CALL FOR PAPERS: “Paratheatrical Entertainments in Shakespeare’s London and London’s Shakespeare” at the World Shakespeare Congress 2016.

Donald Hedrick (Kansas State University) and Edel Semple (University College Cork) Although scholarly interest in available “alternatives” to early modern London theater has recently grown, a focused examination of their relation to Shakespeare has been somewhat absent. Beginning with the position that London’s “entertainment industry” invites a perspective on Shakespeare’s theater which is not dismissive of these entertainments but sees them as integral to and indices of pleasure-production of the time, this seminar aims to redress the existing scholarly gap.

Seminar papers may examine single entertainments (such as bear-baiting, gambling, sports, hearing sermons, drinking, fairs, or other activities), or elements of them in representations or allusions, or they may address the complex theoretical relationship between this culture and Shakespeare’s work. 

Central questions may include these: 

• What similar or different aesthetics were available in London’s wider entertainment offerings? 
• In what ways was Shakespeare’s work informed by or even in competition with these entertainments? 
• What entertainments did Shakespeare depict, how were they inserted, and to what ends? 
• What was the audience reception of these, either as original recreations or in their secondary representations by Shakespeare? 
• What is gained or lost in Shakespeare’s “translation” of them? 
• What sorts of pleasures did they embody for Shakespeare, whether disorderly and “low,” or licit and “higher”? 

Registration for this seminar can be found online at the World Shakespeare Congress 2016 website.

Science Museum Group Journal Prize

The Science Museum Group Journal has now launched a new prize to encourage and reward research articles by talented young scholars. The Journal itself aims to provide open access to peer-reviewed research by international scholars, bringing together ideas across the broad areas of study that inform our work and fascinate our wide readership. This ambition can only be fuelled by the quality and originality of our contributors, now and in the future and the Journal is proud to take a role in encouraging and developing academic excellence.

The SMGJ writing prize of £500 will be awarded annually to the author of the best original research article which addresses research questions around science history, heritage, exhibitions, communications and public engagement.

Submission is open to all researchers in the early stages of their career and it is expected that the winning article will be published in the Journal. We warmly welcome submissions (in English) from international scholars which will deal with previously unpublished research, and the judges (our eminent Editorial Board) will especially look for work which takes advantage of the Journal’s capacity to feature rich imagery and multi-media.

The prize will be launched at the opening of our new Research Centre on 31st March 2016 and the deadline for the inaugural prize is 1st March 2017. For more information, contact the editorial team: richard.nicholls@sciencemuseum.ac.uk. 

The rules are as follows:

• Articles submitted for the prize must be previously unpublished and it is expected that the winning article will be published in the Journal[1].
• The prize will be judged by the Journal’s Editorial Board, and the judges will look particularly favourably on articles which make good use of the Journal’s capacity to include images, film and audio as an integral part of the content. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Submission is open to all researchers in the early stages of their career. Eligibility will be taken to cease after five years in relevant employment (for example a curatorial or other professional position in a museum) or, where relevant, five years after the completion of a PhD. Allowance can be made for periods devoted to family obligations or extended illness, at the discretion of the board.
• Authors are invited to nominate their own papers and all articles that meet the criteria will be judged entirely on their own merit. Only one submission per author will be considered each year.
• Submitted articles should be not less than 3000 words and not more than 10,000 words long.
• Submissions from authors from all countries are warmly welcomed, though all articles must be written in English.
• The submission deadline is 1 September of each year and articles submitted for the prize will be accepted at any time in the preceding year. The prize will normally be judged by the end of September and announced in October
• The competition is closed to all staff and fellows from within the SMG Group. However, Collaborative Doctoral Students are not considered as coming from the group and are eligible to apply for the prize.

