"Bodies in Motion" The University of Rhode Island's Third Annual
Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference
Saturday, March 28th, 2009
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Stuart Pimm, Professor of Conservation Ecology, Duke
University
Extended Submission Deadline: Sunday, February 1, 2009


Across academic disciplines, "bodies" — animal, epistemological, textual,
or otherwise — defy singular definition and elude our efforts to pin them
down. As they parallel, intersect, and inform one another, these "bodies"
demand rigorous research, creative thinking, and ever-evolving
methodologies. How do we account for these "bodies in motion" and the
complex ecologies of knowledge that they form? From what critical
perspectives — scientific, mathematic, literary, historical, political,
rhetorical, ethical, philosophical — can we examine these "bodies" in order
to learn from them and from others? The graduate community at the
University of Rhode Island invites submissions for posters, papers,
presentations, performances and panels from a variety of disciplines
exploring "bodies in motion."


Dr. Stuart L. Pimm is Duke University's Doris Duke Professor of
Conservation Ecology and the 2006 winner of the Heineken Prize for
Environmental Sciences. Dr. Pimm's work focuses on maintaining global
biological diversity. His commitment to environmental and species
preservation has brought him to Washington D.C., where he testified before
both the House's and Senate's Committee on the Reauthorization of the
Endangered Species Act. He is a founder of SavingSpecies.org, an NGO
working toward species preservation and carbon neutrality, and a member of
National Geographic's grant-awarding Committee for Research and
Exploration. Bridging the divides between science, sociology, and
anthropology, Dr. Pimm's methods involve working directly with indigenous
populations to help flora and fauna survive while maintaining local
traditions. His books include World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits
the Earth, The Balance of Nature?: Ecological Issues in the Conservation of
Species and Communities, and Food Webs.


Possible topics and areas of interest include, but are not limited to:



• Theorizing the body or bodies
• Bodies and environmental crisis
• The legal body
• Economic bodies
• Political bodies
• Bodies and health care
• Biotechnology and ethics of the body
• Bodies in literature
• Bodies in the digital age
• Migration, displacement, and/or diasporas
• Mass media and the global image of bodies
• Bodies as machines/Machines as bodies
• The aesthetics of movement
• Bodies and the flow of technology
• Artistic interpretations of the body

Submission Guidelines:
Please propose individual papers or panels and indicate whether you are
willing to moderate a panel. Panels of 3-4 presentations are especially
welcome.


To propose a paper, submit a cover page with your name; institutional
affiliation; contact information (mailing address, phone number, and
email); a 250-word abstract of the paper; a roughly 100-word bio; and a
detailed request for audiovisual equipment (if needed). Presentations will
be limited to fifteen minutes (about seven double-spaced pages).
To propose a panel, submit a cover page including the title of the panel
and the names of presenters; a panel abstract of 150-250 words; a separate
page with the names of presenters, their contact information (mailing
address, phone number, and email) and institutional affiliation(s), the
titles of their presentations; and a 250-word abstract for each paper.
Panels will be one hour and fifteen minutes long.


The conference committee requests the submission of materials in the body
of an email or as an attachment in a Word, text, or PDF document. All
submissions should be emailed to gradcon_at_etal.uri.edu. Please refer any
questions you may have to this address as well. Notification of acceptance
will be by Friday, February 7, 2009.








-- 
Yemisi Ogunleye
www.iq4news.com

Head of Communications,
MeCCSA Post-Graduate Network
website: http://www.meccsa.org.uk/pgn/

Media & Communications Dept.,
Birmingham City University,
City North Campus,
Birmingham
B42 2SU