Liberty and Justice: America and the Middle East

An Interdisciplinary Conference

7-10 January 2008
Beirut, Lebanon
 

Information for Attendees and Instructions for Submitting a Proposal

Conference Venue. The conference will take place on 7-10 January 2008 in Beirut.  Most of the sessions will be held on the campus of the American University of Beirut.  Opening and closing events will take place at a hotel in nearby Ras Beirut.  Hotel accommodations will be arranged at this same hotel, just a few minutes walk from the campus. 

Conference Format. The conference will begin with an opening ceremony at the hotel on Monday evening, January 7, featuring an opening address and reception.  On Tuesday and Wednesday (January 8 and 9) conference sessions will take place all day on the AUB campus in West Hall.  On Wednesday evening, a closing reception and dinner will take place at the hotel. On Thursday, January 10, the conference will conclude with optional bus trip to a site of historical significance in Lebanon. 

Special Sessions 

1.  American Studies in the MENA.  In recent years, several new American studies programs have appeared in the MENA.  This working session will explore the dynamics affecting American studies programs in the region, their problems and prospects. 

2.  Graduate Projects, Bridges, and Dialogues.  Graduate students are encouraged to submit proposals for a series of sessions intended to foster interdisciplinary discussions among MENA graduate students in American studies and related fields.    

Subsidies for Presenters.  CASAR will subsidize all presenters whose proposals are accepted for inclusion and who are not Lebanese residents.  This will include expenses for air travel, lodging, airport pickup in Beirut and some meals.  

Trip.  On Wednesday, January 10, an optional bus trip to a site of historical significance in Beirut will provide an opportunity for conference participants to continue their conversations while enjoying the landscape of Lebanon and learning about its history.  There will be an additional fee for this trip.  

To Submit a Proposal 

1.  Please read the Call for Proposals to learn about the theme and scope of the conference.

2.  In addition to individual papers and traditional session proposals, we welcome proposals that follow non-traditional formats.  Unlike some conferences, there is no preference for non-traditional formats, or for organized sessions as opposed to individual papers.  We do put a premium on critical engagement and thorough discussion.  All sessions will be two hours in length, and generally be limited to four presenters.  Each presenter should take no more than twenty minutes leaving about one-third of each session for interaction.  Possible alternative formats include:

Performance.  This category is for those who wish to perform their own work such as poetry, drama, or film.  Individual as well as session proposals are welcome.

Workshop.  This might take the form of a group of individuals, perhaps from several locations, who want to use the conference session to produce a statement, a plan or some other concrete product.  Participants would prepare background material, perhaps make it available via the Internet, and engage a larger group during the session.  This format might involve considerable pre-conference preparation and post-conference follow-up.

Accessible Papers.  Participants make their finished papers available, perhaps on the Internet, about one month before the conference.  It is then assumed that session attendees have read the papers.  The session is therefore used for formal and informal commentary and discussion.

3.  Please send paper and session abstracts (300 words or less), along with a short CV, via electronic mail to casar@aub.edu.lb by September 30, 2007.  The CV should include email and phone contact information, mailing address, current position or affiliation, as well as relevant professional information such as publications. Abstracts should include the title of paper, author's name, affiliation, and e-mail address and should be single spaced (12pt. font). To view a sample, please click on sample abstract. Please convert other formats to make them Windows XP readable.  If in doubt, include a second copy in Rich Text Format.  Please indicate if you are applying for the special graduate student sessions.  We will notify authors of accepted papers by October 31.

[Conference II Homepage]