This is a graduate student run and directed conference intended for graduate students in folklore, ethnomusicology, and related disciplines to present materials that expand the boundaries of the conference format and the theoretical orientations of our respective disciplines.

This conference provides an opportunity to engage in formal discourse with graduate students from other universities and programs in our scholarly community. This conference will focus on providing a less intimidating environment for graduate students to present new and forward-thinking ideas.

Dr. Elaine Lawless, Professor at the English Department of the University of Missouri will be our Keynote Speaker.

We have chosen to organize it into five categories of presentation, which we are tentatively considering sessions; however, the modes of presentation are necessarily open for discussion and will partly depend on the proposals we receive. Initially the categories are:
- Theory
- Applied work
- Technology
- Field work
- Alternative modes of representation

Abstracts
Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words and are due by February 15th, 2006 via email to folkethn@indiana.edu. Please list Spring Conference in subject heading. Abstracts should be sent as attachments using either MS Word or RTF formats, and names should be left off the attachment. Acceptance notification will be via email and will be sent beginning March 1st 2006.

Panel proposals are also welcome. Please send proposal for panel abstract with paper abstracts. We will also be organizing forums for presenters who have works in progress who would like to present but feel that their work isn’t at a stage for a formal presentation. These will be grouped into similar topic areas for discussions.

Questions about submissions or the conference should be sent to minmarti@indiana.edu. Our conference website can be accessed at http://www.indiana.edu/~esa/2005conference/index.htm.