Professional Notes

SCMS Deadlines (see SCMS Web site for further information)

• January 10: Last day for SCMS members to make corrections to conference program
• January 21: Early 2005 conference registration. Note: SCMS membership must be current to participate.
• March 31-April 3: SCMS Conference, London

Calls for Papers

• A special issue of Screening the Past will focus on the role of popular music in film texts and film culture. This issue will reflect the emergence of a field of investigation concerned with moving beyond the visualist bias of film studies. Topics could include the relation between popular music and film industries (Australian, African, Hollywood, Bollywood, French, UK, independent cinemas); the address of popular music to particular audiences or niche film markets; or the function of popular music in particular film genres and eras of film production. Deadline for completed 5,000-6,500-word papers: February 15, 2005. Queries and submissions should be directed to the guest editors, Amanda Howell (A.Howell@griffith.edu.au) and Cory Messenger (C.Messenger@griffith.edu.au).

• Contributors are sought for a volume entitled Media and the Public Sphere, to be edited by Richard Butsch. The volume will explore how movies, radio, television, the Internet, or specific media genres do or do not constitute a public sphere and how audiences respond to these media as public spheres. Possible topics include how legislative/regulatory environments have sustained or undermined the role of the media as a public sphere; whether documentaries or dramatic films (e.g., Wag the Dog) constitute a public-sphere discourse; whether radio or television talk shows are a public sphere; and whether televisions in public spaces create a public sphere. Send proposals or inquiries to butsch@rider.edu.

• Contributions are sought for the Encyclopedia of Documentary Film, to be published by Routledge in September 2005. Contact: docfilm@taylorandfrancis.com.

• Velvet Light Trap is publishing a special issue on authorship. The editors are particularly interested in articles that highlight the changing discourse on authorship in media theory. They are also seeking submissions that address the historical evolution of product branding and promotion through authorship, particularly as it affects media distribution and consumption patterns. Submissions from a variety of analytical approaches are strongly encouraged. Papers should include a 100-200-word abstract and be between 15 and 25 pages, double-spaced, in MLA style. The author's name and contact information should be only on the cover page. For more information or to submit a query, contact Jean Lauer (jalauer@mail.utexas.edu). Deadline for submissions: February 1, 2005. To submit a completed manuscript, send five copies to Velvet Light Trap, c/o Department of Radio-Television-Film, University of Texas, 1 University Station, A0800, Austin, TX, 78712-0108.

• The Journal of Popular British Cinema and Television is publishing a special issue that will focus on the question of "good television?" The editors are seeking a mixture of conceptual and critical articles that explore evaluative issues and specific television texts. Send queries or proposals by January 10, 2005, to Sarah Cardwell (s.e.cardwell@kent.ac.uk) and/or Steve Peacock (steven.peacock@solent.ac.uk).

• Essays are sought for an anthology on Trinh T. Minh-ha as a literary theorist, poet, ethnographer, filmmaker, or musical composer. Submissions may examine issues of nationality and alterity; connections between visual and verbal representation; or interweave personal/poetic forms and more traditional academic/critical writing. Essays that shed light on interconnections between Trinh's art, theory, and pedagogical practice, as well as that examine Trinh's work in the context of Asian American studies courses or film courses, are especially welcome. Inquiries, comments, and suggestions are also welcome. Deadline for proposals: January 31, 2005. Proposals should be 500 words and include a bio. Send them to Joshua Fausty, Department of English, New Jersey City University, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305. Submissions may be e-mailed to jfausty@njcu.edu.

Conferences

• The date of theCharles Chaplin Conference, to be held at the London...