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ASA Program Book
General Conference Information

Registration

All persons attending the convention must register. All registrants may pick up a copy of the program book at the registration desk, located on the ground level of the Renaissance Washington Hotel.

Purchase conference registration, tour, and special events tickets at the ASA Storefront, http://prostores2.carrierzone.com/servlet/theasanet/StoreFront. Even if paying by check, attendees must still register and purchase tickets from the ASA Storefront. After completing the online form and selecting the "pay by check" option, attendees should make checks payable to the American Studies Association and mail them to:

Please note that this is not a correspondence address. Use it only to remit payments. Please do not send hotel registration forms or room payments to this address.

ON-SITE RATE

The registration desk will be on the Ballroom Level of the Renaissance Washington. The desk will be open the following hours:

Session chairs and participants arriving on the day of their scheduled session must check in at the registration desk thirty (30) minutes prior to the session in order to receive registration materials.

Please note: registration fees are neither refundable nor transferable.

Forfeited registration and ticket fees will automatically transfer to the Baxter Travel Grant Fund. The Baxter Grants provide partial travel reimbursement to advanced graduate students who are members of the ASA and who will travel to the convention in order to appear on the Annual Meeting program.

CARBON OFFSETS

On the "Event Fees" portion of the registration form for the 2009 Annual Meeting, you will find a category marked "carbon offset." Like all other event fees, this category is optional. There is no obligation to participate. Rather, we have added the category as a (potentially) useful service that the ASA can provide to our membership: the option to offset carbon emissions that may result from your travel to our annual meeting.

Those interested in purchasing carbon offsets for travel to the annual meeting will no doubt be curious as to what they are actually buying. The plan (for this year, at least) is to distribute our collective purchase of offsets between two organizations. Climate Trust (www.climatetrust.org) supports wind, energy production efficiency, reforestation, and a range of other technologies. Native Energy (www.nativeenergy.com) focuses on the development of wind power on Northern Plains Indian reservations; it is majority-owned by the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy. Its current projects are focused on wind power and methane remediation on dairy farms. Both of these organizations were highly ranked (among the top eight offset providers) in the most recent evaluation of offset offerings, particularly on the question of "additionality." For that report, see http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/consumersguidetocarbonoffsets.pdf.

The cost to purchase Carbon Offset (@ 1 ton) to cover average travel to Washington, D.C., is $12.00.

Badges

Badges must be presented for admission to all sessions, receptions, and the book exhibit. Badges are obtained through the payment of registration fees and should be picked up on-site at the conference registration desk.

Ticketed Events

Some special events require tickets. Early reservations are advised because tickets are available in limited quantities. For meal functions, no tickets will be sold after the cut-off dates noted.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
International Partnership Luncheon
We welcome all representatives of U.S. and non-U.S. American studies programs interested in exploring possible international partnerships as well as existing partnerships. No tickets will be sold on line after 6 pm, November 1, 2009. No tickets will be sold on site after 5:00 pm on November 4, 2009. Cost of tickets is $15 for ASA members and $10 for ASA international scholar members.

6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
American Studies Association Welcome Reception at the
National Museum of the American Indian
Join with fellow ASA members in a welcome reception at the National Museum of the American Indian. All members and guests are encouraged to attend. This event requires only a conference badge for admission. For more information on the NMAI, please visit http://www.nmai.si.edu.

NMAI on the National Mall
Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20560
202-633-1000

DIRECTIONS [MAP]
The National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., is located on the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building.

Metro
L’Enfant Plaza (Blue/Orange/Green/Yellow lines).
Exit Maryland Avenue/Smithsonian Museums.

Parking
The museum does not have parking. Parking is available by meter on the surrounding streets and in local paid parking garages.

Friday, November 6, 2009

8:00 AM to 9:45 AM
Mentoring Breakfast of the Minority Scholars' Committee
Sponsored by the Minority Scholars' Committee, this is a mentoring breakfast for minority graduate students and junior faculty. We invite all graduate students and faculty committed to this endeavor to attend. No tickets will be sold on line after 6 pm, November 1, 2009. No tickets will be sold on site after 5:00 pm on November 5, 2009. Cost is $20 for ASA members, $15 for ASA junior faculty members, and $10 for ASA student members.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Luncheon of the Women's Committee: Go Tell Michelle:
Citizenship, Belonging, and the First Lady
This luncheon features Peggy Brooks-Bertram and Barbara Seals Nevergold reading from their new book, Go Tell Michelle: African Am ericans Write to the New First Lady. Professors Brooks-Bertram and Nevergold are founders of Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research on Women and Education at the University of Buffalo.

The Women's Committee is committed to attending to the intersecting identities of gender, race, geographic location, sexuality, class, (dis)ability, and age, and we invite you to participate in a rich and generative discussion at these crossroads. No tickets will be sold on line after 5:00 pm, November 1, 2009. No tickets will be sold on site after 5:00 pm on November 5, 2009. Cost of tickets is $25 for ASA members and $15 for ASA student members.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
K–16 Collaboration Luncheon with Speaker Teresa Murphy:
Women, Gender, and the Historical Narrative: Still a Challenge
The 2009 K–16 Collaboration Luncheon speaker, Teresa Murphy, will address how women's history has affected K–12 curricula in significant ways. Most history classes now make sure that students learn about the accomplishments, and the lives, of women in different historical periods. However, the overall narrative in U.S. history surveys, whether at the K–12 level, or even the college level, has remained largely impervious to the analytical insights of women's history. This is a particularly surprising development since so much of the work in women's and gender history during the past couple of decades has directly addressed key elements of the historical narrative, reframing the analysis of key moments in history in significant ways. This talk will look at some of these crucial analytical breakthroughs, discuss their potential impact on the overall narrative of U.S. history, and consider some of the reasons why the larger narrative has not incorporated this new scholarship.

Please note that the K–16 Collaboration Luncheon requires a ticket. Early reservations are advised as tickets are available in limited quantities. No tickets will be sold on line after 6 pm, November 1, 2009. No tickets will be sold on site after 5 PM on November 6, 2009. Cost of tickets is $25 for ASA members and $15 for ASA K–12 teacher members.

11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Tour of "1934: A New Deal for Artists" Exhibition with Ann Prentice Wagner
This exhibition celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Public Works of Art Program-the first federal government program to support the arts nationally. This New Deal program paid artists to embellish public buildings with scenes of local ways of life, history, and landscape in
1934. The exhibition highlights the Smithsonian's extraordinary collection of paintings and features works by artists such as Ilya Bolotowsky, Ivan Albright, Herman Maril, Charles L. Goeller, O. Louis Guglielmi, Ray Strong and nearly 50 others. The tour is led by Ann Prentice Wagner, co-curator of the exhibition. Space is limited to 20. There is no charge beyond ASA's $5 registration fee. Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Corner of 8th and F Streets NW. Meet in the G Street Lobby 15 minutes before the tour begins.

2:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Hillwood Museum Open House and Reception
Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens is the historic home of Marjorie Post, of Postum Cereal and General Foods Corporation. At your leisure, tour the property, known for its gardens and collections in French and Russian decorative art, and the mansion's notable 1950s kitchen. Then join a private ASA reception for light refreshments and to hear about Hillwood's forthcoming initiatives in American studies from Estella Chung, Hillwood's curator of American material culture. Space is limited to 20.The estate is open to ASA guests at 2 pm. The ASA reception in Hillwood's Adirondack building is at 4:30 pm.

