University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
May 29 - June 2, 2003
http://www.english.uga.edu/webx
I. The ACH/ALLC Conference
The joint conference of the Association for Computers and the Humanities and the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing is the oldest established meeting of scholars working at the intersection of advanced information technologies and the humanities, annually attracting a distinguished international community at the forefront of their fields. The theme for the 2003 conference is "Web X: A Decade of the World Wide Web," and it will include plenary addresses by leading scholars, including Marie-Laure Ryan, author of "Narrative as Virtual Reality: Immersion and Interactivity in Literature and Electronic Media" and "Cyberspace Textuality: Computer Technology and Literary Theory."
Recent years have seen enormous advances in information technologies, and a corresponding growth in the use of IT resources for research and teaching in the humanities. How exactly are these developments changing the ways in which humanities scholars work? What new and distinct methodologies is IT now bringing to the humanities? How do we expect methodologies, and the role of the humanities scholar, to change in the near future as a result of the impact of IT? How are IT-related developments in one discipline affecting or likely to affect those in others? Now that we have reached the 10th anniversary of the World Wide Web, what are the meanings and implications of these developments for languages, communities, genders and cultures, and humanities research? The time is ripe to survey and assess developments to date in humanities computing, and its likely future directions.
II. Allied Organizations
ALLC and ACH are developing a new affiliated organizations program, which will enable related professional organizations with a remit similar to that of ACH and ALLC to present a panel of papers in a parallel conference session.
We welcome proposals from such organizations for the 2003 conference. Suggested topics for inclusion could be on work which is being undertaken in the libraries, museum and archival fields, or in areas of computing in the humanities which have not previously been represented at ACH/ALLC.
We encourage representatives from other professional organizations to consider submitting a proposal under this initiative on topics they think might be relevant to the ACH/ALLC conference audience.
For more information about how to submit a proposal, or become an affiliated organization, please contact the conference program chair, lorna.hughes@nyu.edu
III. Submissions
ACH/ALLC 2003 invites submission of abstracts of between 750 and 1500 words on any aspect of humanities computing or new media, broadly defined to encompass the common ground between information technology and problems in humanities research and teaching. As always, we welcome submissions in any area of the humanities, especially interdisciplinary work. We especially encourage submissions on the current state of the art in humanities computing, and on recent new developments and expected future developments in the field.
Suitable subjects for proposals would also include:
* new approaches to research in humanities disciplines using digital resources dependent on images, audio, or video;
* the application to humanities data of techniques developed in such fields as information science and the physical sciences and engineering;
* traditional applications of computing in the humanities, including (but not limited to) text encoding, hypertext, text corpora, computational lexicography, statistical models, and text analysis;
* applications in the digital arts, especially projects and installations that feature technical advances of potential interest to humanities scholars;
* information design in the humanities, including visualization, simulation, and modeling;
* pedagogical applications of new media within the humanities;
* thoughtful considerations of the cultural impact of computing and new media;
* theoretical or speculative treatments of new media;
* the institutional role of new media within the contemporary academy, including curriculum development and collegial support for activities in these fields;
* the broader social role of humanities computing and the resources it develops.The deadline for submitting paper, session and poster proposals to the Program Committee has been extended to November 30th, 2002; these will all be refereed.
Proposals for (non-refereed) demos and for pre- or post-conference tutorials and workshops should be discussed directly with the local conference organizer as soon as possible. See below for full details on submitting proposals.
For more information on the conference in general have a look at other pages of this web site.
A. Types of Proposals
Proposals to the Program Committee may be of three types: papers, poster presentations, and sessions. The type of submission must be specified in the proposal. If the subject relates specifically to the theme of "Web X: A decade of the World Wide Web," please also make this explicit.
Papers may be given in English, French, and German, but to facilitate the reviewing process we ask that proposals for papers in a language other than English are submitted with an English translation.
* Papers
Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe original work: either completed research which has given rise to substantial results, or the development of significant new methodologies, or rigorous theoretical, speculative or critical discussions. Individual papers will be allocated 30 minutes for presentation, including questions.
Proposals that concentrate on the development of new computing methodologies should make clear how the methodologies are applied to research and/or teaching in the humanities, and should include some critical assessment of the application of those methodologies in the humanities. Those that concentrate on a particular application in the humanities should cite traditional as well as computer-based approaches to the problem and should include some critical assessment of the computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions and references to important sources. Those describing the creation or use of digital resources should follow these guidelines as far as possible.
* Poster Presentations
There should be no difference in quality between poster presentations and papers, and the format for proposals is the same for both. The same academic standards should apply in both cases, but posters may be a more suitable way of presenting late-breaking results, or significant work in progress, including pedagogical applications. Both will be submitted to the same refereeing process. The choice between the two modes of presentation should depend on the most effective and informative way of communicating the scientific content of the proposal. Poster presentations may also include software or technology and project demonstrations.
By definition, poster presentations are less formal and more interactive than a standard talk. Poster presenters have the opportunity to exchange ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in detail with those most deeply interested in the same topic. Each presenter is provided with about 2 square meters of board space to display their work. They may also provide handouts with examples or more detailed information. Posters will remain on display throughout the conference, but there will also be a separate conference session dedicated to them, when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer questions. Additional times may also be assigned for software or project demonstrations.
* Sessions
Sessions (90 minutes) take the form of either:
* Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of 750-1500 words for each paper, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the session; or
* A panel of four to six speakers. The panel organizer should submit an abstract of 750-1500 words describing the panel topic, how it will be organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that each speaker is willing to participate in the session.
The deadline for session proposals is the same as for proposals for papers.
