Utah Valley State College invites submissions for

Shaping the American West:
A New Western Ethic for the 21st Century
An International Interdisciplinary Conference
June 9-12, 2005
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah

Shaping the American West is an international, interdisciplinary conference examining the literature, history, culture, art, economics, recreation, and environment of the urban and rural west. Its broad aim is to bring together multiple disciplines, populations, and concerns in order to explore an updated, inclusive, and workable ethic for the 21st-century West.

Employing perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, industry, and fine arts, the conference will seek a wide ranging understanding of the cultural history, human heritage, and contemporary issues and challenges of the 21st century American West. Topics to be addressed might include (but would not be limited to) urbanization, immigration, cultural history, water policy, tourism, the military-industrial complex, Hollywood, multiculturalism, land use pressures, and environmental concerns.

The conference will take place 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, in Utah's spectacular Rocky Mountains, where the world-class Snowbird Resort will provide the conference venue and reduced-rate accommodations.

Utah Valley State College invites proposals for papers, workshops, presentations and performances that will provoke discussion of the American West, past, present, and future. The conference welcomes diverse voices, including those of scholars, writers, activists, ranchers, rangers, and others whose work centers upon the land and its relationship to people. Papers or presentations may assume a variety of forms, from traditional sessions to roundtables, seminars to film screenings, panel discussions to poster sessions. Individual papers should be no longer than 20 minutes and should be submitted in the form of a 300 word abstract. We also strongly encourage the submission of organized sessions; please send a 700-word description comprised of an overview of the session and brief abstracts of each paper or component.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: January 15, 2005
For more information, please visit the conference website (web address listed below).
Electronic submissions are welcomed: please send RTF, DOC, or WPD file attachments. Send proposals to: