CFP: Pedagogical Encounters in Law, Culture and the Humanities

Academics in law, culture and the humanities find the “law” in a wide
array of cultural sites – from Victorian diaries, to Hollywood
blockbusters, to children’s literature, to memorial architecture.  This
richness poses incredible opportunities but also daunting challenges
for us in the classroom.  How do we teach an entire novel to law
students? How might a literature class approach the legal issues raised
by a poem? How do we take account of the vision- and sound-scapes in
film? How does one study a museum? These kinds of pedagogical
encounters are the focus of a unique and innovative three-day institute to be held at Carleton University in Ottawa, from October 3rd to 5th 2008, hosted by the Canadian Initiative in Law, Culture and Humanities.

In the spirit of the subject matter itself, a small group of fewer than
thirty academics from a range of disciplines will come together for an
intense, interactive learning experience.  We are eschewing the
traditional conference format in favour of a series of collaborative
learning events, including: hands-on workshops, feedback sessions on
works-in-progress, screenings, performances, site visits, course
outline exchanges, live book reviews, and so on.  Participants will
move together through the activities over the course of the entire
three days building a cumulative energy and a new repertoire of skills
and ideas.

If you would like to participate, please send a one-page text outlining
why you would like to attend, your own pedagogical experiences and
challenges, and how you would see yourself contributing.  Please send
the email by June 9, 2008 to CILCH@carleton.ca and include a brief
biographical statement.  We look forward to hearing from you. We also
ask that you kindly post and circulate this call to any others that you
feel might be interested in participating.

The Canadian Initiative in Law, Culture and Humanities was founded in
2004 at Carleton University.  Having hosted a small conference in 2005
and a larger event in 2007, and recognizing the merits of both, we plan
to alternate annually between a larger conference and smaller, more
intimate, themed gatherings.  Given the format of our October 2008
institute, we will have to limit the number of participants.  This
will, no doubt, be a difficult task.  If we are not able to invite you
to this event, then we certainly hope you will join us the following
year for the larger conference.