At the 2004 MMLA, the SCE will feature two panels focusing on the conditions of display in two scenes of exhibition.

Cultures of Exhibition I:
Horror Film Exhibition and Reception

Papers that explore material conditions of horror film exhibition and/or issues relating to their historical reception. Works might include studies that focus on horror-film showings in particular towns or city neighborhoods, newspaper contest tie-ins and other exhibitors' ballyhoo techniques, theater displays, and midnight ghost shows. Reception studies can center on individual films or consider broader trends. Papers on periods predating the modern horror film (1960) are especially welcome. Abstracts no later than April 1 to Robert Spadoni / robert.spadoni[at]case.edu; Department of English / Case Western Reserve University / 11112 Bellflower Rd / Cleveland, OH 44106-7117.

Cultures of Exhibition II:
Signs of Display: Linguistic and Semiotic Analyses of the Exhibition Space

Papers exploring how language and other sign systems guide patrons' experiences through public museums, zoological parks, and other institutions of display. Papers may include studies that focus on the implicit narrative structures of specific exhibits and exhibition sites; on how the written word functions in different spaces; on the relationship between language and other modes of communication; on how exhibition language changes over time, to name a few. Possible theoretical approaches include but are not limited to: cognitive linguistics and semiotics; discourse analysis; critical discourse analysis; and rhetorical theory, among others. Abstracts due no later than April 1 to Todd Oakley/ todd.oakley[at]case.edu; English Department/ Case Western Reserve University/ 1112 Bellflower Rd / Cleveland, OH 44106-7117.