Graduate Humanities Forum
Calendar, Fall 2006

Academic Uses of Travel Writing: A Roundtable
With: Roger Allen, Dave Espey, Cam Grey, Vida Bajc, and Tracy Musacchio

Friday, 27 October, 12-1:30pm
Penn Humanities Forum, 3619 Locust Walk

Travel writing is one of the more subjective forms of nonfiction. Yet many times it also functions as a unique primary source for scholars. It affords a first-person look and a different perspective for people, places, and landscapes on which the historical record can be otherwise silent. And, it can be fun to read.

In this roundtable, we'll discuss travel writing, its manifestations, and its uses, bringing together a diverse group of scholars who study different time periods—from antiquity through modernity—and different geographic areas for an interactive and informative discussion.

Penn participants
Prof. Roger Allen, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Vida Bajc, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology
Prof. Dave Espey, English
Prof. Cam Grey, Classics
Moderator: Tracy Musacchio, Ph.D. candidate in Egyptology

Event conceived and organized by Tracy Musacchio

Panel on Travel and Language
With: Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel, Jon Shy, Aaron Dinkin, Maya Ravindranath, Kirt Maumsert, and Jeehyun Lim

Monday, 13 November, 12-1:30 pm
Penn Humanities Forum, 3619 Locust Walk

The panel brings together a range of issues on travel and language from several disciplines to explore the relations among people who travel, languages that travel, and language communities. From Medieval sea travelers to modern-day immigrants, from temporary linguistic adjustments to lasting changes in language, the panel shows how ubiquitous the connections between travel and language are and sparks interdisciplinary conversations.

Penn participants
Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel (Romance Languages and Literatures) "Los lenguajes vacilantes": On the Translatability of Bilingual Narratives in Puerto Rican Writing
Jon Hsy (English) "Literary Code-Switching and Medieval Travel Poetry"
Aaron Dinkin (Linguistics) "Dialect Patterns and the Paths of Settlement"
Maya Ravindranath (Linguistics) "Language Contact in Garifuna"
Kirt Maumsert (Anthropology) TBA

Event conceived and organized by Jeehyun Lim

Open Call for Art
Exhibition on Travel, February 5-26, 2007

The Graduate Humanities Forum is hosting a month-long exhibition on the theme of Travel in February 2007. Visual artists are invited to submit up to three works for consideration. 2D and 3D art will be considered, as well as video and performance art. The jurors for the exhibition are Naomi Beckwith, the Whitney-Lauder Curatorial Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Art; Shayna V. McConville, a Master of Fine Arts candidate and member of the Graduate Humanities Forum Executive Committee; and Liliana Milkova, a Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art Department.

For full guidellines and application, click here.

Deadline for submissions: December 8, 2006.
Submissions may be emailed to Shayna V. McConville or mailed via post to: Shayna McConville, Penn Humanities Forum, University of Pennsylvania, 3619 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Call for Papers — Travel
7th Annual Graduate Humanities Forum Conference
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

February 22-23, 2007

Conference Keynote: Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Professor of Performance Studies, New York University
Keynote: "Old Histories, New Itineraries:
Museum of the History of Polish Jews"

The Graduate Humanities Forum, a graduate student-run division of the Penn Humanities Forum, seeks papers for its interdisciplinary conference on this year's theme, Travel. We encourage interdisciplinary approaches and welcome proposals that consider any facet of this topic.

In addition to formal papers, we encourage proposals for art displays, performances, panels, group discussions, short seminars, or workshops. Contributions from all fields in the humanities and sciences will be appreciated.

Deadline for proposals: December 15, 2006.
Please e-mail abstracts of no more than 200 words to Joseph Benatov, Penn Humanities Research Associate. Notification of acceptances will be emailed by January 5, 2007.