Call for Papers: Mediating the Message: The Poetics of Communication in German Literature, Language, Film and Culture
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
"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 would like to address following questions:
- What kinds of roles do theories of communication play in literature and film?
- How have communication processes changed over time?
- How do cultures communicate with each other within literature and film?
- In what way do images and texts correlate and communicate with each other?
- How do genders communicate with each other in literature and film?
- How are the media depicted in literature and film?
- How is the question of reality addressed in literature and film?
- What role do the media play in canon formation?
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:
- communication theories in literature (e.g. Luhmann. etc.)
- 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
- interplay between text and images in literature and film
- 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
- interplay between narrator and plot
- language of the media: between fact and fiction / communication orcoercion?
- 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. Information on the keynote speaker will be announced soon. Please send an abstract of 250-300 words in either English or German as a MS Word attachment by September 1, 2008 to Alexandra Hagen and Marie Buesch at fogs.editor@gmail.com (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.
Department of German Studies
University of Cincinnati
ML 0372
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0372
USA |
