CFP: Kevin Costner, America's Teacher

Edward Janak Announcement
Location
United States
Subject Fields
Contemporary History, Cultural History / Studies, Film and Film History, Native American History / Studies, Teaching and Learning

Call for Proposals: Kevin Costner: America’s Teacher

 

We are looking for chapter proposals for an edited collection on Kevin Costner examining the role of/potential of Costner in educational settings domestically and abroad.

 

Costner’s career is a myriad of successes and failures. In the past 35 years, his movies grossed 2 billion dollars in ticket sales worldwide and he has he won/been nominated for several Academy Awards; he also experienced critical and box office failures with Waterworld and the Postman. However, in the past 20 years Costner has been able to reinvent himself as a versatile character actor appearing in leading roles in films as well as on cable (Hatfields & McCoys, Yellowstone) and streaming (The Highwaymen) television platforms. He has also become a quiet, but notable, philanthropist, giving both his time and money.

 

Through the films in his oeuvre, Kevin Costner has been teaching audiences around the world about the United States--its history, people and culture. Some viewers and scholars recognize this as positive, others as problematic.  This book will serve as a place for teachers and scholars to explore ways in which Costner may be tapped for research and teaching purposes at all levels of education.

 

There are several themes worth exploring when analyzing Costner’s work utilizing any number of theoretical frameworks. Contributions to this scholarly volume may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

 

  • Kevin Costner as Director: Dances with Wolves, Waterworld, The Postman
  • Costner as television actor: Hatfields & McCoys, Yellowstone, The Highwaymen
  • Costner as dramatic actor: The Company Men, Black and White, McFarland, USA
  • Portrayals of Americana: Baseball (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game), The Cowboy (Silverado, Wyatt Earp, Open Range), The West (Silverado, Wyatt Earp, Open Range, Yellowstone), Politics (Swing Vote, Thirteen Days, JFK), etc.
  • Portrayals of U.S. History: JFK, The Untouchables, Thirteen Days, Hidden Figures
  • Representations of Indigenous/Native Americans: Dances with Wolves, Yellowstone
  • Race and Racism: Black and White, Hidden Figures, Dances with Wolves
  • Masculinity/Costner as American Tough Guy: Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit, Bull Durham, The Bodyguard, Robin Hood
  • America’s Pastimes: Draft Day, McFarland USA, Tin Cup, Molly’s Game
  • The Athlete: Tin Cup, For Love of the Game, Bull Durham, American Flyers
  • The Executive: Draft Day
  • The mentor/father figure: The Guardian, Man of Steel, Hatfields and McCoys, McFarland USA, The War
  • Death and Dying: Yellowstone, Hatfields and McCoys, Dragonfly
  • Crime and Redemption/Law and Order: Yellowstone, The Untouchables, 3 Days to Kill, The Highwaymen, Molly’s Game, Robin Hood, Mr. Brooks, 3000 Miles to Graceland
  • Environmentalism: Yellowstone, Dances with Wolves
  • Utopia/Dystopia: The Postman, Waterworld
  • Sense of Duty: Dances with Wolves, The Postman
  • Costner the Philanthropist (work on oil separation following BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico)

 

Proposals:

We invite scholars to submit the following to both of the editors:

  • An abstract of 500 words (excluding sources cited) providing an overview of the chapter in its entirety;
  • A list of tentative sources cited/data points; and
  • Brief (1-2 page) curriculum vitae of each contributor including affiliation/position, educational history, and any relevant publication history.

Please note:  Graduate students, K-12 teachers and independent scholars are all highly encouraged to submit. When possible, we encourage collaboration with a university faculty member.

 

Submissions:

If accepted, contributors will be responsible for producing manuscripts that meet the following criteria:

  • be relevant to the field and further the conversation;
  • be a minimum of 5,000 words (20 pages) in length;
  • follow all formatting and style guidelines from the Chicago Manual of Style;
  • contain all original material (not have been previously published); and
  • not contain any copyrighted material (images, lengthy passages, etc).

 

Important Deadlines and Dates:

Submission of abstracts to editors: April 1, 2020

Notification of decisions to contributors: May 1, 2020

Submission of proposal to interested press: May 2020

Chapter submission to editors: October 1, 2020

Revision/redraft of chapters from editors: December 1, 2020

Revision re-submission from contributors: January 2021

Submission to press: February 2021

Tentative publication date: April 2021

 

Please share this CFP with any and all you believe might be interested.  Thank you.

 

Editor Information:

 

All enquiries should be directed to:

 

Dr. Ludovic A. Sourdot

Associate Professor, Curriculum & Instruction

Department of Teacher Education

Texas Woman’s University

P.O. Box 425769

Denton, TX 76204-5769

Phone:(940) 898-2216

Email: Lsourdot@mail.twu.edu

 

Dr. Edward Janak               

Chair, Department of Educational Studies

Judith Herb College of Education

University of Toledo

5000-C Gillham Hall, Mail Stop 921

2801 West Bancroft Street

Toledo, OH  43606-3390

Phone: (419) 530-4114

Email: edward.janak@utoledo.edu

Contact Information

Dr. Ludovic Sourdot

Texas Woman's University

940-898-2216

Contact Email
Lsourdot@mail.twu.edu