**************DEADLINE EXTENDED: September 15, 2008**************
The German Graduate Student Governance Association
of the University of Cincinnati
and the editors of the graduate student journal
Focus on German Studies
present the
Thirteenth Annual Focus Graduate Student Conference
held on October 31- November 1, 2008
at the University of Cincinnati
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Katrin Sieg, Georgetown
SPECIAL SCREENING of "Geboren in Bagdad" followed by a discussion
with the Austrian-Iraqi author and filmmaker Susanne Ayoub
"Mediating the Message: The Poetics of Communication in German
Literature, Language, Film and Culture."
On September 12, 2001, German newspapers unanimously ran the headline:
"Nothing will ever remain the same again!" Five years later, Katharina
Hacker's novel "Die Habenichtse" argues the exact opposite. In a world
where war and terror is delivered on our doorstep or into our inbox
every morning, people live in a world of make-believe rather than
reality. German authors and filmmakers have concerned themselves with
the interplay between this traumatic attack and its media coverage. They
depict a distorted perception of reality toying with images that were
broadcast in the media. German intellectuals discuss the (mis)use of
power that tools of communication have always been prone to: the power
to convey ideas, images, concepts and thoughts that have shaped our
cultural knowledge and influenced individuals or entire people for
centuries. In the age of digital media, ideas and notions are now
transmitted in the blink of an eye. However, the question of reality and
validity remains open. Analyzing communication processes—and the layers
in between— exposes the failure that may lead to far-reaching problems of
incomprehensible dimensions. This conference seeks to stimulate discussion
on how these communication processes work in the framework of literary texts
and films.
We invite graduate students from all disciplines to submit paper
proposals responding to these or similar questions related to the
interplay between communication, literature, film and culture in modern
or pre-modern time periods. Possible topics include, but are by no means
limited to:
- interplay between text and images in literature and film
- interplay between narrator and plot
- themes of globalization and technology in literature and film
- interplay between music and film
- image of "Amerika" in German literature and film
- intercultural communication in second language acquisition
- communication theories in literature (e.g. Luhmann)
- communicating criticism: the media in the eye of literature
(Medienkritik etc.)
- philosophical notions of media and technology (e.g. Benjamin,
Frankfurt School, etc.)
- intercultural communication in literature and film (e.g.
Migrantenliteratur und –film)
- depiction of media in literature and film (e.g. treatment of war,
terrorism, politics in the media that is interpreted by authors,
intellectuals and films)
- discussion in literary media (literature debate of the 90s,
Fräuleinwunderliteratur etc.)
- literary awards and their media coverage (Büchner-Preis,
Hölderlin-Preis, Bachmann-Preis etc.)
- gender-based modes of communication in literature and film
- language of the media: between fact and fiction / communication or
coercion?
- spread of information in medieval/ early modern time periods
(e.g. use of Gutenberg printing press)
Revised conference papers can also be submitted for publication in our
Focus on German Studies journal. Please send an abstract of 250-300 words
in either English or German as a MS Word attachment by September 15, 2008 to
Alexandra Hagen and Marie Buesch at [log in to unmask] (ATTN: Focus
on GS Conference). On a separate cover sheet, please list the proposed
paper title, author's name, university affiliation and email address.
Conference participants have the option of housing with UC graduate
students.
--
Alexandra Hagen, Editor-in-chief
Marie Buesch, Book Review Editor
Focus on German Studies
University Of Cincinnati ML 0372
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0372 USA
Phone (513) 556-2752
Fax (513) 556-1991
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http://www.artsci.uc.edu/german/NewsEvents/focus/index.html
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