This announcement will be of interest to all Albertan students studying religious studies, biblical studies, and theology. This is an annual student conference put on by the Religious Studies department at the University of Lethbridge. Note that this year the regional AAR/SBL meetings are being held at immediately following the student conference at the University of Lethbridge. I am hoping to bring a number of students with me to the conference this year and perhaps stay for the regional SBL meeting — I encourage you to do as well!

Call For Papers

5th Annual
RESEARCH IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTING THE FINEST STUDENT RESEARCH

Thursday, May 3 – Friday, May 4, 2007
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta

The conference is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate level students to present papers on the history, belief, practices, cultural contexts, and artistic or literary expressions of any religious tradition. Papers from every discipline within the academic fields of the humanities and social sciences are welcome.

It is open to students from any educational institute at any point in their educational career. Although we encourage PhD students to attend, we are particularly seeking papers by undergraduate and masters level students.

Paper Sessions: Papers will typically be given a maximum of 30 mins (20 mins for the presentation and 10 mins for questions). Papers will be organized according to basic topic areas (e.g. Hinduism, Biblical Studies, Mythology, etc.). Diverse topic areas will be scheduled into an open paper session.

Panels include a series of related papers and a single question period at the end, or responses by other contributors. You may propose a panel discussion, especially if you know other interested folk with a paper on a relevant topic (great for final year seminar courses). Contact Dr. J. R. Linville at the address below if you would like to help organize a special panel.

Poster Session: Whether you are presenting a paper or not, bring a poster highlighting your BA Honors paper, MA research (completed or planned), or other research project, and see if you can get some feedback. Posters will be prominently displayed and time will be scheduled to discuss the advertised projects with the folks who are willing to share ideas with those who are interested, curious, or just plain mystified.

Click here to propose a paper (deadline: March 23, 2007)

We will do our best to accept all deserving papers, but there is a limit to the number of papers we can accept. All proposals will be adjudicated by March 31, 2007. Late submissions will only be considered if schedule allows.

Presenters must pay the required registration fee to attend the conference.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO DISCUSS PAPERS, SPECIAL SESSIONS, AND WHAT NOT, CONTACT:
Dr. James R. Linville
403-329-2537
james.linville@uleth.ca

Also, the Religious Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge also has a blog where you can get updates and more information.