CFP: Reclaiming the Swamp (Thing): Popular Culture and the Public Academy (UT-Austin)

Deadline for Submissions: September 30, 2017

Call For Papers
Reclaiming the Swamp (Thing): Popular Culture and the Public Academy
The 14th Annual
Graduate Conference in Comparative Literature
In Association with the “Barbara Harlow, The Sequel” Conference
27th-28th October 2017
The University of Texas at Austin

Keynote Speaker:

Richard T. Rodriguez
Associate Professor of Media and Cultural Studies and English
at the University of California, Riverside
on “Latino/U.K.: Postpunk’s Transatlantic Touches”

When the DC comic Swamp Thing debuted in 1971, the border between human and vegetal was crossed.  This conference hopes to bridge the gap between the comic and the novel, the art film and the vine, Occupy and Gramsci, the poetry slam and the classical stage, that is to say, between the popular and the academic, so as to allow the academy to occupy a public space.  The Graduate Association of Comparative Literature Students presents the 2017 Graduate Student Conference, “Reclaiming the Swamp (Thing): Popular Culture and the Public Academy.” Focusing on the role of Popular Culture in the Humanities today, and remembering the contributions of Dr. Barbara Harlow to education and to the world as a public intellectual, this conference considers how academic scholarship has evolved in its relationship to popular forms of human expression, in whatever medium in a world that has always been filled with cultural objects and discourses.  It also imagines what future directions in such work might take.

Often dismissed as an insignificant, transient form, popular culture plays a persistent and powerful role with political and social consequences. In 2016, the Oxford English Dictionary named “post-truth” as the international word of the year, insisting that the affective had supplanted the analytical and that popular culture and media had erupted into the political sphere. Reality-TV, comedy skits, social media posts, and memes became the vehicle for public discourse in a historical moment that demands an understanding of how and why popular culture and media operate so effectively across borders and across spheres. Continue reading “CFP: Reclaiming the Swamp (Thing): Popular Culture and the Public Academy (UT-Austin)”

Study Abroad: Russian Language Programs (American Councils)

Deadline for applications: October 16, 2017

American Councils for International Education is currently accepting applications for spring 2018 semester Russian language study-abroad programs.

Operating since 1976, American Councils Russian-language programs are conducted in partnership with Moscow International University, the Russian State Pedagogical (Herzen) University in downtown St. Petersburg, the KORA Russian Language Center in Vladimir, and the Al Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty. All American Councils programs are uniquely designed to maximize participants’ language gain by combining intensive, small-group instruction with a rich array of immersion activities to ensure participants break out of the ‘study abroad bubble’ and truly engage with local communities. Experienced resident directors provide 24-hour support and personal guidance to participants throughout their time abroad.

The application deadline is October 16, 2017 for the following programs:

Continue reading “Study Abroad: Russian Language Programs (American Councils)”

Academic job: Assistant Professor in 19-century Russian Literature and Culture (UPenn)

Deadline for applications: November 1, 2017

The Department of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvainia is seeking applications for an assistant professor (tenure-track) with expertise in nineteenth-century Russian literature and culture, to begin July 1, 2018. Of particular interest are candidates with additional expertise in some aspect of Central European studies. Demonstrated strength in research and publication and excellence in teaching required. Ph.D. must be earned by time of appointment. Native or near-native fluency in Russian and English required.

Please submit applications online here. Include a cover letter describing research and teaching experience, a CV, teaching philosophy statement, and contact information for three individuals who have agreed to provide a letter of recommendation. Recommenders will be contacted by the University with instructions on how to submit a letter to the website. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2017 and continue until the position is filled. The Department of Russian and East European Studies is strongly committed to Penn’s Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence and to creating a diverse faculty. The University of Pennsylvania is an EOE. Minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

Academic Job: Open Rank Faculty Position In Department of Slavic Languages (Columbia University)

Deadline for applications: October 1, 2017

The Department of Slavic Languages at Columbia University announces an open rank position in Russian literature and culture. The position may be filled at any rank from Assistant Professor to Professor with tenure. They are looking for a colleague with energy, vision, and a truly outstanding record in both scholarship and teaching, whose innovative research will complement the Department’s existing strengths and attract graduate students of the highest caliber. The ideal candidate will be a newly tenured faculty or someone who will soon be considered for tenure. While the period of specialization is open, expertise in the 20th or 21st century is especially desirable, as is the ability to teach poetry, film, or visual culture. The successful candidate will be expected to sustain an active research and publication agenda and teach in our undergraduate and graduate programs.