B. Format
All proposals must be submitted electronically using the on-line form, which can be found at:
www.english.uga.edu/webx
Please pay particular attention to the information that is required about each proposal. Submissions which do not contain the required information will be returned to the authors, and may not be considered at all if they are received close to the deadline.
The information required for all submissions includes:
TYPE OF PROPOSAL: paper, poster, or session
TITLE: title of paper, poster, or session
KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the paper or session
AUTHOR: name of first author
AFFILIATION: of first author
E-MAIL: of first author
AUTHOR: name of second author (repeat these three headings as necessary)
AFFILIATION: of second author
E-MAIL: of second author
CONTACT ADDRESS: full postal address of first author or contact person for session proposals
FAX NUMBER: of first author or contact person
PHONE NUMBER: of first author or contact personIf submitting a session proposal, the following information will be required for each paper:
TITLE: title of paper
KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the paper
AUTHOR: name of first author
AFFILIATION: of first author
E-MAIL: of first authorPlease note the following additional information:
* The order of participants provided on the form will be the order used in the final program.
* If submitting a session proposal, please enter one abstract for the whole session in the "session/paper abstract" box, noting clearly the title and author of each paper in the session.
* In addition to requesting the above information, the form provides a way for proposers to upload their proposal, which must be in TEI-XLite, HTML or plain text (ASCII/ISO 8859-1) format, plus up to 5 image files. These graphics, if uploaded, should be prepared in a manner appropriate for both on-line publication and printing in black-and-white in the conference book.
* All text, whether it is provided in TEI, HTML or ASCII format will be put into a standard XML format. Please, therefore, restrict HTML tagging to that required to make the abstract structure evident.
* Unfortunately, it is still true, even in this day of XML and Unicode, that publishing systems and web browsers often limit access to extended character sets. Thus, although TEI-XLite format and therefore
Unicode can be used for submission, please try if possible to avoid character sets that might not be viewable on reviewer's web browsers or printable by the program's printer.C. Examples from Past Conferences
Those interested in seeing examples of materials presented at previous
conferences can consult online abstracts and programs at: http://www.ach.org/ACH_Archive.shtmlThe conference has previously been held at:
* University of Tuebingen (2002)
* New York University (2001)
* University of Glasgow, Scotland (2000)
* University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (1999)
* University of Debrecen, Hungary (1998)
* Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1997)
* University of Bergen, Norway (1996)Because of the fast evolution of the field, however, work of a kind not previously seen at the conference is especially welcomed.
IV. Publication
A book of abstracts of all papers, poster presentations and sessions will be provided to all conference participants. In addition, abstracts will be published on the conference web page.
A volume of selected proceedings is planned for publication after the conference; all papers submitted in publishable form before the end of the conference will be considered for this collection.
V. Deadlines
* November 30th, 2002: Submission of proposals for papers, poster presentations, sessions and software demos.
* October 1st, 2002: Conference registration opens. To register, go to:
http://www.gactr.uga.edu/conferences/2003/May/29/webx.phtml
* February 14th, 2003: Notification of acceptance for papers, poster presentations, sessions and software demos.
VI. Bursaries
* from the ALLC
As part of its commitment to promote the development and application of appropriate computing in humanities scholarship, the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing will award up to five bursaries of up to 500 GB pounds each to students and young scholars who have papers or poster presentations accepted for presentation at the conference.
Applicants must be members of ALLC. The ALLC will make the awards after the Program Committee have decided which proposals are to be accepted. Recipients will be notified as soon as possible thereafter. A participant in a multi-author paper is eligible for an award, but it must be clear that s/he is contributing substantially to the paper.
Full details of the scheme may be found on the ALLC home page: http://www.allc.org/
Applications must be made using the on-line form available on this website.
* from elsewhere
The conference organizers are working on arranging other bursaries; details will be published on the conference web site: http://www.english.uga.edu/webx
VII. Further Information
* Fees
The conference fee will be $275, which includes the printed abstracts, morning and afternoon refreshment breaks, lunches and receptions.
* Equipment Availability and Requirements
Presenters will have available an overhead projector, a slide projector, a data projector for Windows and Macintosh OS, and an Internet connected computer running Windows. Requests for other presentation equipment will be considered by the local organizers. All submissions should indicate the type of hardware and software required for presentation.
* Location
Information on Athens, Georgia and its University, travel, accommodation, and the social program can all be found linked to the conference website: http://www.english.uga.edu/webx
* Queries
Queries concerning the goals of the conference, the format or content of papers, and other topics relating to the academic program should be addressed to the Chair of the International Program Committee:
Lorna M. Hughes
Assistant Director for Humanities Computing
Information Technology Services
New York University
251 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10012-1185, USAE-mail: Lorna.Hughes@NYU.EDU
Phone: (212) 998 3070
Fax: (212) 995 4120Queries concerning conference registration, travel, local organization and facilities, and other aspects of the local setting should be addressed to:
Bill Kretzschmar
Chair, Local Committee
The University of Georgia
Department of English
317 Park Hall
Athens, GA 30602-6205
Email: kretzsch@arches.uga.eduVIII. International Program Committee and Local Organizers
Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers who will make recommendations to the Program Committee comprising:
Elisabeth Burr, Gerhard-Mercator-Universitt Duisburg
Lorna Hughes (Chair), New York University
Laszlo Hunyadi, University of Debrecen
Martha Nell Smith, University of Maryland
Natasha Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ray Siemens, Malaspina University College
Michael Sperberg-McQueen, World Wide Web Consortium
Simon Horobin, University of GlasgowThe conference is hosted by the Department of English and the Georgia Center for Continuing Education at the University of Georgia. The Chair of the local organizing committee is Bill Kretzschmar, department of English, University of Georgia.