Lumos 2006: A Harry Potter Symposium is pleased to announce the release of its Call for Proposals. The symposium, to be held July 27th - 30th, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV, will offer two full days of academic programming for adult fans and scholars of the Harry Potter novels.

The Lumos programming committee seeks proposals for presentation papers, moderated panels, workshops, and posters on any topic relating to the Harry Potter novels and/or the fan community. Prospective presenters have until January 31, 2006 to submit their proposals, which will be sorted into six major categories:

* Literary and Media Studies - Discussion of themes within the Harry Potter books and films

* Legal, Politics, and Ethics - Exploration of legal and political issues related to the texts, both within the world of the books and as they relate to our own Muggle world

* Social Sciences - Critical responses to the texts through the lenses of anthropology, sociology, psychology, folklore, etc.

* Education/Library Studies - Special programming for educators and librarians

* Fandom Culture - Discussions of the unique cultural issues arising within the Harry Potter fandom.

* Fan Creations; Fanfiction and Fanart - Examination and discussion of original fan-generated responses to the texts

Lumos’ scope, however, extends beyond formal papers, encompassing a variety of presentation models such as critical panels, workshops and poster sessions, with an emphasis on audience participation and interaction.

Given the wealth of options open to potential presenters, Olivieri expects a rich and diverse range of submissions. “I am looking forward to seeing a wide variety of themes offered in the submissions, everything from character analyses to a critique of Hogwarts’ educational system to an in-depth analysis of online fandom culture and the popularity of fanfiction.”

To read more about the symposium go here. Proposals can be submitted via this link.

If you have any queries then please contact Jessica.

Source: Lumos 2006