ASAT is a regional chapter of the American Studies Association



Call For Papers
ASAT's 66th Annual Conference
“Death & Rebirth ”

Starting May 12, 2023, submissions of abstracts for presentations and panels will be accepted for the 2023 ASAT conference, which will take place from November 9-11 on the campus of Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, Texas.

This year's theme is Death & Rebirth. The complex, cyclical propulsion of death and rebirth has been shown throughout history across different cultures and belief systems. It’s a common theme within folklore, religion, art, music, and history. cholars and researchers across all disciplines continue to explore these themes due to powerful and universal aspects hidden within human experiences. With the current phenomena faced across the world, perhaps we have experienced a new “death” cycle and are headed into rebirth. As William Shakespeare wrote in The Phoenix and the Turtle, “Death is now the Phoenix’ nest...”

ASAT encourages the submission of academic and creative proposals for panels, papers, and visual presentations that reflect a contemplative inquiry of the conference theme from an interdisciplinary perspective. Presenters should be professionals in their field, though graduate and undergraduate students are also encouraged to submit proposals endorsed by a faculty mentor. Blind abstracts should be limited to 250 words and include a separate cover sheet with a working title, your full name, school affiliation (if applicable), and contact info. Your name and/or affiliation should not appear on your abstract. Submissions open May 12, 2023, and close September 29.

Please email proposals with ASAT 2023 Submission in the subject line, to: weirh@wcjc.edu

Please review the complete CFP for submission guidelines and other details.


 Dr. Paul Spellman will deliver this year's keynote presentation:

"'Do not thou, when thou art King, hang a thief;' The Bible and The Bard."

During Dr. Paul N. Spellman's career, he served as division chair for Communications & Fine Arts, department head for Speech, for Fine Arts, and for Developmental Education at Wharton County Junior College, and won the 2013 Piper Professor of the Year Award. He also served on the program committee for TSHA, and represented WCJC on the Univeristy of Houston planning committee for the building of the UH Sugar Land campus. He holds degrees from Southwestern University, SMU, UT-Austin, A&M-Corpus Christi, and a PhD from University of Houston, and he has authored nine books on Texas History and numerous professional journal articles. He's an Emeritus member Texas State Historical Association, Fort Bend Historical Commission, and Texas Historic Commission, and he was inducted into Western Writersof America in 2009. He retired from teaching History  at WCJC after 25 years, and now lives in Richmond with wife Kathleen. 

Piano Recital by Dr. Karine C. Gil on November 10

Dr. Karine Gil is a Venezuelan-American composer, concert pianist, piano teacher, and Biology Lecturer at Baylor University. She studied music at the National Conservatory of Music “Juan Jose Landaeta” in Caracas, Venezuela, and graduated in 1983. It was there that she studied piano with Beatriz Vegas, Harriet Serr (USA), and international visiting professors, such as Regina Smendzianka and Walter Blackenheim.

All her music productions are available on Pandora, Spotify, CD Baby, HearNow, among others.
She is working on the recording of her new CD with more compositions inspired in Texas, and on the publication of her three-album scores.  For more information visit her website: 
www.karinegil.com, Facebook Karine Gil, Piano, and follow her at Instagram@karinegilpiano.

Portions of her performance at our 2023 conference will include original compositions synched to images projected onto a screen. The images are from the different ecosystems and wildlife in America that inspired her to compose the different melodies.

Conference Fees for Presenters:
Full-Time/Retired Faculty- $75
Student/Adjunct/Independent Scholar- $55
Membership:
Student, Independent, Retired Memberships: $15 per year 
Basic Faculty Membership: $25 per year 

Sustaining Membership: $50 per year

Conference Attendees:
Full-Time/Retired Faculty- $45
Student/Adjunct/Independent Scholar- $40

To help mitigate financial difficulties in attending the conference, we are offering travel grants for students and faculty—up to $200. Please forward  your acceptance email, being sure to include your full name and travel budget, to: asattravelgrant@gmail.com.

ASAT would like to acknowlege and thank the WCJC Foundation for their generous support.

Please mail conference registration checks with the completedform to:

Dr. Hector Weir
Fort Bend Technical Center
5333 FM 1640

Richmond, TX, 77469
REGISTRATION FORM

 

During the conference dates, WCJC is presenting a production of Murder on the Orient Express
All are welcome to attend