This is MAPACA’s Late August 2017 newsletter. The next conference is November 9-11, 2017 (Philadelphia, PA).
#mapaca17 SPECIAL SESSION — CALL FOR PROPOSALS: High-Density Popular Culture Crash Course
MAPACA seeks proposals for a special session at this year’s 28th annual conference. (Please note that due to the nature of this special session, presenters are allowed to participate in both this session and other conventional panels.)
Panel Overview
This high-density session will feature several 5-minute micro-presentations about current popular culture topics in a “crash course” about new and interesting phenomena. Since many attendees often spend the majority of their conference time attending presentations related to only one or a few areas, this special session will offer a chance to learn about a diverse range of topics meant to inform popular culture scholars beyond their specific research interests.
Topics
Proposals will be selected based on merit and diversity of topics. An ideal topic will be: current, significant, interesting, and the sort of thing people talk about before class/at parties/on social media. Potential topics could include, but are not limited to:
- The maturation of the comic book movie
- “#coffeve”
- Wonder Woman
- The latest from the Star Wars Branding Empire
- Lemonade & 4:44
- Know Your Memes
How to Submit
- Email a brief biography and a 75-word proposal that includes a presentation title, explanation of the topic, and identification of significance for contemporary popular culture research. Please include this information in the body of your email, not as an attachment.
- Email to Dr. Tom Grochowski: tgrochowski@sjcny.edu
- Deadline: September 1, 2017
Special Event: Masonic Temple Tour
Please join us for a guided tour of the Masonic Temple sponsored by American Studies. The tour will take place Thursday, November 9 at 11:00 am and last approximately one hour. The Masonic Temple is located at 1 North Broad Street, directly north of Philadelphia City Hall. Please arrive by 10:45 am to attend this event. Admission cost is $15.00 per person, providing we have a group of 15 people or more. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Masonic Temple is an active lodge for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons, and was established in 1731 as the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. The tour will take visitors throughout the building and into each spectacular room. The tour guide will give a history of the Masons in Philadelphia, a brief overview of Masonic traditions, and a history of the building. There will be time to peruse the artifacts in the Library and Museum, as well as the gift shop before and after the tour.
Divine Impact Award: Call for Questions
This year’s Divine Impact Award winner is Chef Jose Garces, an author, philanthropist, and Iron Chef. For this year’s Q&A, we would like to gather questions from MAPACA members and attendees prior to the November 9th ceremony. Garces’s career intersects with a lot of areas of interest including food, Latinx, and television studies (to name a few). We welcome all and any questions! Please send questions directly to Melinda Lewis (mml332@drexel.edu).
#mapaca17 REGISTRATION
Online registration for the 2017 MAPACA conference is open. The regular registration period runs until September 14. Please visit mapaca.net for more about registration prices and details. Once registered, conference attendees can use the Ride and Room Share forum on mapaca.net to coordinate travel plans. And, while you are there, please be sure to complete or update your mapaca.net profile.
#mapaca17
Find MAPACA on Twitter and Facebook, connect with others using #mapaca17, and don’t forget to explore mapaca.net for conference details.