Registration table will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Session 1: Thurs., 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
A. Entertaining Popular Technology
Union 206. Moderator: Janice Dinkel, Kansas State University.
- “I Think, Therefore iPod: iUniversity as the Future of Higher Education,” Emily Windahl, University of Oklahoma
- “Private lives, Public Commiseration: PostSecret Studies,” Sara Eddleman, University of Oklahoma
- “Viral Videos; or, How I Learned to Love Gary Brolsma,” Roger Adams, Kansas State University
B. Entertaining Theory
Union 207. Moderator: Michael Donnelly, Kansas State University.
- “Theorizing Entertainment Value: The Entertainment Unconscious,” Donald Hedrick, Kansas State University
- “Theorizing the Drugs / Entertainment Matrix,” Todd Schack, Ithaca College
- “Aesthetic Criticism & Cultural Studies: Do Scholars Just Want to Have Fun?”, Kevin Shroth, The University of Iowa
Session 2: Thurs., 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A. Education and Entertainment
Union 206. Moderator: Carolyn Kelly, Kansas State University.
- “African Sexplorations: Manara and Mosley’s Adventures in Erotic Entertainment,” Emily Mattingly, Kansas State University
- “‘Hey, kid. Do you want some candy?’: Recuperating Gender and Sexuality from the Margins of Educational Discourses,” Reid Sagara, University of Washington
- “The Education of Veronica Mars: Social Identities and Epistemic Credibility,” Heather Rakes, DePaul University
Thurs., 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
Session 3: Thurs., 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
A. Feminism, Fans, & Outsiders
Union 206. Moderator: Angela Hubler, Kansas State University.
- “Vampires and Other Feminists,” Erin L. Martin
- “Five Ways Mary Sue Never Had Sex: Queer Feminisms and Narrative Multiplicity in Slash Fan Fiction,” Anne Kustritz, University of Michigan
- “Fanfiction and Participatory Culture in Gundam Wing,” Erin Erhart, Brandeis University
B. War(s) on Film
Union 207. Moderator: Anne Longmuir, Kansas State University.
- “Entertainment and Disillusionment: War Films and Soldier’s Stories,” Gina Berend, University of Tulsa
- “‘They Didn’t Make [Her] into a Maid’? Re-reading Lena Horne as a Servant of the White Status Quo in World War II Hollywood Films,” Megan E. Williams, University of Kansas
- “Consenting to Ignorance: An Analysis of the Hostile Reactions to Anti-War Films in Sri Lanka,” Prabha Manuratne, Kansas State University
Session 4: Thurs., 3:00 – 4:45 p.m.
A. Entertaining Reading
Union 206. Moderator: Carol Franko, Kansas State University.
- “‘Absorbed, Content, Perhaps Quietly Thrilled’: The Commercialization of Women Readers,” Jennifer Phegley, University of Missouri-Kansas City and Janet Badia, Marshall University
- “Adult Comic Book Fans: What They Get Out of Reading,” Stergios Botzakis, University of Tennessee
- “Truth Within Fiction: The Obligations of ‘Entertaining’ Fiction,” Charles A. Hill, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
B. Demoted and (Dis)Abled: Science, Sexuality, and the World Bank
Union 207. Moderator: Don Hedrick, Kansas State University.
- “Fall from the Heavens: The Demotion of Pluto from Planetary Status as Reported by Channel One,” John Stewart, University of Oklahoma
- "‘Gettin' Out While I Still Can Walk’: Masculinity and the Disciplining of Disability in Brokeback Mountain,” Cynthia Barounis, University of Illinois at Chicago
Thurs., 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Dinner Break
Conference Dinner with Judith Halberstam, Alumni Center Ballroom.
- Cash Bar opens at 6
- Conference Dinner at 6:30 (see registration form for reservation information)
Thurs., 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Keynote Lecture: “Queer Animation: The Pixar Films and Alternative Political Imaginaries,” Judith Halberstam, Banquet Room, Alumni Center.
Registration table will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Session 1: Fri., 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
A. Acting Up: Cultural Politics in Entertainment
Union 206. Moderator: Bonnie Nelson, Kansas State University.
- “Popular Culture and Reconstitutive Rhetoric: The Political Art of Ester Hernández and Helena María Viramontes,” Sharla Hutchison, Fort Hays State University
- “Think like an Outlaw: Carl Hiassen’s Radical Environmentalism in Hoot,“ Dean Hall, Kansas State University
B. The Politics of Inter/Activist Theater
Union 207. Moderator: Karin Westman, Kansas State University.
- “Hyper-Reality, Re-Enactment and the Spectacle of Mimesis: Performance and Pageantry at Medieval Times Tournament and Dinner,” Shannon Blake Skelton, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- “Manufacturing Fun: One Theater’s Role in the Creative Economy,” Donna de Ville, University of Texas
- “The History and Process of Writing Nonfiction Plays,” Sally Bailey, Kansas State University
Session 2: Fri., 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A. Binaries and Boundary Crossings
Union 206. Moderator: Alley Stoughton, Kansas State University.
