Penn Reading Groups in Literature, Theory and Cultural Studies
The American Literature Seminar meets on Tuesdays each month to hear invited lectures, workshop student and faculty works-in-progress, and discuss current issues in American literary and cultural studies. The Seminar works to promote collegial exchange between students and faculty in the Philadelphia area, and Americanists from the region are invited to join our listserv and attend monthly meetings. For further information, please contact 2011-2012 Seminar coordinators Phillip Maciak (maciak at english.upenn.edu) and Christen Mucher (mucher at sas.upenn.edu).
Eighteenth-Century Reading Group
The Eighteenth-Century Reading Group at the University of Pennsylvania brings graduate students and faculty together to discuss the cultural productions of the long 18th century--from the Restoration through Romanticism. Although we primarily concentrate on the literary culture of England, Scotland and Ireland, past meetings have taken up other cultural forms (trial transcripts, visual art, music) and other regions (North and South America, the Caribbean, India, Africa). Group activities range from lecture events and works-in-progress to dramatic readings and discussions of texts. The group seeks to provide an informal forum for scholars within the Penn community and beyond to present new work. We are also dedicated to seminar-style reading of primary texts, particularly those not commonly taught despite their popularity and influence in the period. For a list upcoming events, please see our current schedule. For more information, including how to subscribe to group's listserv, contact Alice McGrath (amcgr at sas.upenn.edu), group coordinator for 2011-2012.
Film Studies Group
The Film Study Group is a new reading group aimed at exploring and discussing the history and theory of cinema and other related media, as well as providing a forum for graduate students to present and get input on their own work-in-progress. Since students working on film are spread across a number of departments, we also hope to foster connections between departments and raise awareness of a community of students with shared interests. Meetings will be every-other week, on Wednesday nights. Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Gender and Sexuality Studies Reading Group
The Gender and Sexuality Reading Group at Penn provides a regular forum for discussions related to gender, sexuality, feminism, queer theory, and their intersection with other fields. The group also provides a space for the presentation of works in progress by people at Penn and in the Philadelphia area. If you would like to join the gen/sex mailing list, please e-mail Sarah Nicolazzo (sarah.nicolazzo@gmail.com) or Don James McLaughlin (donjamesmclaughlin@gmail.com).
Latitudes is an interdisciplinary reading group that focuses on issues of empire, postcolonialism, race, transnationalism, and globalization. We meet on Tuesdays at 5pm to discuss presentations by scholars (Penn faculty, students, and visitors from other institutions) or readings that have been suggested by group members. In addition, Latitudes often collaborates with other reading groups to foster discussions on a wide variety of issues across diverse fields. For more information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact coordinators Monika Bhagat-Kennedy (mbkenne@sas.upenn.edu) or Divya Nair (dnair@sas.upenn.edu).
The Medieval-Renaissance Seminar
The Medieval-Renaissance Seminar meets approximately every other week during the academic year. Scholars--from Penn graduate students and faculty, to visiting academics--share drafts of article-length works-in-progress with the Med-Ren group, offering participants a chance to make significant contributions. Med-Ren aims to foster lively conversations about the historical materials and cultural traditions central to our fields, and encourages dialogue about the critical perspectives and methodological practices that we bring to bear upon them. Our meetings range in form and tone from Q&As, to brainstorm sessions, to rigorous, constructive critiques of the articles. Med-Ren meets on Wednesdays in the Graduate Lounge (Fisher-Bennett Hall, Rm 330); meetings run from 5:00 to 6:30. Our listserv address is medren at english.upenn.edu, and instructions for subscription can be found on our site.
Modernism and Twentieth Century Studies Group
"Mods" is devoted to the discussion of shared texts that address cultural and literary problematics pertinent to the study of modernism and twentieth-century studies. Primarily a forum to workshop works in progress by graduate students and faculty at Penn and beyond, Mods is open to scholars working in literary modernism as well as related fields, including Victorianism, contemporary literature, cultural studies, and postmodernism. In addition to works in progress, Mods convenes seminar discussions around shared readings in the field, workshops in pedagogy, and other programs, and frequently cosponsors events with the American Literature, Film Studies, Latitudes, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Poetry and Poetics reading groups. For more information or to be placed on the Mods listserv, please contact one of the coordinators: Beth Blum (bethblum@sas.upenn.edu), Jos Lavery (lavjo@sas.upenn.edu), or Katie Price (klprice@sas.upenn.edu).
The Poetry & Poetics Reading Group
The Poetry & Poetics Reading Group meets two Mondays a month from 5—7pm in the Grad Lounge (Fisher-Bennett Hall 330), and on an ad hoc basis for Friday brunches at the Kelly Writers House. Our flexible, conversation-based discussion group focuses especially on twentieth-century poetry and contemporary critical work in English. We also read comparatively and transnationally; our group is grounded in the English Department but enjoys interdisciplinary participation, regularly hosts visiting poets, and includes poets and poetry readers from Temple and other schools in the area. To be added to our email list, email Jonathan Fedors (fedors at english.upenn.edu) or Amy Paeth (apaeth at sas.upenn.edu).
Science and Literature Reading Group
The Science and Literature Reading Group meets every three weeks (generally Thursdays at 5:00pm in the Grad lounge in Fisher-Bennett Hall) to discuss readings on science, media, and literature--ranging from history of science, science studies, critical theory, media theory, media history and science fiction. Our group consists of graduate students and faculty from English, History of Science, and Comparative Literature from Penn and nearby universities. All are welcome to attend. Please contact Jason Zuzga (jasonzuzga at gmail.com) to be added to the listserv or with any questions about the group.
Workshop on the History of Material Texts
The workshops on the History of Material Texts are now in their 14th year. Participants (including faculty, librarians, graduates, booksellers and anyone else interested) come from a very wide range of disciplines and all are welcome to attend. The usual format of the seminar is a presentation of approximately thirty minutes, followed by discussion, based if possible on handouts or other visual materials. Unless noted otherwise, workshops will be held at 5:15 in the Lea Library on the sixth floor of Van Pelt Library. If you would like to receive announcements about upcoming workshops, please sign up for our listserv.