[ecrea] ICA GLBT Seattle Preconference/Unconference CFP

Call for Proposals

ICA Preconference/Unconference on

Technologies of Sex and Gender: Queer Theories and Subjects



Sponsored by the Gay Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Studies Interest Group

9 am- 4 pm, May 22, 2014

University of Washington, Department of Communication

Cost: Free



This ICA preconference brings together scholars, activists, and artists 
working on gender, sexuality, communication, media, and technology to 
examine, debate, and plan new projects, including:

· Investigating how the strategies activists and artists have developed 
in this field can transform academic research practice, as well as how 
academics can contribute to activist and artistic technology projects

· Providing an interdisciplinary environment in which LGBT, queer, and 
gender-nonconforming technology scholars, activists, and artists can 
network with each other, learn about current work in these fields, forge 
partnerships, and develop new collaborative projects

· Creating applications, games, and art that explore, celebrate, or 
undermine sexualized and gendered subjectivities.

· Researching how LGBT, queer, and gender nonconforming populations 
employ technologies in specific historical and cultural contexts 
(particularly by looking at the intersections of gender, race, 
nationality, class, and sexuality in these contexts)

· Discussing how queer, transgender, and feminist theories can be 
brought to bear on technology research, and how these fields can and 
must transform each other in the process

· Exploring how queer, transgender, and feminist theories can be 
integrated into technology design practice

· Ascertaining how scholars have used and can use technologies to study 
sexual- and gender-nonconforming communities, including their own



The preconference’s goal is to provoke encounters that would set in 
motion future collaborations and networks among artists, activists, and 
scholars. It utilizes the “unconference” format, in which participants, 
rather than organizers, decide on the agenda from among their own 
submitted proposals. This allows for more intensive interaction, 
higher-level conversations, and a more engaged, productive experience 
than traditional academic conferences.



SCHEDULE AND FORMAT:

· Today: You read this CFP.

· By January 20: You submit a Session Leader or Participation proposal 
to (ica.glbt /at/ gmail.com). See below for a description of the proposal format.

· February 1: The organizers will send an acceptance letter to everyone 
who has submitted a proposal. All proposals will be posted on the 
Technologies of Sex and Gender website.

· February 1 – April 30: All applicants comment online on the proposals, 
voting for the sessions they are likely to attend and offering 
suggestions for changes and additions.

· May 10: The organizers create and post a working schedule for the 
preconference and notify session applicants of the likelihood of their 
session being included.



May 22: The unconference

· The first morning session will introduce the unconference format. 
Attendees will take part in an open vote on the schedule, making 
suggestions, changes, or additions. The schedule will be finalized in 
this first session, after which the other sessions will begin. Depending 
on level of interest and number of attendees, there may be simultaneous 
sessions.

· Sessions will proceed throughout the morning following the proposals, 
but with an openness to exploring new directions that may organically 
arise (often new sessions are added throughout the day, sessions are 
combined, or break-out groups are formed over the course of unconferences).

· During the lunch break, attendees will give a series of “Speed 
Presentations”: 1- to 2-minute, rapid-fire presentations about one of 
their current projects. These are intended as very brief introductions, 
not extended discussions. Attendees will have an opportunity to contact 
each other later should they want to learn more about or join a specific 
project.

· Afternoon sessions will proceed, following the same structure as the 
morning sessions.

· At the end of the day, we will lead a concluding session in which 
attendees can share and integrate the day’s explorations



SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

If you wish to participate in the unconference, please submit either a 
Session Proposal or a Participation Proposal.

* Session Leaders will submit a 300 word proposal of a conversation 
topic to explore, a research question to develop, a problem to grapple 
with, a skill to teach, a technology application to demonstrate, or an 
artwork to present. Each proposal should give enough information to help 
attendees decide which sessions to vote for and participate in. In 
particular, Session Leaders are encouraged to suggest how their proposal 
fits with the unconference theme and to explain their expertise and 
experience. Those who propose a session will be expected to arrive 
prepared to facilitate that session.

* Participants will also submit 300 word proposal, including a 
biographical statement describing their interests in the preconference 
and an idea for a 2-minute rapid-fire research presentation.



All proposals should address the conference themes described above. 
Sessions should be of interest to communication scholars, but we warmly 
encourage interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, multimodal, or 
media-based endeavors.



Session Leader and Participation proposals should be submitted by 
January 20, 2014 to: (ica.glbt /at/ gmail.com)



The unconference is co-sponsored by the Popular Communication, Feminist 
Scholarship, Ethnicity and Race in Communication, Global Communication 
and Social Change, Communication History, and Game Studies 
Divisions/Interest Groups. It is also supported by the Department of 
Communication at the University of Washington, the School of Media and 
Communication at Temple University, The Stranger, the School of 
Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell, and the Greater Seattle 
Business Association.



The organizers are Adrienne Shaw (Temple University), D. Travers Scott 
(Clemson University), and David Phillips (University of Toronto).


--
Adrienne Shaw
Assistant Professor
Temple University
Department of Media Studies and Production
2020 N. 13th St.
Annenberg Hall, room 203A
Philadelphia, PA 19122
telephone: 215-204-6201
fax: 215-214-5402
email: (adrienne.shaw /at/ temple.edu)
smc.temple.edu/msp
www.adrienneshaw.com

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