Call for papers: ACH/ALLC 2003

[Natalia Smith]

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APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING
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             Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) and
          the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing (ALLC)
                  Announce A Call for Papers for ACH/ALLC 2003
                    "Web X: A Decade of the World Wide Web"
             May 29-June 2, 2003: University of Georgia, Athens, GA
                       http://www.english.uga.edu/webx/

                    Deadline for Papers: November 15, 2002


Call for papers: ACH/ALLC 2003
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

I. The ACH/ALLC Conference
The joint conference of the Association for Computers and the Humanities
and the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing is the oldest
established meeting of scholars working at the intersection of advanced
information technologies and the humanities, annually attracting a
distinguished international community at the forefront of their fields.
The theme for the 2003 conference is "Web X: A Decade of the World Wide
Web", and it will include plenary addresses by leading scholars,
including Marie-Laure Ryan, author of "Narrative as Virtual Reality:
Immersion and Interactivity in Literature and Electronic Media" and
"Cyberspace Textuality: Computer Technology and Literary Theory".

Recent years have seen enormous advances in information technologies, and
a corresponding growth in the use of IT resources for research and
teaching in the humanities. How exactly are these developments changing
the ways in which humanities scholars work? What new and distinct
methodologies is IT now bringing to the humanities? How do we expect
methodologies, and the role of the humanities scholar, to change in the
near future as a result of the impact of IT? How are IT-related
developments in one discipline affecting or likely to affect those in
others?
Now that we have reached the 10th anniversary of the World Wide Web, what
are the meanings and implications of these developments for languages,
communities, genders and cultures, and humanities research? The time is
ripe to survey and assess developments to date in humanities computing,
and its likely future directions.

II. Allied Organizations

ALLC and ACH are developing a new affiliated organizations program, which
will enable related professional organizations with a remit similar to
that of ACH and ALLC to present a panel of papers in a parallel
conference session.

We welcome proposals from such organizations for the 2003 conference.
Suggested topics for inclusion could be on work which is being undertaken
in the libraries, museum and archival fields, or in areas of computing in
the humanities which have not previously been represented at ACH/ALLC.

We encourage representatives from other professional organizations to
consider submitting a proposal under this initiative on topics they think
might be relevant to the ACH/ALLC conference audience.

For more information about how to submit a proposal, or become an
affiliated organization, please contact the conference program chair,
lorna.hughes at nyu.edu

III. Submissions

ACH/ALLC 2003 invites submission of abstracts of between 750 and 1500
words on any aspect of humanities computing or new media, broadly defined
to encompass the common ground between information technology and
problems in humanities research and teaching. As always, we welcome
submissions in any area of the humanities, especially interdisciplinary
work. We especially encourage submissions on the current state of the art
in humanities computing, and on recent new developments and expected
future developments in the field.

Suitable subjects for proposals would also include:

*       new approaches to research in humanities disciplines using
digital resources dependent on images, audio, or video;
*       the application to humanities data of techniques developed in
such fields as information science and the physical sciences and
engineering;
*       traditional applications of computing in the humanities,
including (but not limited to) text encoding, hypertext, text corpora,
computational lexicography, statistical models, and text analysis;
*       applications in the digital arts, especially projects and
installations that feature technical advances of potential interest to
humanities scholars;
*       information design in the humanities, including visualization,
simulation, and modeling;
*       pedagogical applications of new media within the humanities;
*       thoughtful considerations of the cultural impact of computing and
new media;
*       theoretical or speculative treatments of new media;
*       the institutional role of new media within the contemporary
academy, including curriculum development and collegial support for
activities in these fields;
*       the broader social role of humanities computing and the resources
it develops.
The deadline for submitting paper, session and poster proposals to the
Program Committee is November 15th, 2002, these will all be refereed.

Proposals for (non-refereed) demos and for pre- or post-conference
tutorials and workshops should be discussed directly with the local
conference organizer as soon as possible. See below for full details on
submitting proposals.

For more information on the conference in general have a look at other
pages of this web site.

