Blurred Boundaries: Composition, Culture, and Literary Studies in the Visual-Digital Age
The English Graduate Organization at North Dakota State University (NDSU) invites papers that broadly engage with English studies; however, we are especially interested in interdisciplinary papers in rhetoric, composition, literary theory, or related fields for the upcoming 2024 Red River Valley Graduate Student Conference, May 16-17, 2024 on the beautiful NDSU Campus in Fargo, ND.
The conference will explore writing, rhetoric, literary theory, and culture in digital spaces, building from questions posed by our keynote speaker, Dr. Ratan Kumar Roy of Brac University, Bangladesh:
“Our exposure to the digital world has redefined the ways of seeing, thinking, and doing in everyday life. Digital visibility has appeared as a new form of visual cultures that plays a key role in defining the culture of contemporary times. How does one examine, explore, make sense, and write about culture in this new world order?”
Because of the impact of digital technologies and the amount of research that is being generated from questions surrounding technologies such as AI, we encourage papers that address a variety of disciplines, including those outside of rhetoric and composition. “Digital technologies” and “culture” are broad categories, but often intersect, so papers may explore where these intersections happen, what these intersections create, and, in terms of AI, who is creating them.
Key Themes
- Digital rhetorics
- Impact of technology on various disciplines
- Digital forms of communication
- Cultural rhetorics in a virtual space
- Artificial intelligence and education
- Social media interaction
- Qualitative research related to technology and digital studies
- Digital environments, space and place
- Technology as portrayed in fiction or poetry
- Effects of AI on creative and critical writing
- Technology in sci-fi or speculative fiction
- Telling Social Stories in the Digital Age
Submission Requirements & Deadlines
We invite undergraduate and graduate students to send abstracts of no more than 300 words to S.J. Williamson and Mafruha Shifat, conference co-chairs, at SJ.Williamson and Mafruha.Shifat by February 15, 2024. Inquiries and questions can also be directed to these emails.
Early bird registration before March 15, 2024 is $25 USD. Registration after March 15, 2024 is $30 USD.
