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Call for Poster Proposals - The Twenty-First Annual Joseph Taylor Symposium - “Voices in the City: Language, Literacy and Urban Life”

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[Ad]: Taylor Symposium 2010: Voices in the City

Voices in the City: Language, Literacy, and Urban Life

Call for Poster Proposals - The Twenty-First Annual Joseph Taylor Symposium

The organizing committee of the Twenty-First Annual Joseph Taylor Symposium at the IU School of Liberal Arts invites all students, faculty members, and researchers to submit abstracts for poster presentation at the upcoming 21st annual Joseph Taylor Symposium on February 25, 2010. The Joseph Taylor Symposium honors Dr. Joseph T. Taylor, Professor of Sociology from 1965 to 1983 and the first Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, for his many contributions to the university and the community.

For those who write about the places where they live, how place and experience contribute to their identities, language matters. This year’s theme, Voices in the City: Language, Literacy, and Urban Life, will explore questions about the importance of language in shaping culture. The symposium invites us to listen to how writers from our city, in diverse ways, shape their identities and respond to the culture through spoken word poetry. In addition, teachers and mentors, affiliated with the National Writing Project, showcase new approaches to working with language in multilingual, multicultural Indianapolis.

To complement those discussions, we invite posters that present information from research and reflection on issues surrounding language use and literacy practices in contemporary urban culture. In addition to presenting their own work, faculty members are encouraged integrate relevant poster projects into their classes to promote student submissions. The following is a list of some possible approaches to the symposium’s theme:

  • Identifying key literacy practices,  issues, and initiatives in urban settings-both in Indianapolis and around the world
  • Recognizing all the voices: Bilingual/multilingual issues
  • Expressing identity and culture through the spoken-word
  • Locating performances: Where is language being performed and explored in the city? (Readings at the Harrison Center, The Writers’ Center, university-sponsored reading series, etc.)
  • Utilizing print and electronic outlets for language and expression in the city - what do local newspapers, magazine,  etc. and our use of them tell us about our literate culture(s)
  • Social and professional networking as community building (Facebook, etc.)
  • Reclaiming the past: how has history shaped current language and literacy practices
  • Gaining access and power: language and literacy as ways  into participating in the public life of the city (These may draw on specialized ‘literacies’ in technology, politics, the legal system, and so forth.)

To submit a poster presentation proposal, please fill out the attached form and return it by February 15, 2010. Questions may be addressed and forms may be returned to Megan Musgrave, memusgra@iupui.edu; Department of English, CA502L.

Taylor Symposium Planning Committee
Department of English

Published on: January 13, 2010