Successful candidates are expected to have native or near-native fluency in Russian. All applicants must have a Ph.D. in hand.

Continue reading “Academic Job: Open Rank Faculty Position In Department of Slavic Languages (Columbia University)”

Academic Job: Assistant Professor specializing in REE/Social Sciences (UT-Austin)

Deadline for Applications: October 10, 2017

: Assistant Professor
: Austin, TX
: Faculty

The Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies in collaboration with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin invites applications for the position of tenuretrack assistant professor, with an anticipated start in the fall semester 2018. We seek applications from scholars who work on Russia/the former Soviet Union, and Eastern or East Central Europe who specialize in the social sciences (with a preference for Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, or Political Science). Engagement in interdisciplinary and digital scholarship is welcome, and all candidates must have an active research and publication agenda. Teaching duties will include a two course per semester load and the selected candidate will be expected to exhibit a commitment to service in the department, center, college, and university, and be qualified to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as direct graduate and undergraduate student independent research.

Salary is based upon qualifications and experience. Continue reading “Academic Job: Assistant Professor specializing in REE/Social Sciences (UT-Austin)”

CFP: Russian Jewelry Art of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries in a Global Context (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Deadline for Submissions: September 15, 2017

International Academic Conference
“Russian Jewelry Art of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries in a Global Context”

9–11 November 2017
Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg

Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg invites you to take part in the International Academic Conference, “Russian Jewelry Art of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries in a Global Context”, to be held 9-11 November 2017 at Fabergé Museum.

With one of the largest collections of Russian jewelry art in the world, Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg considers it its duty to study the topic from all angles and in a broad historical and cultural context. We hope to include in our conference contributions from art historians and critics, museum and archive professionals, collectors, and jewelers.

In the period from the early 19th to the early 20th centuries, Russian jewelry art tread the path from the Empire style to Art Nouveau, saw the appearance of a constellation of brilliant jewelers both Russian and foreign, got itself noticed at World’s Fairs, contributed to the revival of old jewelry techniques, and began to be collected by both connoisseurs and museums. Continue reading “CFP: Russian Jewelry Art of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries in a Global Context (St. Petersburg, Russia)”

Language Training: Eurasian Regional Language Program (Bryn Mawr College)

Deadline for applications: October 16, 2017

American Councils for International Education is currently accepting applications for the spring 2018 semester Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP).

The American Councils Eurasian Regional Language Program provides graduate students, advanced undergraduates, working professionals, and scholars intensive individualized instruction in the languages spoken in Eurasia. Participants may choose from a wide range of regional languages, including Armenian, Azeri, Bashkir, Buryat, Chechen, Dari, Farsi, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Pashto, Romanian, Tajiki, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and Yakut.

The program offers comprehensive, two-day pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. as well as on-site orientation in each host city; expert university faculty and classrooms of only 1 to 5 participants to maximize individual attention to each learner’s needs; 15-18 hours per week of in-class target language instruction in grammar, phonetics, conversation, culture and area studies;  housing with carefully-vetted host families; U.S. academic credit (administered through Bryn Mawr College); conversation partners who assist U.S. students with language learning; and creative excursions that go beyond typical tourist destinations and offer students new insights into the host country life and culture.

Students admitted to the Eurasian Regional Language Program are eligible to receive financial support from a wide range of sources, including the U.S. Department of State (Title VIII), Boren, FLAS, and the American Councils Study Abroad Scholarship Fund.

Prospective applicants should check the program website for more information and to access the online application. The application deadline for these programs is October 16, 2017. Please direct any questions regarding the application process to the AC Study Abroad Team (phone: 202-833-7522; email:outbound@americancouncils.org).

 

Academic Job: Tenure-Track Position in Russian (Reed College)

Deadline for applications: October 16, 2017

The Russian department at Reed College invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track appointment in Russian and the Humanities, preferably at the Assistant Professor rank, to commence August 2018. Their strong preference is for a teacher-scholar specializing in pre-twentieth century Russian literature. Expertise in an additional scholarly field (e.g., comparative literature, film/media studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, ecocriticism) is desirable. Candidates should possess native or near-native command of both Russian and English, have successful college-level teaching experience and an ambitious research program. They must have a Ph.D. in Slavic (or a related field) in hand by the start of the appointment.

