The modern world is full of wonderful technological advances, and many of the
functions once served by books have been taken over by the Internet, television and
other media. However, the art of reading literary texts is still absolutely vital to the
development of human mind and character. And reading and understanding literature
from another culture can be regarded as one of the most important ways to promote
the dialogue of cultures on an individual and a national levels.
To that end, the Department of English Philology invites you to share your research
and creative endeavors in a virtual roundtable Reading Across Cultures and
Languages: Cultural, Literary and Linguistic Perspectives on British, USA,
Russian and Buryat Literatures on April 22 – May 6, 2014.
Aims and objectives
The aim of the virtual roundtable is to create a space in which experienced and
budding students of literatures from different countries could exchange ideas and
thoughts, share their research results and read and discuss British, American, Russian
and Buryat literature from various epochs.
The objectives of the virtual roundtable are
- to bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds united by a
shared interest in literature and overcoming barriers to the enjoyment of literary
texts and keen on exchanging ideas,
- to exchange and discuss completed and ongoing research on cultural, literary
and linguistic aspects of British, USA, Russian and Buryat literature,
- to share experiences and best practices in researching and teaching literature,
- to organize a reading project group (groups) aimed at enhancing participants’
skills in reading across cultures and epochs ,
- to create a platform for further joint project on reading across languages and
cultures,
- to discuss issues arising in researching and teaching literature from different
cultures and epochs.
Themes
The thematic scope of the roundtable is reading and researching literature in the
broadest sense. We welcome contributions on:
- cultural aspects of British, American, Russian and Buryat literatures from
various epochs,
-
literary analysis,
teaching literature at school and at university,
literature in language education and literature in teaching foreign languages,
translating literary texts.
Possible formats
Papers are descriptions of a completed or an ongoing piece of research. Theoretical
papers can also be submitted. Papers will be grouped into ‘Experienced Researcher’
(professors, faculty) and ‘Budding Researcher’ (undergraduate and graduate students)
sectors and published on the conference website. The participants will be expected to
comment on the research and contribute to the discussion in the commentary section
to every paper. The authors will be expected to answer questions and, to a certain
extent, moderate the discussion. The papers will be published in the conference
proceedings.
Audio/video presentations are recorded asynchronous audio or video presentations
describing a completed or an ongoing piece of research. Theoretical issues can also be
discussed. The presentations will be uploaded on the conference website. The
participants will be expected to contribute to the discussion in the commentary section
to every presentation. The authors will be expected to answer questions and, to a
certain extent, moderate the discussion. The presentations that attract feedback and
stimulate discussion can be published in the conference proceedings as papers. The
time limit for a presentation is from 15 to 25 minutes.
Reading groups are online asynchronous or partly synchronous project groups aimed
at creating a space for reading and discussing works of British, USA, Russian or
Buryat literature from different epochs. The reading group audience may be invited
and selected by the authors. The reading group proposal is expected to include a
description of goals and objectives, the number of members, and the preferred
technological modes.
Skype Meetings are two-side meetings aimed at discussing and summing up the
virtual roundtable experience. The proposals for meetings are expected to include a
description of the topics to be addressed, the number of members.
Virtual Roundtable Schedule
First call
Second call/open submission
Start registration
Deadline registration
Paper proposal, presentation proposal, workshop,
reading groups and Skype meetings proposals submission
Paper/presentation proposals reviewed/confirmed
Deadline for paper and presentation submission
Conference programme available
Papers and presentations discussions
January 22, 2014
February 5, 2014
February 20, 2014
April 19, 2014
March 25, 2014
March 30, 2014
April 15, 2014
April 20, 2014
April 22 – May 6, 2014
Reading groups
Closing
How to submit proposals
Papers
Audio/video presentations
Reading groups
Skype meetings
March 27 – May 6, 2014
May 5 – 6, 2014
Paper proposals are expected to have 150
– 200 words, to include the title and a
short description of the topic(s) to be
addressed.
Proposals, along with authors’ contact
information, should be submitted via email at kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or
English.philology.bsu@gmail.com.
Please put Virtual Roundtable Proposal in
the subject line.
Papers should be 1000 – 5000 words,
Times New Roman, 14 pt.
Presentation proposals up to 150 – 200
words must be provided via email at
kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or
English.philology.bsu@gmail.com.
Please put Virtual Roundtable Proposal in
the subject line.
Reading group proposals should be
submitted via email at
kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or
English.philology.bsu@gmail.com.
Please put Virtual Roundtable Proposal in
the subject line.
The reading group proposal is expected to
include a description of goals and
objectives, the number of members, and
the preferred technological modes.
Proposals should be submitted via email
at kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or
English.philology.bsu@gmail.com.
Please put Virtual Roundtable Proposal in
the subject line.
The proposals for meetings are expected
to include a description of the topics to be
addressed, the number of members.
Registration:
Complete your registration form in a Microsoft Word document and send it with your
photo to the following email address: kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or
English.philology.bsu@gmail.com.
Please put Virtual Roundtable Proposal in the subject line.
The reading group proposal is expected to include a description of goals and
objectives, the number of members, and the preferred technological modes.
First (Given) Name
Last (Family) Name
Affiliation
Group (Faculty/grad. student/undergrad.
student)
Degree
Research interests
Languages
Short biography (150 – 200 words)
Email (your email will be accessible to
the conference participants. If you do not
wish your email to be available to the
conference participants, please, point it
out).
Telephone number (optional)
Requirements
The virtual roundtable participants will be expected to
- have access to email,
- be able to spend 2 – 6 hours a week participating in the conference activities,
- contribute to the discussions and participate in Q&A sessions for papers,
presentations and workshops,
- be able to speak and write in English (translation assistance may be provided).
Contacts
Website http://www.bsu.ru
Email: kafedra_af_fiya@mail.ru or English.philology.bsu@gmail.com