Announcements Focus On German Studies Conference 2012 Call For Papers200 The German Graduate Student Association of the University of Cincinnati and the editors of the graduate student journal Focus on German Studies present the Eighteenth Annual Focus Graduate Student Conference to be held November 8–9, 2013 at the University of Cincinnati. The event is sponsored by the Charles Phelps Taft Center, the DAAD, and the Graduate Student Governance Association at the University of Cincinnati. Re: working, thinking, seeing. Adapting to the 21st Century Keynote Speaker: Dr. Frans Mäyrä In the digital age, the lines between inspiration, adaptation, and plagiarism become in- creasingly blurred as new media are explored. Taking inspiration from others is nothing new; ideas are constantly reworked across time, cultures, and media. Societies change, new subcultures are introduced, the boundaries of law are explored, and adaptations often find themselves on the avant garde. Each adaptation becomes a new, independent, work in its own right, but is it possible or preferable to analyze it as such? How do adap- tations change one’s perspective of the “original” work? Comparing adaptations across formats offers the opportunity to explore the unique possibilities and limitations of various traditional and new media. Questions of per- spective and the effects of audience interaction, for example, are some of the aspects to be discussed when exploring new media adaptations of familiar narratives. New ways of telling a story, evoking emotion, protesting, advocating, and expressing oneself are Call For Papers Conference 2012 Focus on German Studies 20 201 being developed every day. In what ways does this affect older media, and where do we go from here? This conference seeks to explore what it means to adapt a narrative in the twen- ty-first century. In continuing the interdisciplinarity of last year’s conference, we en- courage critical and reflective papers from all areas of study with a focus on adaptations involving a German contribution. Possible topics include but are not limited to the following: • Intermediary adaptations (print, film, stage, visual art, new media, etc.) • Intercultural adaptations • Adaptation reception • Defining adaptation • Comparative approaches to adaptation • Close readings of adaptations • Archetypes and stock characters • Adaptations of classics • Counterfactual history • Mythical and Biblical themes • Adaptation vs. Plagiarism • Satiric responses • “Based on a true story…” • Remakes, Restagings, Revivals • Fanfic • Music sampling • Memes Revised conference papers can also be submitted for publication in our Focus on Ger- man Studies journal. Please send an abstract of 250-300 words in either English or German as an MS Word attachment by August 8, 2013 to Alexandra Parks and Alex Hogue at fogs.editor@gmail.com (ATTN: Focus on GS Conference). On a separate cover sheet, please list the proposed paper title, author’s name, university affiliation and email address. Conference participants have the option of housing with UC graduate students. Announcements202 The purpose of our book review section is to introduce our readership to primary and secondary works published within the last two years. Our aim is to discuss the work thematically and stylistically and, when possible, to contextualize the work within the author’s oeuvre or its respective genre. We have the cooperation of major Austrian, German, and Swiss publishers and can provide review copies. Please see our website for a current list of books available for review. http://www.artsci.uc.edu/departments/german/focus/reviewers.html If you are interested in reviewing books for Focus on German Studies, please send us the following information: (1) name and address, (2) institution, (3) area of interest, (4) topic of MA thesis or dissertation, and (5) your projected date of degree comple- tion. Focus also accepts recommendations for books to review. Submit an example of your best academic work to Focus on German Studies. Focus on German Studies, a journal produced by the German Graduate Student Association (GGSA) at the University of Cincinnati, is an important voice of the next generation of scholars in German Studies. Submissions demonstrating original scholarship in any area of German-language literature or German Studies will be considered for publica- tion. We also publish interviews with German-speaking writers. Please submit papers to the email below as a Microsoft Word attachment or on disk to the address below in Microsoft Word format. Manuscripts should be ca. 15- 20 pages in length, double-spaced. They must follow the MLA style guidelines. The manuscript should be prepared so that it can be read anonymously. The deadline for submissions to be considered for the 2014 volume of Focus on German Studies is January 1, 2014. After that date, Focus on German Studies will accept submissions for its 2015 volume. Inquiries and submissions should be made to the address below: Focus on German Studies Attn: Alexandra Parks/Alex Hogue Department of German Studies University of Cincinnati PO Box 210372 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0372 USA Phone: (513) 556-2754 Fax: (513) 556-1991 fogs.editor@gmail.com Submissions Requested Call For Book Reviewers Focus on German Studies 20 203 Subscriptions One volume per year Check appropriate option(s): ____ $ 20 Student Membership ____ $ 22 Faculty Membership ____ $ 28 Institution ____ $ 5 Additional postage for subscriptions outside North America (per issue) ____ Back issue: Send Vol. ____ Issue ____ Total Amount Enclosed: ____________________________ Name: _____________________________ Address: ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ All orders should be made payable in USD to: Focus on German Studies Department of German Studies University of Cincinnati Box 210372 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0372 USA Phone: (513) 556-2754 Fax: (513) 556-1991 204