BUDDHIST TRADITIONS: NEW DIRECTIONS
2012 North American Graduate Student Conference in Buddhist Studies
The Buddhist Studies Group at the University of Virginia is pleased to announce a conference to be hosted on the UVa Grounds from September 14 -16, 2012. Our interdisciplinary graduate student conference, entitled “Buddhist Traditions: New Directions,” will open with a keynote address delivered by Gregory Schopen, esteemed scholar whose pioneering work in early Mahayana Buddhism is a model for the “new directions” toward which this conference is aimed. In addition to 15 paper presentations, for which this announcement serves as a call for proposals, we will also host two special events: an introduction to UVa Buddhist Studies faculty initiatives in the digital humanities and a workshop on new directions in teaching Buddhism to undergraduates. UVa’s more than thirty graduate students in Buddhist Studies look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an enriching collaborative experience.
Paper Proposals
We are seeking paper proposals from students currently enrolled in M.A. or Ph.D. programs in Buddhist Studies or related fields. The fifteen papers selected for presentation will be organized into panels, each chaired by a faculty respondent. Presentations will not exceed twenty minutes. Please submit your proposal of 500 words, along with your name, university and department affiliation, and a brief bio, to buddhiststudiesgroup@virginia.edu by April 10, 2012. You will be notified in May of the status of your proposal, after which we will publish a detailed schedule of the conference.
While we hope to keep the conference theme of “Buddhist traditions” broad enough to encourage widespread participation, we also see this event as a special opportunity to explore “new directions” — forward pathways in scholarship made possible not only by advances in digital technology and a growing global consciousness, but also by the particular vision that each new generation of scholars offers to the field. This conference is designed to be a forum in which young scholars can test new approaches, bridge disciplines in creative ways, and expand the scope of sources that we bring to our studies. In this spirit, we strongly encourage proposals that stretch received boundaries and challenge the way we think about studying Buddhism.
(For a helpful discussion on how to craft a conference paper proposal, see the guidelines posted by the American Academy of Religion here).
Funding
University of Virginia entities have allocated generous funding to cover the costs of all lodging and meals for students presenting papers. Travel funds, however, should be obtained from the students’ home institutions or other sources. Submissions from international applicants are welcome, although please keep in mind that we are unable to provide international travel funding. We also invite any non-presenting students to attend at their own cost.
Contact
Please submit your proposals and any questions to buddhiststudiesgroup@virginia.edu. Graduate students Manuel Lopez (mal5f@virginia.edu), Matt Zito (mjz3pm@virginia.edu), and Christie Kilby Robinson (cak9pn@virginia.edu) are the conference organizers, whom you may also contact with questions.