While there may be great intellectual merit in cross-track proposals, or proposals that include materials covered by various tracks, administratively, it can be very difficult to place such proposals. We prefer that you select one topic per proposal, though if your proposal would fully fit either track, you may select two.

We are interested in proposals for any of the above tracks, not only Comics.

Submission instructions: please follow the submission instructions for the kind of presentation as listed below. Prospective participants may submit multiple proposals, but only one per track.

For individual papers and presentations: please submit 250-300 word abstracts to the link below.

For group panels and presentations: in addition to the 250-300 word abstract, you should submit a 1-2 page document that further explains the rationale for a group session and explains the format and the planned contributions of all panelists. Group panels should not be individual papers loosely organized around a theme, but genuinely collaborative presentations with a strong reason to be considered as a group as opposed to individually. (This differs from our requirements from previous years.)

For informal sessions such as roundtables, workshops, and book sessions: please submit a 250-300 word abstract to the link below, plus a 1-2 page document that outlines the objective of the workshop or roundtable, or a brief description of the format of the book session including title and subject matter of the book (author meets critic, book discussion, etc).

Please submit your proposal via the following link:

Submissions Deadline:To receive the fullest consideration, proposals will be submitted by January 15, 2019 February 11, 2019.

This submission process is open to everyone, but we are especially interested in receiving submissions from members of those groups traditionally underrepresented in academia, such as women, LGTBQIA academics, and academics of color.

Send any questions to: organizers@comicspopularartsconference.org

Program Committee

  • Tracey Berry (UT Dallas)
  • Elizabeth Blum (Troy University)
  • Tasha Browning (Supportive Connections)
  • Rachel Dean-Ruzicka (Georgia Tech)
  • Andy Famiglietti (West Chester University)
  • Erin Gordon (University of Florida)
  • Poe Johnson (DePaul)
  • Stephanie Noell (Savannah College of Art and Design)
  • Kari Storla (University of Southern California)

CPAC Coordinating Board

2018 Call for Papers / Call for Proposals

The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for our 11th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, August 31-September 3, 2018.

CPAC is an annual academic conference for the studies of comics and the popular arts, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, gaming, etc. CPAC presentations are peer reviewed, based in scholarly research.

Please submit a proposal that engages in substantial scholarly examinations of comic books/graphic novels, anime, manga, science/speculative fiction, fantasy, or other parts of popular culture.

A broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives is being sought, including but not limited to proposals pertaining to literary and art criticism, philosophy, linguistics, history, communications, law, pedagogy, and natural and social sciences. Proposals may range from discussions of the nature of the comics medium, the science of a particular franchise, how to utilize pop culture in the classroom, analyses of particular works or authors, cross-cultural and cross-medium comparisons, and more. We are open to any and all academic topics relevant to the study of the popular arts.

CPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans, and take place in conjunction with DragonCon. Presentations should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters must register for DragonCon if their paper is accepted in order to present. Presenters from out of town should make lodging arrangements far in advance.

Individual and group submissions should both be tailored to fit in one of the following tracks:

 

Comics

Anime/Manga

American SF Media

Sci-Fi Literature

Star Trek

Tabletop Gaming

Animation

Horror

Paranormal Fiction

(e.g., X-Files, Fringe)

Apocalyptic /Post-Apocalyptic

Alt History /Steampunk

American SF
Classics

Urban Fantasy

Electronic Frontiers Forum

Fantasy Literature

Military SciFi

Podcasting

Puppetry

Star Wars

Asian Cinema & Culture

Young Adult Lit

While there may be great intellectual merit in cross-track proposals, or proposals that include materials covered by various tracks, administratively, it can be very difficult to place such proposals.

We are interested in proposals for any of the above tracks, not only Comics.

Submission instructions: We seek 250 word abstracts for a variety of proposal formats, including standard individual presentations, group panels, and informal sessions such as roundtables, workshops, and book sessions. You may submit multiple proposals, but only one per track.

Please submit your proposal via the following links:

Submissions Deadline: To receive the fullest consideration, proposals will be submitted by December 15, 2017.

This submission process is open to everyone, but we are especially interested in receiving submissions from members of those groups traditionally underrepresented in academia, such as women, LGTBQIA academics, and academics of color.

Send any questions to: organizers@comicspopularartsconference.org

2017 Call for Papers / Call for Proposals

The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for our 10th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, September 1-4, 2017.

CPAC is an annual academic conference for the studies of comics and the popular arts, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, gaming, etc. CPAC presentations are peer reviewed, based in scholarly research.

Please submit a proposal that engages in substantial scholarly examinations of comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, science/speculative fiction, fantasy, or other parts of popular culture. A broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives is being sought, including literary and art criticism, philosophy, linguistics, history, and communication. Proposals may range from discussions of the nature of the comics medium, analyses of particular works and authors, discussions of the visual language of comics and manga, comics and pop culture in the classroom, cross-cultural and cross-medium comparisons, and more. We’re open to any topics relevant to the study of comics and the popular arts.

CPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans, and take place in conjunction with DragonCon. Talks should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters must register for DragonCon if their paper is accepted in order to present. Presenters from out of town should make lodging arrangements far in advance.

