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IGEL 2004 Summer Institute

Interdisciplinary Empirical Investigations of Literature

Institute web site

Program Description

Graduate students, post-doctoral students, and early career lecturers and professors who are interested in interdisciplinary and empirical studies of literature are invited to apply to attend the 2004 IGEL Summer Institute. For 3 1/2 days (3 nights), from July 30 to August 2, 2004, selected participants will discuss their current research, consider forms of interdisciplinary investigation, examine variations in empirical studies, and interact with other attendees and program faculty. Program faculty will conduct workshops and lead informal discussions.

The Summer Institute is sponsored by the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature (Internationale Gesellschaft für Empirische Literaturwissenschaft / Association Internationale pour l`Étude Empirique de la Littérature). It will be held in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, just prior to the IXth Conference of the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature (August 3-7, 2004, also in Edmonton).

The goal of the Institute is to foster high-quality research in interdisciplinary empirical studies of literature, broadly conceived. Applicants from disciplines across the humanities (literature, philosophy, etc.) and social sciences (psychology, sociology, etc.) are encouraged to apply. In addition to supporting promising research in empirical studies of literature, major goals of the institute are to develop a peer network of scholars interested in the empirical study of literature and to facilitate their interaction with more senior faculty in the area.

Areas of focus include, but are not limited to: (1) cross-disciplinary study of figurative language (e.g., metaphor); (2) historical, sociological, and psychological study of reader response (e.g., influence on readers); (3) cross-cultural comparisons of reader response and literary institutions (e.g., patterns of readership); and (4) conceptions of interdisciplinarity in studies of literature (e.g., coordinated methodological diversity). Exciting research in empirical studies of literature is certainly not limited to these examples, and any novel approaches to investigation within this broad domain are also of interest.

Institute Faculty

Faculty will be invited to lead discussions and tutorials on selected topics. They will include:

• Marisa Bortolussi (University of Alberta),
• Gerald C. Cupchik (University of Toronto at Scarborough),
• Peter Dixon (University of Alberta),
• Don Kuiken (University of Alberta),
• János László (Hungarian Academy of Sciences),
• David S. Miall (University of Alberta), and
• Will van Peer (University of Munich).

To learn more about them, click here.

Eligibility

Graduate students, post-doctoral students, and early career lecturers and professors who are interested in interdisciplinary empirical studies of literature are eligible to apply. It is expected that a variety of disciplines from the humanities and social sciences will be represented. Approximately 20 attendees will be selected.

Application Procedures

Application forms may be obtained by clicking here: Application Form (Word); Application Form (webpage).

The application consists of three (3) copies of each of the following:

1. An Application Form;
2. A short Research Statement, which should include a summary of your research interests and then a description of a research project that you would like to discuss with the group next summer. The project need not be completed at the time of application. In fact, we prefer that you describe your emerging, developing, or ongoing research program. The research statement should be about 1000 words (i.e., about 2 pages of single-spaced text). Preference will go to empirical studies, very broadly conceived. In fact, the articulation and coordination of interdisciplinary diversity, in both theory and method, will be accentuated in the institute program.
3. Your curriculum vitae
4. Please assemble the Application Form, Research Statement, and your curriculum vitae in a packet and submit three stapled copies.
5. If possible, attach up to two reprints or preprints of papers you have published or submitted for publication.
6. A small number of participants may be eligible for funding to help defray the cost of attending the Summer Institute. To be considered, please attach a statement describing your attempts to obtain financial support and summarizing your reasons for requesting additional support from the association.

Applications should be sent to:

Don Kuiken, PhD
Department of Psychology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
CANADA T6G 2E9

Application Deadline: The application deadline is January 1, 2004.

Notification of Selection: Selections will be announced on February 1, 2004.

Institute Fees. Note there is no fee for attending the Summer Institute.

Conference Fees: Conference registration, covering an opening reception, daily lunches, the conference program, and Friday evening banquet, will be provided at the special student rate of $260. Conference registration for those planning to attend should be paid no later than March 15, 2004. To register for the conference please complete this form and mail it to the address shown.

Accommodation at reduced rates at Lister Centre on the University of Alberta campus has been reserved for the nights of July 30th through August 6th, to include the period of both the Institute and the Conference. You can choose either a basic room (bathroom facilities shared with other rooms in the corridor), for $33.60 single per night, or $44.80 twin; or a superior single room with private bathroom for $50.40. To make a booking, please download the relevant form and mail or fax it with your payment to the address shown on the form:

• basic room (single or twin)
• superior room (single)

Contact Information: Questions about the 2004 Summer Institute should be sent to the institute coordinator, Don Kuiken (dkuiken@ualberta.ca).

Institute Faculty