Hillwood is located at 4155 Linnean Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C., a taxi ride from the hotel or a 20-minute walk from the Van Ness–UDC Metro station on the Red Line. From the Metro exit on the east side of Connecticut Avenue, walk south on Connecticut toward Van Ness Auto Care and turn left onto Upton Street. Turn right onto Linnean Avenue. The entrance to the estate is on the left. There is no charge beyond ASA's $5 registration fee. No tickets will be sold after 6 pm, November 6, 2009.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

7:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Networking Breakfast for American Studies and Ethnic Studies
Program Directors: Tenure and Promotion in American Studies
The Committee on ASA Programs and Centers, in collaboration with the Minority Scholars' Committee, proposes an assessment of and dialogue about issues and problems with tenure and promotion in American studies, particularly for faculty of color, and unique to faculty with and without joint appointments who engage in research that crosses disciplinary borders. The workshop will feature Cathy Trower, research director of the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a consortium of more than 120 colleges and universities across North America based at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. A recent COACHE survey of more than 8,500 junior faculty members at 96 institutions revealed that tenure-track faculty seek more clarity about the tenure process. With that goal in view, presenters will offer concrete and practical advice on such issues as the clarification of expectations for tenure and promotion, the development of guidelines for promotion and tenure, particular issues and concerns for faculty of color, pre- and post-tenure reviews, teaching portfolios, the identification and evaluation of American studies and interdisciplinary journals, and interruptions of the tenure clock. Participants attending the workshop, representatives from a variety of American studies programs around the world, will also have an opportunity to contribute advice and discuss challenges they face. No tickets will be sold on line after 6 pm, November 1, 2009. No tickets will be sold on site after 5:00 PM on November 7, 2009. Cost of tickets is $20.

Featured Sessions of the 2009 Program Committee

The program committee is pleased to sponsor several sessions organized by its members in order to address this year's themes of citizenship, sustainability, and belonging. These sessions represent the committee's desire to engage topical issues as well as perennial concerns, and to take advantage of the location of the annual meeting in the nation's capital. Despite our best anticipatory intentions, history, of course, did not stand still, compelling us to respond to events after we had thought that our work was done. In our conviction that contemporary issues are best examined within the context of the past, we invite those in attendance to reflect on our own history as an association of teacher-scholars, as it abides in the contributions and legacies of past ASA presidents John Hope Franklin and Emory Elliott, who died earlier this year. The program committee welcomed examinations of "biopower" through sessions exploring the state's impact on resources essential for human dignity and sustainable living; food, water, health, oil, and social justice were among the themes that we encouraged. "Aging Citizen: Queer Belonging in the Post–Baby Boomer State" addresses the need for quality health care for the substantial population of aging Americans, with special reference to men and women with HIV/AIDS. Another featured session considers the possibilities for coalition and movement building in light of the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which outlawed same-sex marriages in that state. Two sessions, "Palestine in Crisis" and "Academic Freedom and the Right to Education: The Question of Palestine" address the plight of Palestinian universities and academics and the profound pressures on teaching and research in contexts, in both the United States and Palestine, in which education and intellectual free dom are particularly under threat. The roundtable session "Music and Activism" features musicians and organizers from the DC metro area. Finally, "Michael Jackson and the Contradictions of Belonging" attempts to come to grips with the global superstar's audacious claim to belong to all of us.

Friday, November 6, 2009

10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
GLBT Policy and Movement Building after Proposition 8
No event in recent American political history has struck more closely at the heart of questions of citizenship and belonging than the November 2008 passage of California's Proposition 8. Building on a long California history of using ballot initiatives to assert racial domination, Proposition 8 used the referendum to eliminate the civil marriage rights of gay and lesbian citizens affirmed by the California Supreme Court decision in May 2008. This painful electoral event has troubled many GLBT Californians' sense of belonging both as citizens and as spouses. Yet it has also spurred new nationwide waves of strategic thinking and activist energy around GLBT rights issues.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Palestine in Crisis
This roundtable discussion will explore the current state of university life in the West Bank and Gaza. Because the university and academic life are intimately related to conditions in Palestine more generally, the roundtable will include national and international experts who will speak to several aspects of the current situation on the ground: the ongoing violence in Gaza; the political situation regarding Hamas and Fatah, and the specific problems facing Palestinian universities. The roundtable responds to severa l ongoing issues: first, the debate about how American academics should respond to the violence in Palestine-Israel. There has been a fairly broad discussion about U.S. scholars' relationships to Israel, but there has been relatively little conversation about the pressing question of how U.S. academics can actively respond to the crisis of Palestinian universities and academics, and support academic freedom for Palestinians in the context of the limitations that the ongoing occupation have placed on research and teaching. This session is organized with the goal that the presentations by the panelists will be informative and will help members to understand and theorize the conditions that have produced the current situation.