A. Types of Proposals
Proposals to the Program Committee may be of three types: papers, poster
presentations, and sessions. The type of submission must be specified in
the proposal. If the subject relates specifically to the theme of "Web X:
A decade of the World Wide Web ", please also make this explicit.
Papers may be given in English, French, and German, but to facilitate the
reviewing process we ask that proposals for papers in a language other
than English are submitted with an English translation.


*       Papers

Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe original work:
either completed research which has given rise to substantial results, or
the development of significant new methodologies, or rigorous
theoretical, speculative or critical discussions. Individual papers will
be allocated 30 minutes for presentation, including questions.

Proposals that concentrate on the development of new computing
methodologies should make clear how the methodologies are applied to
research and/or teaching in the humanities, and should include some
critical assessment of the application of those methodologies in the
humanities. Those that concentrate on a particular application in the
humanities should cite traditional as well as computer-based approaches
to the problem and should include some critical assessment of the
computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions
and references to important sources. Those describing the creation or use
of digital resources should follow these guidelines as far as possible.

*       Poster Presentations
There should be no difference in quality between poster presentations and
papers, and the format for proposals is the same for both. The same
academic standards should apply in both cases, but posters may be a more
suitable way of presenting late-breaking results, or significant work in
progress, including pedagogical applications. Both will be submitted to
the same refereeing process. The choice between the two modes of
presentation should depend on the most effective and informative way of
communicating the scientific content of the proposal. Poster
presentations may also include software or technology and project
demonstrations.
By definition, poster presentations are less formal and more interactive
than a standard talk. Poster presenters have the opportunity to exchange
ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in detail with
those most deeply interested in the same topic. Each presenter is
provided with about 2 square meters of board space to display their work.
They may also provide handouts with examples or more detailed
information. Posters will remain on display throughout the conference,
but there will also be a separate conference session dedicated to them,
when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer
questions. Additional times may also be assigned for software or project
demonstrations.

*       Sessions

Sessions (90 minutes) take the form of either:
*       Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word
statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of 750-1500
words for each paper, and indicate that each author is willing to
participate in the session; or
*       A panel of four to six speakers. The panel organizer should
submit an abstract of 750-1500 words describing the panel topic, how it
will be organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that
each speaker is willing to participate in the session.

The deadline for session proposals is the same as for proposals for
papers.


B. Format

All proposals must be submitted electronically using the on-line form,
which can be found at:

www.english.uga.edu/webx
Please pay particular attention to the information that is required about
each proposal. Submissions which do not contain the required information
will be returned to the authors, and may not be considered at all if they
are received close to the deadline.

The information required for all submissions includes:

TYPE OF PROPOSAL: paper, poster, or session
TITLE: title of paper, poster, or session
KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the
paper or session

AUTHOR: name of first author
AFFILIATION: of first author
E-MAIL: of first author

AUTHOR: name of second author (repeat these three headings as necessary)
AFFILIATION: of second author
E-MAIL: of second author

CONTACT ADDRESS: full postal address of first author or contact person
for session proposals
FAX NUMBER: of first author or contact person
PHONE NUMBER: of first author or contact person


If submitting a session proposal, the following information will be
required for each paper:

TITLE: title of paper
KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the
paper
AUTHOR: name of first author
AFFILIATION: of first author
E-MAIL: of first author


Please note the following additional information:

* The order of participants provided on the form will be the order used
in the final program.

* If submitting a session proposal, please enter one abstract for the
whole session in the "session/paper abstract" box, noting clearly the
title and author of each paper in the session.

* In addition to requesting the above information, the form provides a
way for proposers to upload their proposal, which must be in TEI-XLite,
HTML or plain text (ASCII/ISO 8859-1) format, plus up to 5 image files.
These graphics, if uploaded, should be prepared in a manner appropriate
for both on-line publication and printing in black-and-white in the
conference book.

* All text, whether it is provided in TEI, HTML or ASCII format will be
put into a standard XML format.  Please, therefore, restrict HTML tagging
to that required to make the abstract structure evident.

