CfP: Environments in German and Dutch Studies

Environments in German and Dutch Studies (abstracts due June 1st, 2023)

Date: September 29-30, 2023

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Seth Howes, University of Missouri

Workshop Speakers: Dr. Julia Goetze, Dr. Diego Roman, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nothing occurs in a vacuum, language perhaps least of all. Whether it be in the classroom or in a poem, the environment in which langauge occurs impacts it in a myriad of ways. Throughout German and Dutch studies, environments in every sense impact our areas of study, such as media studies, linguistics, literature, second language acquisition, etc.

This conference seeks to inform us on the many impacts these environments may have on us and the Germanic world. We welcome papers that explore how environments interact with language, how people interact with each other and within their current environment, and how environments shape and influence culture in historical contexts.

Our conference welcomes contributions from diverse fields that may, but are not required to, touch on the following questions and keywords:

Literature/Cultural Studies:

• How might the political environment affect a novel written in the German Democratic Republic?
• How do environments and scenes within a film influence interpretations of a film adaptation of another work?
• How does the surrounding environment (society, people, politics) impact discussions and understanding of ecocriticism?
• What impact does the environment have on social justice practices and goals?

Linguistics/Second Language Acquisition:

• How might neighboring phones influence realization of a phoneme in spoken dialect?
• How might the dynamicity of a surrounding culture change how a minoritized language or dialect is used?
• How might the classroom environment impact how students speak and write their target language with one another?
• How does encouraging critical thinking in the classroom affect students' understanding of self and their environment?

Abstracts for single- or multi-authored 20-minute presentations should be no more than 300 words and are due by June 1st, 2023. Submissions in both English and German are welcome. Please limit submissions to only one per presenter. Abstracts should not include the presenter's name. Pelase include the following as a separate attachment: name, title of paper, department and university affiliation, and email address. Please submit your abstracts to the GDGSA Conferece Committee at gdgsaconferenceuw@gmail.com. Please note that this will be an in-person conference. For further details on the conference, keynote speaker, and/or accessibility needs, please see our website below.

https://gdgsaconference.german.wisc.edu/