Call for Papers, March 2009 Meeting
The Southwest Commission on Religious Studies invites members of constituent organizations to submit paper proposals for the 2009 Regional Meeting. Proposals should be submitted to the person designated in each section. Please indicate if the proposal is being submitted to more than one section. Proposals may be submitted to more than one organization, but in order to accommodate as many people as possible, papers must not be read more than once during the meeting.
Proposal Deadline: November 1, 2008 (unless noted otherwise in specific areas)
Meeting Date and Location: March 7-8, 2009, The Marriott Hotel, DFW Airport
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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION
Arts, Literature, and Religion
The arts are a powerful medium for representing cultural values and for expressing criticism of them. A founding principle of American culture that receives a great deal of rhetorical attention from time to time is religious tolerance. How, then, might the arts foster religious tolerance … or tolerance of religion?
Papers are solicited which address the role and power of art to represent cultural values or to criticize them, that reflect on the relationship between American culture and the practice of religion, and that consider in what respects religious tolerance, or tolerance of religion, is indeed an abiding cultural principle.
Presentations which address these questions in a creative way – illustration with reference to specific works, multi-disciplinary collaboration, for instance – will receive preference in selection for panels comprising two or three papers, organized by approach, theme, or genre. Works in progress, experiments, or theoretical suggestions are also welcome.
Submit proposals/abstracts to:
Katherine Downey
The Hockaday School
1600 Welch Road
Dallas, TX 75229
E-mail: kdowney@mail.hockaday.org
Comparative and Asian Studies in Religion
The Comparative and Asian Studies in Religion section invites paper proposals on any topic concerning all aspects of Asian religious practice and thought, both historical and contemporary. However, papers in the areas of religion and science, taxonomy in religious studies, nationalism, politics, and possession and trance in comparative perspective are especially encouraged.
There is a special interest in a joint roundtable session with Philosophy of Religion and Theology section and members of the Association for the Scientific Study of Religion (ASSR-SW) on the topic: “Design and Evolution: the Encounter of Traditions and Modern Science.” The roundtable format will require participants to provide summaries of their papers.
Proposals for regular panels or the roundtable on design and evolution should not exceed 500 words and should include title, brief description, and an indication of the main arguments of the presentation (Word attachment via e-mail preferable). (Some overhead projectors and slide projectors may be available; if using a Power Point presentation, please make your own arrangement for a data projector.) Please let me know if you have any AV needs.
Submit proposals to:
Ivette M. Vargas
Religious Studies Department
Austin College
Sherman, Texas 75090
903-813-2479
Email: ivargas@austincollege.edu
Ethics, Society, and Cultural Analysis
Proposals for papers and panel discussions are invited on any topic intersecting ethics, society and cultural analysis including: politics and religion, race and religion, social ethics, poverty and economic justice, ecological and environmental ethics, medical ethics, theological ethics, sexual ethics, and the use of Scripture or tradition in ethics. Also of interest are reflections on global economy and health care, the use of and impact of race-class-gender ethical analysis, constructive treatments of contemporary ethical issues, and pedagogical styles in ethics.
Submit proposals to:
Melanie L. Harris
Texas Christian University
E-mail: m.l.harris@tcu.edu
History of Christianity
The History of Christianity section has an open call for papers. While all submissions in the field will be considered, three areas are of special interest: 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin as well as the 450th of the final edition of his Institutes. Second, in the area of Baptist studies, 1609 marks John Smyth's founding of the first Baptist church in Amsterdam, so papers concerning Baptist origins are germane. Third, Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. While he had no strict religious affiliation, he is considered deeply spiritual as is reflected in his language. He reflects a common contemporary sentiment.
Submit proposals to:
Arthur A. Torpy
605 East Brookview Drive
Waco, TX 76710
E-mail: We4torpys@grandecom.net
Philosophy of Religion and Theology
Proposals are invited in all areas in philosophy of religion or in theology. Proposals involving multiple presentations or panel discussions (no more than three participants) focused upon a single topic, figure, or publication will be especially welcomed (either have each panelist provide an abstract, which is preferred, or supply credentials of panelists). Proposals that feature interdisciplinary or interinstitutional participation, and that promise to stimulate productive discussion, will be favored.
For a joint session with the Comparative and Asian Studies in Religion section and the Association for the Scientific Study of Religion, we invite proposals for a roundtable session on the topic: “Design and Evolution: The Encounter of Traditions and Modern Science.” The roundtable format will require participants to provide summaries of their papers. Proposals for this joint session should be sent to the chairs of each section. All proposals should be no more than two pages, with the title of the presentation and some sense of the argument. Include a return address, contact number, and email address. Please do not submit proposals as e-mail attachments; paste them into the body of the e-mail.
