Call for Area Chairs! "Citizenship and Sociopathy in Film, Television, and New Media" 2018 Film & History Conference November 7-11 Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club Madison, WI (USA) The screen can tell us how people fit or do not fit with each other--with their families and neighbors, their schools and sanctuaries, their nations and natural environments. And those depictions, whether in film, television, or new media, frequently compete. Why might the good citizen of one crime drama become the sociopath of another? Social standards are pliable, but how far can visual media reshape them, and how long can they persist? Could the portrayal of buddies in a comedy from the 1930s offer a viable model of friendship in a modern comedy? In what ways have the models of civic discourse, from Europe and Asia to Africa and the Americas, evolved in reality television, in news programs, in online video? The "good" citizen might seem easy to define, but when do some portrayals of citizenship succeed, inspiring audiences, while others backfire? Visions of citizenship, from the historical dramas to the futuristic adventures, reveal deep assumptions about ethical behavior, which, of course, the sociopathic vision can challenge--sometimes dangerously, but often helpfully. When might citizenship itself be dangerous? Film & History invites prospective Area Chairs—organizers of two or more panels of presenters within an “area”—to submit proposals for the November conference. The preferred deadline for area proposals is February 15, 2018, so that each Area Chair can coordinate with Film & History to issue a Call for Papers in that area by March 1, 2018. As an interdisciplinary journal, Film & History welcomes and encourages area proposals from a broad range of academic fields, including the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the Fine Arts and Physical Sciences. Each Area Chair (who will be compensated by Film & History) is responsible for defining the topic, fielding submissions, organizing the panels within the area, and working in a timely and productive manner with colleagues and with the AC Manager, Cindy Miller. Please send a 200-word description of your prospective area to [log in to unmask] Although we'll continue to field proposals throughout the spring, the initial deadline is February 15. Approved areas are generally assigned according to when the proposals arrive, so please contact Cindy Miller as early as possible. ---- Learn to speak like a film/TV professor! Listen to the ScreenLex podcast: http://www.screenlex.org