[1] Although submissions are accepted on the understanding that the author will publish the paper in the Science Museum Group Journal, this is at the discretion of the Editor. The Editor may also accept other excellent papers submitted for the prize as submissions to the Journal and put them forward for publication with the author’s agreement.

http://journal.sciencemuseum.org.uk/subscribe/

Lisa Jardine Doctoral Studentship

Queen Mary University of London

Qualification type: PhD
Location: London
Funding amount: Not specified
Hours: Full Time

Placed on: 16th June 2016
Closes: 18th July 2016

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen Mary University of London is seeking applicants for this new PhD studentship, which has been established to recognise the late Professor Lisa Jardine’s many contributions to the university and to disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research.

Applications must be in the area of Early-Modern Studies, and can be held in any one or more (via joint supervision) of the Faculty’s academic Schools. Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their project with relevant members of academic staff prior to submitting an application.

Applicants should complete a QMUL application form, attaching a 1500 word (max) research proposal, 1 side A4 statement of interest outlining why they wish to pursue their research at Queen Mary, and two academic references. Candidates are advised to discuss their application with their proposed supervisor before submitting their formal application. Application forms, and more details on the application process, can be found at:

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/applyresearchdegrees/index.html

Deadline: Monday 18 July

JOBS: Assistant Professor, English Literature and Culture, 15th-18th century

Tenure-track position open in the Department of English Literature, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Area of Specialization: English Literature and Culture, 15th-18th century.

Rank: Assistant Professor.

Job Description

The person who will occupy the position will be called upon to teach courses on various aspects of English Literature and Culture from the late medieval period, through the Renaissance, to the mid-18th century. Although the research interests of the prospective candidates may be concentrated in any area of this chronological spectrum, primary consideration will be given to the one who can evidently cover a wide range of topics/authors in teaching and research. 

Citizens of member states of the European Union outside Greece must provide proof of knowledge of the Greek language at the level of G1. The official declaration of the opening (specifying deadlines and required supporting documents) will be published in the Greek press during the first half of September and will be posted at www.auth.gr. 

Interested individuals may visit the English School’s website www.enl.auth.gr to acquaint themselves with the Department of English Literature. Further enquiries may be addressed to Dr Tina Krontiris at krontir@enl.auth.gr and Dr Katerina Kitsi at katkit@enl.auth.gr.

CALL FOR PAPERS: “New Scholarship in British Art History: Discoveries at the NCMA”

A two-day symposium held at the North Carolina Museum of Art hosted alongside the upcoming exhibition “History and Mystery: Discoveries in the NCMA British Collection.”

Date: Friday, January 27th & Saturday, January 28th, 2017.

The question of what makes the British Isles “British” is particularly relevant given recent political events, such as the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

Using the North Carolina Museum of Art’s British collections as inspiration, this New Scholars Conference explores the ways in which we can examine “English” and “British” works of art. Particularly, this topic raises questions about the ways Britain can be viewed, either as inward looking and/or in dialogue with the wider world.

We encourage topics ranging from traditional categories of British art, such as portraiture, to new investigations into the mobility of artists and styles, as well as issues of race, class, and gender. The aim of this conference is to explore how innovative scholarship and new narratives can help expand the larger discipline of British studies. This conference is intended for graduate students, recent doctoral graduates, and postdoctoral scholars. We strongly suggest that speakers consider their papers in relation to the British collections at the NCMA, whose works of art range from 1580-1850.

We invite 20-minute papers on topics including (but not limited to) the following:

• British Notions of Territory
• Architecture in the English Context
• Race, Gender, & Class in Art
• Formation of the British Academy
• The Immigrant Artist
• The British Family in Art
• Foreign Influences in British Art
• Imagery of Travel and Exchange

Deadline: September 15th 2016 (Speakers will be informed via email by October 1st, 2016)

Please send an abstract (250 words) and a CV to Miranda Elston, with the email heading “NCMA New Scholarship in British Art History” and your Name, Affiliated Institution, and Paper Title in the email.
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Explore our website (New Scholarship in British Art) for more information about the conference, the North Carolina Museum of Art’s British collections, and the upcoming installation of “History and Mystery: Discoveries in the NCMA British Collection.”