* Unfortunately, it is still true, even in this day of XML and
Unicode, that publishing systems and web browsers often limit access to
extended character sets.  Thus, although TEI-XLite format and therefore
Unicode can be used for submission, please try if possible to avoid
character sets that might not be viewable on reviewer's web browsers or
printable by the program's printer.


C. Examples from Past Conferences

Those interested in seeing examples of materials presented at previous
conferences can consult online abstracts and programs at:
http://www.ach.org/ACH_Archive.shtml

The conference has previously been held at:

*       University of Tuebingen (2002)
*       New York University (2001)
*       University of Glasgow, Scotland (2000)
*       University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (1999)
*       University of Debrecen, Hungary (1998)
*       Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1997)
*       University of Bergen, Norway (1996)

Because of the fast evolution of the field, however, work of a kind not
previously seen at the conference is especially welcomed.


IV. Publication

A book of abstracts of all papers, poster presentations and sessions will
be provided to all conference participants. In addition, abstracts will
be published on the conference web page.

A volume of selected proceedings is planned for publication after the
conference; all papers submitted in publishable form before the end of
the conference will be considered for this collection.

V. Deadlines

*       November 15th, 2002: Submission of proposals for papers, poster
presentations, sessions and software demos.
*       October 1st, 2002: Conference registration opens. To register, go
to: http://www.english.uga.edu/webx/
*       February 14th, 2003: Notification of acceptance for papers,
poster presentations, sessions and software demos.


VI. Bursaries

*       from the ALLC

As part of its commitment to promote the development and application of
appropriate computing in humanities scholarship, the Association for
Literary and Linguistic Computing will award up to five bursaries of up
to 500 GB pounds each to students and young scholars who have papers or
poster presentations accepted for presentation at the conference.
Applicants must be members of ALLC. The ALLC will make the awards after
the Program Committee have decided which proposals are to be accepted.
Recipients will be notified as soon as possible thereafter. A participant
in a multi-author paper is eligible for an award, but it must be clear
that s/he is contributing substantially to the paper.
Full details of the scheme may be found on the ALLC home page
http://www.allc.org/
Applications must be made using the on-line form available on this
website.


*       from elsewhere
The conference organizers are working on arranging other bursaries;
details will be published on the conference web site
http://www.english.uga.edu/webx/
 

VII. Further Information
*       Fees
The conference fee will be $275, which includes the printed abstracts,
morning and afternoon refreshment breaks, lunches and receptions.

*       Equipment Availability and Requirements

Presenters will have available an overhead projector, a slide projector,
a data projector for Windows and Macintosh OS, and an Internet connected
computer running Windows. Requests for other presentation equipment will
be considered by the local organizers. All submissions should indicate
the type of hardware and software required for presentation.

*       Location

Information on Athens, Georgia and its University, travel, accommodation,
and the social program can all be found linked to the
http://www.english.uga.edu/webx/

*       Queries

Queries concerning the goals of the conference, the format or content of
papers, and other topics relating to the academic program should be
addressed to the Chair of the International Program Committee:

Lorna M. Hughes
Assistant Director for Humanities Computing
Information Technology Services
New York University
251 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012-1185, USA

E-mail: Lorna.Hughes at NYU.EDU
Phone: (212) 998 3070
Fax:    (212) 995 4120

Queries concerning conference registration, travel, local organization
and facilities, and other aspects of the local setting should be
addressed to:

Bill Kretzschmar
Chair, Local Committee
The University of Georgia
Department of English
317 Park Hall
Athens, GA 30602-6205
Email: kretzsch at arches.uga.edu


VIII. International Program Committee and Local Organizers

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers who will make
recommendations to the Program Committee comprising:

Elisabeth Burr, Gerhard-Mercator-Universitt Duisburg
Lorna Hughes (Chair), New York University
Laszlo Hunyadi, University of Debrecen
Martha Nell Smith, University of Maryland
Natasha Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ray Siemens, Malaspina University College
Michael Sperberg-McQueen, World Wide Web Consortium
Simon Horobin, University of Glasgow

The conference is hosted by the Department of English and the Georgia
Center for Continuing Education at the University of Georgia. The Chair
of the local organizing committee is Bill Kretzschmar, department of
English, University of Georgia.