- “Transcripted Norms: Replaying Gender Binaries in The L Word,” Kristin Culver, University of Oklahoma
- “Have you Ever Tried Not Being a Mutant?”” Political Negativity and The Quest of Queer Citizenship in the X-Men Films,” Erica Nooney, Kansas State University
B. Nonfiction Playwriting: Social Action and Entertainment Rolled Into One
Union 207. Moderator: Christina Hauck, Kansas State University.
- On creating Family Ties, a play about gay men who fear coming out, Martha Crouse, Kansas State University
- On creating Almost, a play about the personal aspects of abortion, Shannon Garretson, Kansas State University
- On creating You Belong to Us, a play about parents of gay children, Jemmie Godwin, Kansas State University
Fri., 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
Session 3: Fri., 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
A. Cultural Politics of Entertainment
Union 206. Moderator: Erin Fritch, Kansas State University.
- “The Politics of Screen Entertainment in Mexico and The U.S.: A Cultural Analysis on Banned Films in ‘Democratic’ Societies,” María Teresa Martínez-Ortiz, Kansas State University
- “Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes: The Cultural Politics of J.K. Rowling’s Comic Relief,” Karin E. Westman, Kansas State University
- “Celebrity Poker Showdown: The Obsession with the Un-American American Dream,” Kimberly Tolson, Oklahoma State University
B. The Pleasures of Print Culture
Union 207. Moderator: Phillip Marzluf, Kansas State University.
- “Power to the People: Guilty Pleasure and the Culture Industry,” Rachel Olsen, Kansas State University
- “The Culture of Popular Magazines,” Natalie Scheidler, Kansas State University
- “Whose Audience are We? The High/Low Paradigm in Print Media,” Rebecca Targ, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Session 4: Fri., 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
A. Teen Cultures
Union 206. Moderator: Naomi Wood, Kansas State University.
- “Rebellious Teens or Benign Tools: Anthropomorphizing Computers in the 1980s” Stephanie Schulte
- “The Blitz Kids and The Iron Lady: The Thatcher Revolution and British Youth Culture,” Lorrie Carano, Universtiy of Missouri—Kansas City
- “Thrashin’ in the Media: Bam Margera’s Jackass, Tony Hawk, and The Mag,” David L. Murphy, Kansas State University
B. Transgressive Pleasure
Union 207. Moderator: Lisa Tatonetti, Kansas State University.
- “‘I’m not a fucking drag queen’: (Re)Negotiating Transgender Images in Hollywood and Independent Film,” Genevieve Critel, University of Oklahoma
- “Pleasurable Performances: The Instructive Capacity of Desire, Transgression, and Taboo,” Tara Pauliny, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
- “He With the Shiniest Pants Wins: The Corrective Spectacle of El Vez, The Mexican Elvis”, Karen Jean Martinson, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Fri., 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Dinner Break
Fri., 8:00 p.m.
El Vez Performance, K-State Union Little Theater
Session 1: Sat., 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
A. Transnational Approaches to (Activist) Music
Union 206. Moderator: Tanya González, Kansas State University.
- “Cuban Hip Hop: Relocating Cultural Expressions by Escaping to Spaces for Identity,” Alberto Domingo González Valdés, Kansas State University
- “Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car: The Kitsch, Craft, and Postmodern Theology of U2,” Perry Lewis, University of Alaska
B. The Undead, Boredom, and other Horrors
Union 207. Moderator: Kimball Smith, Kansas State University.
- “A Silent Summons to Fruitful Toil: Boredom and Leisure in Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters,” Angela Spentzaki Silva, University of Nevada at Las Vegas
- “Someday My Prince Will Come Back from the Dead: Negotiating Culture’s ‘Fundamental Fantasy,’” Stephanie Oliver, University of Western Ontario
- “Showtime’s Masters of Horror Series: New Horrors, Old Fears,” Jason Saphara, Colorado State University, Pueblo
Session 2: Sat., 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A. Politics and Popularity
Union 207. Moderator: Michele Janette, Kansas State University.
- “Variations on a Vendetta: Adaptations from Graphic Novel to Film as Political Comment in V for Vendetta,” Sara Poe, Kansas State University
- "Digital Democracies and the Documenting of 9/11," Stefanie Boese, University of Illinois at Chicago
- “Descriptive and Normative Judgments about Entertainment,” James Hamilton, Kansas State University
Sat., 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
Session 3: Sat., 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
A. Perspectives on Online Gaming
Union 206. Moderator: Philip Nel, Kansas State University.
- “The Phenomenon of Online Gaming: A Hybrid Culture in Postmodernity,” Russel Keck, Kansas State University
- “Repetition and Simulation in Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games,” Kevin Eldred, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
B. Femininity and Power
Union 207. Moderator: Anne K. Phillips, Kansas State University.
- “An American Woman Castaway in Buffalo Dress, Shoes, Gloves, and Hat,” Shawn Thomson, University of Texas-Pan American
- “‘Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner’?: Voice, Agency, and Coming of Age in Dirty Dancing,” Anne K. Phillips, Kansas State University
- “‘With her jaunty hat and dotted lace veil’: The Meanings of Fashion in the Nineteenth-Century United States,” Amy Cummins, Fort Hays State University
Sat., 3:00 – 4:45 p.m.
Plenary Session: "What we Talk about when we Talk about Lil' Kim: Sexuality, Respectability and Black Feminist Futures," Francesca Royster, DePaul University. Union 207.