CFP – The First World War in European Children’s Literature: 1970-2014

The First World War in European Children’s Literature: 1970-2014

27 June 2014
Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin

Papers are invited for a one-day international symposium on the subject of the First World War in late-twentieth and twenty-first century literature for children and young adults. Building on recent research into literary constructions of childhood in the years leading up to and during the Great War, this event will focus on the processes at play in more recent literary production, investigating and comparing representations of the War in materials produced across Europe since the beginning of the so-called ‘post-memory’ period in the 1970s right up until the present day. The symposium will be held in English but we welcome international and comparative perspectives; a particular emphasis will be placed on the translation and transnational reception of children’s war literature.

We invite proposals for twenty-minute papers that engage with any aspect of the representation of the First World War in children’s literature in this period. Proposals might engage with, for example, the works of John Boyne, John Quinn, Aubrey Flegg, Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Morpurgo, Anne-Marie Pol, Paule du Bouchet, Catherine Cuenca, Arthur Ténor , Geert Spillebeen, Klaus Kordon, or Willi Fährmann, and potential topics might include, but are not limited to:

  • the challenge of representing horror and violence in children’s war literature
  • family and intergenerational memory
  • challenges specific to representing the First World War to children
  • twin tales: integrating First World War stories into other national and international historical narratives ( the Irish revolutionary period; the Second World War; the Holocaust)
  • TV and film adaptations
  • translation and transnational reception
  • the use of First World War literature in the classroom
  • graphic novels and picture books
  • crossover texts: teenage experiences of war as ‘adult’ fiction – ‘adult’ war fiction through teenage eyes

Though the focus of the symposium will be on post-1970 literature, contributions on earlier material may be considered if presented in the context of modern reading culture (reception, belated canonisation, translation and re-translation etc.)

Abstracts (max. 300 words) should be submitted by e-mail to both Nóra de Buiteléir (debuitn@tcd.ie) and Nora Maguire (nomaguir@tcd.ie) by Friday, 31 January 2014.

CFP – Diverging Diversities: Plurality in Children’s & Young Adult Literature Then and Now

Children’s Literature Association Conference

Diverging Diversities:Plurality in Children’s & Young Adult Literature Then and Now

Hosted by The University of South Carolina

June 19-21, 2014
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia Marriott

Submit your proposal here.

In 1965, Nancy Larrick wrote an article for the Saturday Review entitled “the All-White World of Children’s Books.” Though Larrick was certainly not the first to draw attention to the lack of diversity in books for children, the empirical evidence that she offered from her three-year study of the new books in the genre clearly illustrated the extent of the problem; publishers recognized that it was time for a change. The children’s books circulating today are no longer “all-white,” but they still fall far short of reflecting the diversity of the U.S. population.

The 2014 Children’s Literature Association Conference invites papers that consider the diversification of the genre–and its limits–both within the U.S. and internationally. The most common understanding of “diversity” in Children’s Literature relates to ethnic and/or racial diversity, but this conference will consider the concept more broadly to include disabilities, gender, socioeconomic diversity, regional diversity, depictions of the South in children’s books, how children’s books are being impacted by shifting U.S. demographics (migration to the sunbelt, deindustrialization), multiple adaptations of texts, aesthetic shifts within the genre, internationalization of the genre, historical conceptions of plurality within the genre, historical innovations in form, how the “prizing” of children’s and YA literature has succeeded or failed in embracing diversity, etc. Augusta Baker, pioneer in African American children’s literature in the New York Public Library system, served as USC’s Storyteller-in-Residence from 1980 to 1994; papers on her literary legacy are encouraged. Anital Lobel will be a featured speaker at the conference, and an exhibition of her work will be integral to the conference; essay on Lobel’s work are also invited.

Though certainly not limited to these ideas, essays might address:

  • The meaning and significance of diversity in Children’s and YA Literature in the 21st century
  • Innovations in form and aesthetics that focus on diverse populations
  • How texts by and about social and cultural minorities have helped to shape mainstream Children’s and YA Literature
  • The impact of bilingual children’s books and books in translation
  • The role of visual images in diversifying children’s literature
  • The social and cultural influence of diversity in non-book media for children and young adults
  • Projections of how recent developments in the field may continue to diversify the genre
  • The work of Augusta Baker or a focus on USC’s Augusta Baker Collection in the Hollings Rare Books Library
  • The work of Anita Lobel, a featured artist at the conference
  • Regional influences in Children’s and YA Literature

Papers and panels considering aspects of plurality within Children’s and Young Adult Literature and culture will be given highest priority, but all essays on the genre will be considered. Paper abstracts should be 250 words and panel abstracts should consist of a 250-word description of the panel as well as 250-word abstracts for each proposed paper. Abstracts will be accepted between October 15, 2013 and January 15, 2014.

Full Professorship Position in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Studies at Goethe-University Frankfurt

The Faculty of Modern Languages and Literature (Department of Jugendbuchforschung) at the Goethe-University Frankfurt welcomes applications for a Full Professorship (W3) in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Studies.

