Convegno AAIS a Chicago

[31-10-1997]

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN STUDIES

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RADISSON HOTEL, CHICAGO April 2-5, 1998

We are pleased to announce that special guests of the AAIS will be Antonio Tabucchi, Dacia Maraini, and Remo Ceserani, Professor of Comparative Literature at the Universita' di Bologna. Also present at the Conference wil be the poet Luciano Erba, invited by the Italian Poetry Society of America.

In 1998 the AAIS will recognize Professor Gian Paolo Biasin of the University of California Berkeley or his outstanding scholarship and his contributions to Italian Studies in the United States.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Colleagues interested in organizing a session or presenting a paper at the Annual Conference of the AAIS should send their proposals to Prof. Paolo Giordano Modern Languages & Literatures Loyola University 6525 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60626 or through e-mail : pgiorda&flash.net

All people attending the conference must be members of the Association by December 1, 1997.

$15 -- Graduate Students, Independent scholars, and Professors Emeriti $20 -- Regular Members $35 -- Couples

To become a member contact:

Prof. Cinzia Donatelli Noble French & Italian Brigham Young University 4010 JKHB Provo, Utah 84602

e-mail: Cinzia_Noble@byu.edu

The American Association of Italian Studies was created for the purpose of encouraging and supporting research activities in the field of Italian culture (including language, art, music, history, literature, folklore, and popular culture) and its influence on other cultures, and to promote an appreciation for Italy's cultural contribution to the world. The Association also publishes a miscellany of Italian studies, and honors individuals who have distinguished themselves in the different areas of Italian studies.

CONFERENCE GUIDELINES PLEASE OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES IN ORGANIZING YOUR SESSION. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS. PROPOSED SESSIONS WHICH DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE NORMS WILL NOT BE PLACED IN THE CONFERENCE.

NORMS FOR ORGANIZERS/CHAIRS

1. You must be a member in good standing of the AAIS to propose a session. If you are not a member of the AAIS and you wish to propose a session, the first step is to join the Association and then forward your proposal, keeping in mind the February 15 deadline for membership.

2. Please respond promptly to all inquiries from prospective speakers.

3. All prospective speakers should submit to you a 300-word abstract of their paper.

4. In accepting papers for your session, bear in mind the intended goals of the session as well as the scholarly interests of the speakers and audience. A successful session requires planning, communication among all speakers and chair, and common interests among speakers and audience. Organizers must also ensure: a. that accepted papers have only been submitted to one panel b. speakers are members in good standing of the AAIS c. speakers have been informed of AAIS Conference guidelines for speakers.

Organizers are welcome to check a list of those no-show speakers at previous conferences who did not notify their panel chair (contact either Paolo Giordano or Franco Ricci).

5. Sessions should contain three or four papers. If you have five or more good proposals, please submit two sessions. The organizers will make every effort to accommodate you. On the other hand, should you receive only one or two proposals, please forward them to the conference organizers for possible placement in other sessions.

6. Submit your finalized session to Convention organizer no later than 28 November 1997. IN ORDER TO ENSURE CELERITY PLEASE NOTE THAT SESSIONS MAY BE SUBMITTED BY PHONE, FAX OR E-MAIL BEFORE THE DEADLINE. At that time, send a copy of your session to all the speakers informing them that: a the session has been accepted unless they hear otherwise from you and from the Convention organizers;

b any changes in the session should be communicated to you and also directly to the Convention organizers by 19 December 1997 c no paper will be read in absentia d any decision not to attend the conference which is made after 1 January 1997 cannot be taken into consideration in the preparation of the program and will in fact jeopardize the success of the session.

Chairs should also keep in mind the resolution adopted at the 1993 General Meeting, that is that the published order of speakers in a session should not be altered.

Norms for Speakers

1. All participants in the Convention must be members in good standing of the AAIS.

2. Submit the title of proposed paper to the organizer of the session as soon as possible, but not later than 28 November 1996, and only after you know that you will be able to attend the conference. With the title send a 300-word abstract. Include your complete address with office and home telephone numbers. According to AAIS norms, every participant may present one paper and also conduct another official function, such as chairing a session. Organizing a session is not considered an official function. Organizers of sessions will be recognized as such in the Convention program.

3. Every session will last 90 minutes. The organizer/chair of the session should reserve 15 minutes, either between or after the papers, for a general discussion period. If the organizer accepts four papers, your reading time is 15 minutes (= 7 pages, with no more than 250 words per page). If the organizer accepts three papers, your reading time is 20 minutes (= 9 pages with no more than 250 words per page). In both cases, the audience will have about 15 minutes to discuss with the panel the papers presented. Please bear in mind that a primary function of presenting a paper is to be able to discuss your scholarly interests with colleagues. By limiting time for discussion, you relinquish an important function of the convention.

4. The session organizer will submit the finalized session to the Convention organizers no later than 19 December 1997. Any changes in your presentation after that date must be communicated directly to the Convention organizers and to the organizer of the session before January 1, 1998.

5. No papers may be read in absentia. By deciding not to attend the conference after January 12, you jeopardize the success of your session and may deprive a colleague of the opportunity to deliver a paper.

NB: According to AAIS Guidelines, a member may read no more than one paper and chair a session and participate in one round table NB: The final program will be mailed to all AAIS members in mid-January.

If you are interested in reading a paper on Antonio Tabucchi's works at the next AAIS, in Chicago, 2-5 April 1998, please contact me at: fbrizio@utk.edu I am organizing two sessions. Flavia Brizio-Skov