Individual and group submissions should both be tailored to fit on one of the following tracks:

Comics Anime/Manga American SF Media
Sci-Fi Literature Fantasy Literature Tolkein
Military SciFi Star Trek Star Wars
X-Track
(Paranormal Fiction,
e.g., X-Files, Fringe)
Apocalypse Rising
(Apocalyptic /
Post-Apocalyptic)
Urban Fantasy
Tabletop Gaming Video Gaming Costuming
Animation Puppetry Silk Road
(Asian Culture)
Horror Young Adult  High Fantasy

While there may be great intellectual merit in cross-track proposals, or proposals that include materials covered by various tracks, administratively, it can be very difficult to place such proposals. We are interested in proposals for any of these tracks, not only Comics.

Submission instructions: We seek 250 word abstracts for a variety of proposal formats, including standard individual presentations, group panels, and informal sessions such as roundtables, workshops, and book sessions. You may submit multiple proposals, but only one per track.

Please submit your proposal via the following steps:

Go to https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/CPAC2017, create a new login, and then you’ll get to the Author Console with a prominent “+ Create new submission” button. From there you can see and follow the steps on the submission form.

Submissions Deadline: To receive the fullest consideration, proposals will be submitted by March 1, 2017. After that, we will consider submissions on a rolling basis, up until the final deadline of April 30.

This submission process is open to everyone, but we are especially interested in receiving submissions from members of those groups traditionally underrepresented in academia, such as women, LGTBQIA academics, and academics of color.

Send any questions to: organizers@comicspopularartsconference.org

Conference Organizers:

  • Daniel Amrhein, Independent Scholar, Gender Studies, Art History
  • Matthew J. Brown, University of Texas at Dallas, Philosophy, History of Science, and Comics Studies
  • Johnathan Flowers, SIU Carbondale, Philosophy and Eastern Religions
  • Amy-Elizabeth Manlapas, Georgia Gwinnett County Schools, History and Education
  • Kari Neely, Middle Tennessee State University, Dept. Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Richard Scott Nokes, Troy University, Literature, Medieval Studies
  • Kari Storla, University of Southern California, Communication Studies
  • Damien Williams, Kennesaw State and Oglethorpe, Philosophy and Religious Studies

CFP: CPAC-West 2017

Call for Proposals / Call for Abstracts
for CPAC-West, sessions presented at

The 7th Annual

Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology Conference

at

The Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology
The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, Texas, USA

May 18-21, 2017

Including sessions presented jointly with the Comics and Popular Arts Conference.

See more at: http://www.utdallas.edu/c4v/2017-cfp/

2016 Call for Papers / Call for Proposals

The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for our 9th Annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, September 2-5, 2016.

Submissions are Closed.

CPAC is an annual academic conference for the studies of comics and the popular arts, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media, comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, gaming, etc. CPAC presentations are peer reviewed, based in scholarly research.

Please submit a proposal that engages in substantial scholarly examinations of comic books, manga, graphic novels, anime, science/speculative fiction, fantasy, or other parts of popular culture. A broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives is being sought, including literary and art criticism, philosophy, linguistics, history, and communication. Proposals may range from discussions of the nature of the comics medium, analyses of particular works and authors, discussions of the visual language of comics and manga, comics and pop culture in the classroom, cross-cultural and cross-medium comparisons, and more. We’re open to any topics relevant to the study of comics and the popular arts.

CPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans, and take place in conjunction with DragonCon. Talks should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters must register for DragonCon if their paper is accepted in order to present. Presenters from out of town should make lodging arrangements far in advance.

Individual and group submissions should both be tailored to fit on one of the following tracks:

Comics Anime/Manga American SF Media
Sci-Fi Literature Fantasy Literature Tolkein
Stargate Star Trek Star Wars
Horror X-Track
(Paranormal Fiction,
e.g., X-Files, Fringe)
Apocalypse Rising
(Apocalyptic /
Post-Apocalyptic)
Works of Joss Whendon
Urban Fantasy Tabletop Gaming Video Gaming
British SF Costuming Animation
Puppetry Silk Road
(Asian Culture)
Young Adult

While there may be great intellectual merit in cross-track proposals, or proposals that include materials covered by various tracks, administratively, it can be very difficult to place such proposals. We are interested in proposals for any of these tracks, not only Comics.

Submission instructions: We seek 250 word abstracts for a variety of proposal formats, including standard individual presentations, group panels, and informal sessions such as roundtables, workshops, and book sessions. You may submit multiple proposals, but only one per track.

Please submit your proposal using one of these forms: Submissions are closed.

This submission process is open everyone, but were especially interested in receiving submissions from members of those groups traditionally underrepresented in academia, such as women, LGTBQIA academics, and academics of color.

Send any questions to: organizers@comicspopularartsconference.org

Conference Organizers:

  • Matthew J. Brown, University of Texas at Dallas, Philosophy, History of Science, and Comics Studies
  • Richard Scott Nokes, Troy University, Literature, Medieval Studies
  • Damien Williams, Kennesaw State and Oglethorpe, Philosophy and Religious Studies
  • Johnathan Flowers, SIU Carbondale, Philosophy and Eastern Religions
  • Vickie Willis, Georgia State University, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Rhetoric
  • Daniel Amrhein, Independent Scholar, Gender Studies, Art History
  • Kari Storla, University of Southern California, Communication Studies