Submit proposals to both:
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Theta Alpha Kappa
Student members of Theta Alpha Kappa chapters in the Southwest Region are invited to submit papers for presentation at the regional meeting. Open to all topics. One session will be devoted to the best papers. Submissions must come from the chapter advisor and include 1) the presenter’s name and contact information, 2) the entire paper (preferred) or an abstract of the paper (acceptable) and 3) name of the school. Please include 4) the venue for which the paper was prepared (e.g., Honors Project, Senior Thesis, etc.) In the event that there are more proposals than can fit in one session, local chapter advisors may be asked to select the one best submission from their schools.
Submit proposals electronically to:
Dr. Nadia Lahutsky
Texas Christian University
E-mail: n.lahutsky@tcu.edu
AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
The American Schools of Oriental Research invites paper proposals on any topic related to biblical archaeology and the history and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Sessions on "Hebrew Bible & Archaeology" and "Teaching Archaeology & Biblical Studies" are planned. We are having one session dedicated to the archaeology of Gezer, and another devoted to nautical archaeology. Excavation reports are encouraged and student papers are welcome. Student proposals must include a letter of reference from a sponsoring professor.
Send proposals to:
Michael M. Homan
Theology, Xavier University of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans, LA 70125
Phone: 504 520-7630; fax 504 520-7947
Email: nmhoman@xula.edu
ASSOCIATION FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION
The Association for the Scientific Study of Religion invites paper proposals on any topic concerning the scientific study of religion, particularly those dealing with the sociological, philosophical, economic, historical, psychological, and political considerations of religion in society. The ASSR also welcomes papers from other affiliates of the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies. Selected papers submitted to the ASSR are published in the Proceedings of the Association for the Scientific Study of Religion. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 8, 2008. The deadline for submitting finished papers for publication in the annual journal of ASSR is February 10, 2009. Paper proposals should be sent to:
Send proposals to:
Richard Ambler
Sociology Program
Southern Arkansas University
SAU Box 9368
Magnolia, AR 71754-9368
(870) 235-4225(Office)
(870) 234-5507 (Home)
E-mail: rmambler@saumag.edu
SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE
Members of the society are invited to submit proposals for papers on a variety of topics (see below under Hebrew Bible and New Testament respectively). Proposals should include a title, an abstract of 200-300 words, and the Participation Form (download, complete the form, and submit it with your proposal). Proposals from graduate students are encouraged and, in addition to the above, should include a draft of the paper and the name and address of a faculty member who knows your work.
Regional Scholar Award
Each year the national SBL’s Conference of Regional Coordinators identifies excellent papers presented at regional meetings by junior members of the Society. To qualify for the Regional Scholars Program, applicants should be at least ABD and no more than four years past the receipt of their Ph.D.
Each region can nominate one paper, and the national SBL’s Conference of Regional Coordinators will select the regional scholars from these candidates. These awardees will be encouraged to revise the paper presented at the regional meeting in March 2009, with the help of a mentor, and submit it to an appropriate program unit of the SBL national meeting – normally for the national meeting in November 2010. They will be recognized as Regional Scholars at the meeting.
To be considered for an award, papers should be 10-15 pages of text to be read aloud. In addition to the text to be read aloud, it is desirable for some footnotes to be included, but a lengthy paper that is very heavily footnoted will not stand the applicant in better stead. Paper proposals from those wishing to be considered for the Regional Scholar award should include a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and a draft of the paper. The letter should indicate what experience, if any, the applicant has had in presenting papers at the national meeting. Send applications to the appropriate regional SBL program unit chair (Hebrew Bible or New Testament) by January 10, 2009.
Hebrew Bible
Members of the society are invited to submit proposals for a variety of topics related to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha, including proposals on specific exegetical problems on all parts of the canon, biblical theology, biblical hermeneutics and methodological papers, the Dead Sea Scrolls, race, ethnicity and gender, and academic teaching. This list is intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive. Submission by e-mail is strongly encouraged.
Submit all Hebrew Bible proposals to:
Professor John Vassar
Department of Fine Arts, Foreign Languages and Humanities
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
Bronson Hall Room 140
Shreveport, LA 71115
E-mail: jsvassar@lsus.edu
New Testament
Members of the society are invited to submit proposals for papers on any topic related to the study of the New Testament: e.g., Paul, Luke-Acts, the Johannine literature, non-canonical texts such as the Gnostic gospels, hermeneutics and theology, feminist interpretation, and modern literary criticism. This list is intended to be suggestive rather than exhaustive. Submission by e-mail is encouraged.
Submit all New Testament proposals to:
Professor Todd Still
George Truett Theological Seminary
Baylor University
Waco, TX 76778
E-mail: todd-still@baylor.edu