Representing the Misrepresented: Interdisciplinary Approaches

to Misinformation, Unreliability, and Marginalization

The English Graduate Organization at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce
our annual interdisciplinary conference exploring the subject of Misinformation, Unreliability,
and Marginalization to take place on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at IUP campus in Indiana, PA.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sophia McClennen, Associate Director for the School of International
Affairs and Professor of Comparative Literature and International Affairs at The Pennsylvania
State University
Both our intellectual and personal lives have been characterized by misrepresentation,
misnomers, or assumptions represented as facts. Despite this abundance, humanity has also
strived to clarify, correct, or explore these misrepresentations when possible. From omissions of
violent acts as part of the historical record to visual representations meant to justify oppression,
research has the ability to counteract misrepresentation to bring about equality and justice.
We invite paper abstracts and complete panels, workshops, poster presentations, and roundtable
proposals on all aspects of misrepresentation. We are interested in proposals that explore
historical, racial, sexual, environmental, and socio-economic misrepresentation in multiple fields,
the changes that clarification or correction has brought to different fields of study, among other
topics. The wide range of disciplines and areas of study for the conference include but are not
limited to Literature, Composition, Criminology, Anthropology, Art, Communication,
Education, Ethics, Ethnic Studies, Film Studies, Gender Studies, History, Media, and Sciences.
Topics of interest may include but are not limited to:
* The evolving character of the University
* Academic freedom
* Subjectivity vs. Objectivity
* Reconciling past misrepresentations
* Adaptations
* Interventions in portrayals of gender as a binary
* Pedagogical approaches to misrepresentation
* Pivotal shifts in problem solving
* Observations of historical binaries
* Ethnic minorities portrayed by cultural majorities
* Misleading tropes in popular culture
* Information as a commodity
* Misreadings of past cultural works
* Translation problems
* Cross currents within and between disciplines
* Global vs Glocal influences
* Philosophical approaches to truth/truths
* Structures of power and the flow of information

Please send an abstract of 250 words or less to EGOconference2016@gmail.com by February 1,

2016.
Any proposal for a complete panel, roundtable, or workshop should include a short description of
the central topic, supplemented by brief individual abstracts. Please also indicate clearly if you
need audiovisual equipment.
Graduate Students are invited to submit papers for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania
English Graduate Organizations annual Graduate Student Awards. 1st place will receive a
$100 gift card, 2nd place will receive a $50 gift card, and 3rd place receive a $25 gift card. Each
winner will have her or his paper published in Voices, the official publication of the English
Graduate Organization. Students must present their paper at the conference to be eligible to win a
graduate student award. To be considered for the award, send complete paper and paper abstract
to the English Graduate Organization via email by February 1, 2016. Papers should be 8-10
pages in length.