Call for papers
Fourteenth Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association
20-23 June 2013
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Submission Deadline: 1 November 2012
Convention Coordinators:
Corey Anton (antonc@gvsu.edu) Grand Valley State University
Valerie V. Peterson (petersov@gvsu.edu) Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley is happy to host the Media Ecology Association’s Fourteenth Annual Convention in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 20-23 June 2013. Our aim is to provoke academic dialogue, raise public awareness of media ecology, and discuss the relevance of media ecological thought to the broader culture. The Fourteenth Annual Convention, with the theme of Media Ecology Unplugged, invites papers, panels, creative projects, and other proposals presenting research and/or exploring topics and ideas related to the convention theme.
Media ecology “unplugged” seeks to remind people that media technologies are not simply plug-in devices. The “unplugged” theme is meant to capture the wide span of environmental mediation prior to the wired and plugged-in revolution of mass media, including architecture, literacy, urban design, transportation, art, and other discursive and non-discursive forms. It also turns attention to recent and cutting-edge technologies that have de-tethered from the plug, including satellites, nanotechnology, robotics, genetic engineering, modern pharmacology, cell phones, Bluetooth, e-readers, solar cells, green technologies, neuroscience, and much more.
All abstracts, completed papers, and panel proposal submissions, etc. are welcome, but priority will be given to submissions that touch upon or align with the convention theme. A maximum of two submissions per author will be accepted. Authors who wish their papers to be considered for either the Top Paper or Top Student Paper Award must indicate this on their submission(s). All submissions will be acknowledged.
The convention site, Grand Valley’s downtown campus, is approximately 15 minutes taxi ride from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, and is located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan (a three-hour drive from Detroit, and two and a half hours from Chicago). The official convention hotel, the Amway Grand, offers special rates of $137.00/night—the same price applies for up to four occupants. To reserve a room, please go to the following website: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=9783422
The convention hotel is walking distance from the Richard M. DeVos center and Loosemore Auditorium on Grand Valley’s downtown campus, and there is a wide assortment of places at which to eat, from inexpensive eateries to fine restaurants, all walking distance within a few city blocks. Sites of interest within this range include the Grand Rapids Art Museum (with a lovely room of rare and valuable prints), the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, the DeVos Performing Arts Hall, the Van Andel Arena, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
For more on the Media Ecology Association, please visit the Media Ecology Association website at http://www.media-ecology.org
Guidelines for Submission
Send submissions in electronic form (Microsoft Word or plain text format) as an e-mail attachment to Valerie V. Peterson at petersov@gvsu.edu. A maximum of two submissions per author will be accepted. Decisions on submission will be conveyed by the end of March 2013.
For Manuscripts
1. Suggested length of manuscripts is 15 to 25 double-spaced pages (4,000–6,000 words).
2. Include a cover page (or e-submission first page) with your academic or professional affiliation and other contact information.
3. Include a 150-word abstract, with the title. Use APA, MLA, or Chicago style.
For Paper Proposals and Panel Proposals
1. Include title, abstract, and contact information with your proposal.
2. Outline, as relevant, how your paper or panel will fit with the convention theme.
Submission Deadline: 1 November 2012