Science Fiction and Fantasy

Conference of the Popular and American Culture Association (PCA/ACA)

April 11 – April 14, 2011 – Boston, MA

One of the largest and most vibrant of the association, the Science Fiction and Fantasy (SF/F) Area invites proposals for its 2012 national conference. The goals of our area are (1) to share and support research, scholarship, and publication and (2) to mentor emerging scholars. As a result, we invite proposals from professors, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates (with the guidance of a professor).

PCA/ACA SF/F welcomes any theoretical or (inter)disciplinary approach to any topic related to SF/F: art; literature; radio; film; television; comics and graphic novels; video, role-playing, and multi-player online games. Though not at all an exhaustive list, potential presenters may wish to consider the following. We would particularly like to encourage submissions for 2012 that examine Reality and Unreality.

General Topics:

Fans and Fandom/Community Building
Gender and Sexuality
Class and Hierarchies
Hybridity and Liminality
Utopia/Dystopia
Audience Reception
Translation Issues
Cross-Media Texts
Regeneration—Moving Narratives from One Medium to Another
Language and Rhetoric
Genre—Space Opera, Cyberpunk, Dark Fantasy, etc.
Franchising Narratives
Intertexuality
Marketing and Advertising
Textual Analysis
Sociological or Psychological Readings
Archival Research
Technology—Textual and Literal
Pedagogy—Teaching Science Fiction and Fantasy
Online Identity Construction
Use of Music and Silence
Visual, Spatial, and Design Elements
Mythology and Quest Narratives
Steampunk

Examples of Fantasy Texts

Classic and Contemporary Literature—Gilgamesh; Homer’s Odyssey; J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings; C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia; Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels; J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series; Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials collection; Frank Baum’s Oz series; Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and works by such authors as Piers Anthony, Marian Zimmer Bradley, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Orson Scott Card, Margaret Weis, Ursula K. LeGuin, Mercedes Lackey, Patricia McKillip, and others.

Film—The Princess Bride (1987), Willow (1988), Labyrinth (1986), The Dark Crystal (1982), The NeverEnding Story (1984), The Clash of the Titans (1981; 2009), Ladyhawke (1985), Spirited Away (2001), Donnie Darko (2001), Chocolat (2000), Amelie (2001), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), etc.
Television—The Twilight Zone (1959-64), The Prisoner (1967-68), Dark Shadows (1966-71), Wonder Woman (1975-79), Beauty and the Beast (1987-90), Wonderfalls (2004), The Dresden Files (2007), Supernatural (2005-), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Charmed (1998-2006), Angel (1999-2004), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Lost (2004-), Being Human (2009-), and others.
Comics and Graphic Novels—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8; Japanese manga; European comics; underground comics movement, etc.
Gaming—Tomb Raider, World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons, Everquest, Myst, Vampire: The Masquerade, etc.

Examples of Science Fiction Texts

Classic and Contemporary Literature—from the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Mary Shelley to Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Octavia E. Butler, Anne McCaffrey, Marge Piercy, James Tiptree Jr., Frank Herbert, and Candas Jane Dorsey.
Film—from Le Voyage Dans La Lune (1902), Frankenstein (1931), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Matrix (1999), Children of Men (2006), Iron Man (2008), The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), Transformers 2 (2009), Star Trek (2009).
Television—classic TV such as Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) and The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) to recent series of interest, including Lexx (1997-2002), Twin Peaks (1990-91), The X-Files (1993-2002), Dark Angel (2000-02), The 4400 (2004-07), the Stargate series including Universe, Babylon 5 (1993-98), Battlestar Galactica (2004- 2008), Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles (2007 - 2009), Torchwood (2006-), Primeval (2007-), Heroes (2007-), Firefly (2002-03), Sanctuary (2008-), Eureka (2006-), and others.

The SF/F Area is also interested in featuring science fiction and fantasy writers and poets. Creative writers are welcomed.

Submission Guidelines: In Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or PDF, completed papers or 250-word proposals for individual papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, or creative writing readings should be submitted through the PCA website. Instructions for submission can be found at www.pcaaca.org/conference/instructions.php and submissions made at http://ncp.pcaaca.org . The document should contain the following information in this order:

Name(s) of presenter(s)—indicate main contact person if submitting a group presentation
Institutional affiliation—if applicable
Name and contact information of cooperating professor—undergraduates only
Address(es), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of presenter(s)
Title(s) of paper(s), panel, roundtable, or workshop
Completed paper(s) or 250-word proposal(s)—if submitting a workshop, please specifically indicate what those in attendance will gain

The paper/panel proposal will be acknowledged when received, and the sender will be notified of the submission’s status no later than 1 January 2012.

Please, do not simultaneously submit the same proposal to multiple areas. Doing so is a discourtesy to area chairs. Also please note that, per PCA/ACA guidelines, a person may present only one paper at the annual meeting, regardless of subject area. This includes roundtables, that is, a person cannot present a paper and a roundtable discussion.

Submission Deadline: 15 December

Each year after the last conference panel on Saturday evening, the SF/F Area hosts a fundraising event that includes a film, snacks, and a prize raffle of DVDs, novels, academic books, etc.—thousands of dollars in merchandise. Come enjoy the food, friendship, and fun! Location TBA; film tentatively scheduled: The Five Doctors (1983). Fundraising supports area activities and, beginning with the 2011 conference, awards to the two best papers, graduate student and professional. More details about these awards can be found at the area’s website: www.pcasff.org

Please be aware that the PCA offers several travel bursaries and deadlines for them are the 7 January 2012. Check the PCA website www.pcaaca.org for more information.

Hope to see you in Boston!

Dr. Gillian I Leitch, PCA/ACA SF/F Area Chair
23 Blvd Mont-Bleu, #1
Gatineau, QC
Canada J8Z 1H9
pcasff@gmail.com

NOTE: While the PCA/ACA welcomes fresh approaches to subjects, we also appreciate serious commitment to scholarship and to presenting at the conference.

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