The successful candidate will be responsible for research and teaching in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Studies. Candidates must have a significant research record in the fields of theory and history of children’s and young adult literature and other children’s and young adult media. While the focus lies on literature in German, candidates also need to be knowledgeable in aspects of international correlations such as cross-cultural exchange. The successful applicant is expected to supervise the institute’s archives and collections and to be involved in all programs of study the institute offers. Since he/she will also be involved in teacher training, experience in teaching at schools as well as concepts for teaching and novel ideas regarding the communication of professional knowledge at schools is an advantage. Candidates must hold a PhD and a post-doctoral degree (Habilitation) or have equivalent academic qualifications.

The designated salary for the position is based on “W3” of the German university scale or equivalent. Goethe-University is an equal opportunity employer which implies that applications from women are specifically encouraged. For further information regarding the general conditions for professorship appointments, please see: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/aktuelles/ausschreibung/professuren/index.html.

Qualified academics are invited to submit their applications accompanied by the usual documents (curriculum vitae, certificates, details of teaching experience and publication list – publications will be requested, if needed) within four weeks of publication of this announcement to Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Dekanin des Fachbereichs Neuere Philologien, Grüneburgplatz 1, 60629 Frankfurt am Main, Germany, E-Mail: service@lingua.uni-frankfurt.de.

CFP – Be Merry and Wise: Children’s Literature from Chapbooks to the Digital Age

The Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature
Biennial Conference

Theme: Be Merry and Wise: Children’s Literature from Chapbooks to the Digital Age
Date: Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 March, 2014
Venue: An Foras Feasa, NUI Maynooth

Call for Papers

Children’s literature has always existed on a continuum between entertainment and instruction. Proposals are invited on the overall theme and associated topics in the context of both Irish and international literature for children, and also in relation to print and other media. Papers in both the Irish language and English language will be most welcome. Cuirfear fáilte roimh chainteanna as Gaeilge agus as Béarla.

Possible topics include but are not confined to:

  • Textbooks and children’s literature;
  • Children’s literature in the classroom;
  • Digital humanities and the study of children’s literature;
  • Safety and cautionary tales;
  • Youth culture and the media;
  • Retelling and repackaging;
  • The power of the visual;
  • Drama and performance;
  • The history of publishing for children.

Proposals of 300 words maximum should be sent to Dr. Anne Markey, ISSCL President.
Email: Anne.Markey@nuim.ie

Subject line should read “ISSCL Proposal” to arrive no later than Monday, 9 December, 2013.

Lecturer in Literary Studies Position at Deakin University

Lecturer in Literary Studies
Deakin University

Melbourne
Education & Training
Teaching – Tertiary
$80,666 – $95,789 pa (plus 17% super)
Full Time

THE OPPORTUNITY

The School of Communication and Creative Arts is in an important period of further development building on successful growth in the past five years. The School is seeking to expand teaching in literature, with a specific focus on literature for young people, including children’s literature and young adult fiction, both at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. It also seeks to enhance its research and research training activities in literary studies. The School has recently introduced a Children’s Literature major in the Bachelor of Arts that is attracting strong undergraduate enrolments; students also undertake studies in Children’s Literature through Education and Creative Arts degrees. The Children’s Literature team sits as a sub-discipline within Literary Studies, and staff members in the Children’s Literature major teach and research in literary studies more broadly, as well as specialising in literature for young people.

The Lecturer will undertake a full range of teaching and research duties. The appointee will engage in School-based service and develop and maintain professional, industry and community partnerships and engagements to advance the interests of the discipline and the School both nationally and internationally. In the first instance, the appointee will be responsible for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate units in the Children’s Literature major and in literary studies. This will involve developing innovative course materials and teaching methods across the fields of literature for young people and literary studies.

YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

  • teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including developing curriculum and learning environments and utilising appropriate technology;
  • carrying out research, including scholarly publishing, producing creative works, assisting with the supervision of research students and attracting research funding;
  • engaging with industry, professional bodies and the community to form partnerships and other links; and
  • contributing to the administration and development of the discipline, School and Faculty.

ABOUT YOU

  • A PhD in Media, Communication or another relevant discipline
  • Success in innovative university teaching in Media Studies, including development and delivery of practical learning experiences, conduct of assessment, unit administration, supervision of tutors
  • Capacity to undertake curriculum development including use of innovative pedagogy and work-integrated learning with a focus on student-based learning experiences in Entertainment Studies
  • Success in producing research outcomes, including high-quality publications, productions and other works, including supervising research students at honours, masters and/or doctoral level

ABOUT US

Deakin University is proud to be recognised as an organisation that offers a friendly and supportive working environment. Our staff are committed to genuinely making a difference to thousands of people’s lives by contributing to excellence in their education.

We acknowledge the importance of providing a dynamic and diverse working environment. We strive to offer variety in day-to-day roles as well as various career and professional development opportunities to assist staff to grow and progress their careers.

Deakin University staff have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from a diverse range of cultures and professional backgrounds, all who share a common interest in lifelong learning. Furthermore, our staff enjoy the physical location and natural surrounds of our working environments, which they report as enhancing their job satisfaction.

Apply for this position here.