Located in Portland, Oregon, Reed is a liberal arts college with approximately 1400 students that offers a demanding academic program to bright and dedicated undergraduates. Reed College is on the semester system with a teaching load of five courses per year and senior thesis advising. In addition to courses in Russian literature and culture, members of the Russian department either teach Russian language or participate, on a rotating basis, in the team-taught freshmen humanities course. Details about the Russian program at Reed can be found at their website. For additional information, please contact Professor Evgenii Bershtein (bershtee@reed.edu), chair of the search committee. Continue reading “Academic Job: Tenure-Track Position in Russian (Reed College)”

CFP: Southern Conference on Slavic Studies (Charlotte, NC)

Deadline for Submissions: January 15, 2017

CALL FOR PAPERS 
56th Annual Meeting
Southern Conference on Slavic Studies
Charlotte, NC
March 22-24, 2018
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: January 15, 2018

The Fifty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies (SCSS) will be held at the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlotte, March 22-24, 2018. The meeting will be hosted by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The SCSS is the largest of the regional Slavic and Eurasian Studies associations and its programs attract national and international scholarly participation. The purpose of SCSS is to promote scholarship, education, and in all other ways to advance scholarly interest in Russian, Soviet, and East European studies in the Southern region of the United States and nationwide. Membership in SCSS is open to all persons interested in furthering these goals.

Papers from all humanities and social science disciplines are welcome, as is a focus on countries other than Russia/USSR. We encourage participation from scholars of all Slavic, East European, and Eurasian regions. Papers can be on any time period and any topic relevant to these regions.

The program committee is accepting panel and paper proposals until January 15, 2018. Whole panel proposals (chair, three papers, discussant) or roundtables (chair, three to five participants) are preferred, but proposals for individual papers will also be accepted. Whole panel proposals should include the titles of each individual paper as well as a title for the panel itself and identifying information (email address and institutional affiliation) for all participants. Roundtable proposals should include a title and identifying information for all participants. Proposals for individual papers should include paper title, identifying information, and a one-paragraph abstract to guide the program committee in the assembly of panels.  If any AV equipment will be needed, proposals must indicate so when they are submitted.  AV will be of limited availability and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.  Email your proposals to Emily Baran at scssprogram@gmail.com.

For local arrangements or conference information other than the program, please contact Steve Sobol atsosabol@uncc.edu. For questions regarding the program, please contact Emily Baran at scssprogram@gmail.com.

CFP: International Interdisciplinary Symposium in Caucasian and Eurasian studies “Ilia Chavchavadze-180” (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Deadline for Submissions: October 30, 2017

Tbilisi, Georgia
December  12-13, 2017
ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
I. Chavchavadze Ave., N1, Tbilisi, 0179

The International Symposium in Honour of the 180th Anniversary of the Birth of Ilia Chavchavadze is organized by the Faculty of Humanities at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. 

The Symposium is planned within the frames of marking the 180th anniversary from the Birth and 110th Anniversary from the death of Ilia Chavchavadze. TSU Faculty of Humanities has planned the following events: 

1.   International Academic Symposium –  December 12-13, 2017;

2.   Students’ Regional Academic Symposium – December 14-15, 2017;

3.     Essay contest for students: Ilia and Georgia – December 15, 2017;

4.   “We Read Ilia” –  December 14, 2017;

5.   Presentation of the bilingual collection of Ilia’s translations –  December 15, 2017;

6.   Photo exhibition “Ilia’s Legacy” – December 12-15, 2017;

7.   Exhibition: “Ilia Chavchavadze in Fine Arts” – December 12-15, 2017;

8.   Film Show –  December 12, 2017;

9.   Cultural event: Visiting the Ilia Museum (Tbiilisi) – December 12, 2017.

The two-day Symposium will present the outstanding keynote speakers. Abstracts on Ilia Chavchavadze’s legacy or related topics are welcome from all over the world. 

Please submit your abstracts by October 30, 2017 using the registration form.

For more information visit their site here.