MMSS 2012 - Mormon Media Studies Symposium

The submission deadline is July 9 for the Mormon Media Studies Symposium 2012 call for conference papers, panels and presentations. The symposium will be Nov. 8-9 at Brigham Young University and will feature keynote speaker David Campbell, the John Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C. associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and the founding director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy. He is the co-author with Robert Putnam of "American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us."
The symposium will focus on the interdisciplinary academic study of all aspects of Mormons and the media ? including print, electronic, books, film, etc. ? in the present as well as the past.
Papers and panels may be broadly interdisciplinary; international perspectives are encouraged; all rigorous scholarly methodological frameworks and theories are welcome. Submissions, which will be peer-reviewed, should be either full papers with approximately 6,000 to 8,000 words, with a 100-word abstract or an extended abstract, with approximately 500 words.
Panel proposals must include the following for all panel participants: name, title, expertise on the topic and short abstract about planned remarks. For all submissions, include in a cover letter the title, author's or panel organizer's full name and title and full contact information. Identifying information should appear only on the cover page. Proposals to make audio and/or visual presentations, including short films, are welcome (must include rigorous analysis). Papers recently presented or published elsewhere may be considered (provide details). Examples of topics falling under the theme of the conference include but are not limited to:
Analyses of media content by or about Mormons (textual, rhetorical, thematic, etc.)
Mormon-produced media (contemporary, historical, international, etc.): Internet, social media, newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio, film, etc.
Content, producers, and effects of recent and historical depictions of Mormons in news and popular culture
Mormons, media and politics ? U.S. and international
Mormon media uses and effects, including social media
Mormon media image and depiction (present and historical)
Concepts of voice, identity and community in media by or about Mormons
Content and effects of LDS public relations, advertising, messaging
Audience studies: meaning-making; effects; responses; influences; behavior and attitudinal changes
Institutional LDS perspectives on media; responses and effects
Mormon-related film, TV programming, reality show participation, etc.
Comparative studies (Mormons and media as compared to other religions or institutions)
Historical, sociological, literary, rhetorical, legal, international, psychological, etc. perspectives on Mormons and media
Mormon-related entertainment, theater, music and popular culture productions
Papers presented at the symposium will be given special consideration (at authors' discretion) for publication in the Journal of Media and Religion (see Tandf.co.uk). Information, including further guidelines for submissions and proposals, is available at ce.byu.edu.
Paper, panel and presentation proposals must be submitted in a Word or PDF format as an email attachment to Sherry Baker at sherry_baker-AT-byu.edu.