5th Annual Communication Graduate Caucus Conference featuring the 2nd Annual Paul Attallah Lecture to be delivered by DR. LISA PARKS, professor and Chair of Film & Media Studies, University of California Santa Barbara

Dates: March 4 & 5, 2010
Location: Ottawa, ON

The ongoing integration of globalization theories with Communication Studies has fostered a reconsideration of space in new and dynamic ways. Global interactions have sped up and deepened, in many ways facilitated by improved communication technology and systems of interaction. As people and places have become more accessible, individuals have been exposed to new realities (political, social, cultural, etc.). This sense of “closeness” has influenced immigration patterns, modes and sites of production, economic systems, and the overall sharing of knowledge. At the same time as these global flows have brought people together, this increased intertwining of people, capital, political systems and worldviews has created conflict. For example, the September 11, 2001 attacks sparked a renewed interest in the building up of territorial borders and boundaries. Moving from these macro structures to the local, a sense of space (both real and imagined) remains key in how people organize and perceive the world. Urban planning, grassroots advocacy, and local art displays are just some of the ways in which notions of space are foundational to a localized sense of place.

A mash-up denotes the combination of separate parts to make something new, at times with unintended consequences. The term itself also recalls the difficulty inherent in blending certain elements, and the technological processes that facilitate these arrangements. It is in this spirit that this conference gets its name. The conference hopes to explore notions of space that touch upon:

• City space, planning, and urbanization
• The environment, development, and space
• Technology and its impact on our perceptions of space
• Surveillance
• Migration patterns and cultural flows
• Sites and modes of production
• Art and culture on display in the spaces around us
• Political communication and notions of place (e.g. borders, war, international politics and space)
• Economic systems and global development models
• Inequality and human rights
• Social movements, and conflicts over space
• The privatization of public space
• Glocalization and space
• And other related topics...

We invite submissions from a broad range of interdisciplinary perspectives, including students from departments outside of the School of Journalism and Communication.

Submission Details & Deadlines

All interested graduate students are invited to submit a short abstract (150-200 words) outlining their proposed presentation. Submissions must be typewritten in Times New Roman 12-pt font and submitted via e-mail as a Word document attachment (.doc). Along with your abstract, please include on a separate page:

- Your name
- Your affiliation (program, university, and level of study)
- Contact information (e-mail address)
- Audio/visual requirements

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JANUARY 22, 2010

Please e-mail submissions (or questions) to: cgc.conference@gmail.com

For more details, please visit the conference website: www.cgcannualconference.ca

The Communication Graduate Caucus is part of Carleton University's School of Journalism & Communication.