Proposals for papers and panels are now being considered for the Film & History Area of the annual SW/TX PCA/ACA conference. This year’s conference theme is Celebrating "Foods & Culture(s) in a Global Context."

Our area is concerned with the impact of motion pictures on our society and how films represent and interpret history. Presentations can, for example, feature analyses of individual films and/or TV programs from historical perspectives, surveys of documents related to the production of films, or analyses of history and culture as explored through film. Genres could include historical films attempting to define history, propaganda films, documentaries, docudramas, newsreels and broadcast media, war films, music videos and concert films, reality shows, avant-garde, cinema vérité, actualités, and direct cinema. Proposals could consider some aspect of the intersections among film, history, society, and culture, exploring films as social and historical artifacts of the culture from which they arise as well as the role played by film in constructing, shaping, and re-imagining history. Papers may take a single film focus, make comparative considerations, or explore critical films focused on a given era, individual, or historical event. Papers that connect to the conference-wide theme of global food and culture are also particularly sought.

Listed below are suggestions for possible presentations or panels, but topics not included here are also welcome:
• Historical representations of race, ethnicity, and gender in fiction or non-fiction film
• Biographies of key artistic, political, military, activist, or cinematic figures
• Representations of wars, the West, borders, national characters and ideologies
• Documentaries: How true is ‘The Truth’?
• Film and social commentary
• Politics and government in film
• Film and the political economy
• Histories of film production, the film industry, or the science and technology of film
• Cult, alternative, and independent films and icons through history
• The histories of particular film schools or film theories
• Pedagogies of teaching film & history

If you wish to form your own panel within the Film & History area, we would be glad to facilitate your needs. Roundtable sessions and international participation are also encouraged.

Proposals should be submitted directly to the Film & History subject area at our conference database at http://conference2012.swtxpca.org.

Additional questions and inquiries may be directed to

Brad Houston Lane,
Coordinator, Programs in English and Humanities
North Seattle Community College
9600 College Way North
Seattle, WA 98105
206.934.4536 / 206.934.3784 fax
bradley.lane@seattlecolleges.edu

Professors, independent scholars, teachers, and professionals are encouraged to participate. Graduate students are particularly welcome at the conference, which offers awards for the best graduate papers. Please note that SW/TX PCA/ACA only permits one presentation per person per year. The conference features numerous individual subject areas with its own Area Chair and multiple subject area panels. Therefore, please refrain from submitting the same paper to more than subject area or submitting multiple papers to separate areas.

Information about our areas of study, graduate student awards, conference travel, lodging, and the organization can be found at our regularly updated website: http://www.swtxpca.org.