If you are interested in the MSA V conference CFP, please see below for complete
instructions on how, when and where to submit proposals for seminars and panels.
Thanks,
Cassandra Laity

Modernist Cultures

Modernist Studies Association Fifth Annual Conference
Birmingham, UK
25th – 28th September 2003

Founded in 1999, the Modernist Studies Association is devoted to the study
of the arts in their social, political, cultural, and intellectual contexts
from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. Through its
annual conferences and journal, Modernism/Modernity, the organization seeks
to develop an international and interdisciplinary forum for exchange among
scholars in this revitalized and rapidly expanding field.

The fifth annual Modernist Studies Association Conference is the first to
be held in Europe. Hosted by the University of Birmingham and the
University of Sussex, it will take place in the heart of the multicultural
city of Birmingham, a world-renowned conference centre and the UK's second
city, where Victorian architecture mingles with exciting and innovative
redevelopment. The programme will include plenaries, panels, peer seminars,
prose and poetry readings, along with film screenings and book and art
exhibits specifically related to the international and interdisciplinary
study of modernist cultures.

Conference Coordinators:
Andrzej Gasiorek and Deborah Parsons (University of Birmingham)
Laura Marcus and Peter Nicholls (University of Sussex)

Conference Administrator: Samantha Skinner, Department of English,
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.

Calls for seminar, panel, and individual paper proposals follow.  Please
note that the deadline for peer seminar proposals is 31 January 2003, the
deadline for panel and individual paper proposals 4 April 2003. Please note
also that MSA rules do not allow participants to lead a seminar and present
a paper for a panel at the same conference, though participants may present
a panel paper and participate in a seminar, or chair a panel and lead a
seminar.

All who attend the MSA Conference must be members of the organization with
dues paid for 2003.


Call for Peer Seminar Leaders
Deadline: 31 January 2003
What is a Peer Seminar?
One of the most significant features of the MSA meetings is the
participation of conferees in peer seminars.  Seminars are small-group
discussion sessions (of no more than 15 people) for which participants
write brief "position papers" that are read and circulated prior to the
conference.  Seminars generate lively and valuable exchange during the
conference and in some cases have created a network of scholars who have
continued to work together.  Further, the peer seminar model allows most
conferees to seek financial support from their institutions as they educate
themselves and their colleagues on subjects of mutual interest.
There are no restrictions on seminar topics.  Past experience has shown
that the more clearly defined the topic and the more guidance provided by
the leader, the more useful the discussion has been to participants'
individual projects.  Seminar topics at the 2002 MSA conference included
"Low Modernism," "Modernism and Mourning," "Class Matters," and "World
Modernisms."  For a full listing, see the MSA Web site.
How do I propose a Peer Seminar?
Seminar proposals must include the following information.  Please assist us
by sending this information in exactly the order given here.  Use as a
subject line for your e-mail: MSA 5 SEMINAR PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF
SEMINAR LEADER].

* The seminar leader's name, institutional affiliation, discipline or
department, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* A brief description (up to 100 words) of the proposed topic
* A current curriculum vitae for the seminar leader

Send peer seminar proposals to Samantha Skinner, [log in to unmask] by
Friday 31st January, 2003.  Early submission is strongly encouraged.

Seminars will be selected in early March.


What is involved in leading a Peer Seminar?

The MSA will advertise seminars and register participants.  To promote
discussion, the size of seminars is limited to 15.  Leaders may, at their
option, invite one or two individuals to join the seminar in some special
role.  Some leaders will wish to share the work of reading and responding
to papers with the invited participants; others will simply want to assure
a high standard of discussion by involving scholars whose work they know to
be important for their topic.  Please note that invited participants will
not be specially listed as such in the conference program.

E-mail addresses for all seminar registrants will be provided to seminar
leaders in May. At that time, leaders should:

* Initiate communications by e-mail, introducing themselves and providing
addresses to all participants.
* Set guidelines for the seminar. These might include questions to be
addressed, reading to be done, and a specified length for the position
papers (normally 5-7 pages).
* Set firm deadlines, no later than early August for the actual exchange of
papers.
* Exchange and read papers during the 6-8 weeks before the conference.
* Plan the seminar format. The MSA will provide guidance, but leaders are,
within reasonable limits, free to use the time (two hours) as they see fit.


CALL FOR PANEL PROPOSALS
Deadline: 4 April 2003

How do I propose a Panel?

Proposals for panels must include the following information.  Please assist
us by sending this information in exactly the order given here.  Use as a
subject line for your e-mail: MSA 5 PANEL PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF PANEL
ORGANIZER].

* Session title
* Session Organizer's name, institutional affiliation, discipline or
department, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Chair's name, institutional affiliation, discipline or department, and
contact information (If you cannot identify a chair, we will locate one for
you.)
*Panelists' names, paper titles, institutional affiliations, disciplines or
departments, and contact information
*  A 500-word abstract describing the panel as a whole and the content of
individual papers

MSA policy on panels:

1. No participant may present more than one paper at one conference, and no
participant may both present a paper and lead one of the conference's seminars.
2. We encourage interdisciplinary panels, and strongly discourage panels on
single authors.
3. We encourage panels with three participants.  Panels of four and
roundtables of five or six will be considered.
4.  Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a
single institution are not likely to be accepted.
5. All MSA panels must have a chair who is not giving a paper.  Please
attempt to locate a moderator, but if you do not have one, we will locate
one for you.

Send panel proposals to Samantha Skinner, [log in to unmask] by Friday 4th
April, 2003.  Early submission is strongly encouraged.

Individual Paper Proposals

In addition to pre-arranged panels, a limited number of individual papers
may be accepted for the program of MSA 5.  Please send your name, paper
title, institutional affiliation, discipline or department, and contact
information, along with a 500-word abstract of the paper, to Samantha
Skinner, [log in to unmask] by Friday 4th April, 2003.  Early submission
is strongly encouraged.

This site will be regularly updated with information and news about the
conference.  Please refer any queries to Samantha Skinner at
[log in to unmask]



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