5:00 PM to 6:45 PM
In Memoriam: Emory Elliott

Saturday, November 7, 2009

10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Aging Citizen: Queer Belonging in the Post–Baby Boomer State
In this panel we will discuss matters of aging and maturation in relation to health and health care; the aging, deterioration, and rehabilitation of key social and cultural institutions; and the very concept of communal and national maturation both in the United States and elsewhere in the Americas. With a particular focus on the lives and experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and "queer" individuals, we will be specifically concerned with the question of what the effects are of the increased presence of long-lived persons with HIV disease within key social and cultural institutions. We will also ask what roles gender and sexuality studies can and should take in universities and colleges as these fields presumably come to be increasingly well established.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Academic Freedom and the Right to Education: The Question of Palestine
This session furnishes an occasion for the panelists and audience members to debate the justice and efficacy of various calls for academic freedom and the right to education both in the United States and Palestine, particularly recent calls for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. The panel also will consider questions such as the following: How might U.S.-based ethnic studies frameworks contribute to the analysis of the Israel-Palestine situation? How might the concept of a "right to education" help to reframe U.S. discussions of segregation, re-segregation, and access to education?

2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Michael Jackson and the Contradictions of Belonging
This roundtable sess ion is set up as a conversation among popular music scholars—academics and journalists—focusing on the cultural significance of Michael Jackson, his music, and his career. Perhaps no other public figure of the past thirty years has so clearly delineated the cultural contradictions of belonging in, with, and to the fragmented public of the United States. As the acknowledged "King of Pop," Jackson commanded our attention as he laid claim to the center of commercial culture. From that position, he was essentially forced to interact with the most fundamental contradictions of American life. Throughout his career, race, gender, class, sexuality, and age all functioned as prisms through which to view and interpret Jackson's talents as a musician, dancer, and marketer. This panel will address these contradictions as they emerged in and through Jackson's audacious claim to belong to all of us.

5:00 PM to 6:45 PM
In Memoriam: John Hope Franklin

K–16 Collaboration Committee Day

This year's annual meeting will explore the creating opportunities of K–16 collaboration—the partnership of K–12 teachers with college and university teacher-scholars—that are offered within the ever-renewing field of American studies. K–16 collabor ation is an education initiative that has been growing dramatically over the past ten years, and expanding into areas of public humanistic practice in museums, libraries, theaters, and other community centers. Both K–12 and college/university teachers are invited to participate in these sessions.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

8:00 AM to 9:45 AM
Tools for Teachers: American Studies Resources for the K–16 Classroom
In this session, sponsored by the K–16 Collaboration Committee, panelists will discuss the benefits of using widely available online resources to enhance teaching and promote learning in the K–16 classroom. The resources highlighted include EDSITEment and Picturing America, presented by Barbara Ashbrook, assistant director of the Division of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Toolbox Library, presented by Richard Schramm, vice president for education programs, the National Humanities Center; and the online version of the Encyclopedia of American Studies, presented by Emily Anderson and Bernadette May-Beaver, secondary school teachers who are piloting the online version of the EAS in their American studies classrooms. Each presenter will introduce his or her resource to the audience and discuss a model lesson using that resource, with all model lessons centered on the theme "The Making of African American Identity: 1865–1917." This theme is especially well suited to connect with the ASA's overarching themes of citizenship and belonging, including the ASA's understanding that questions of citizenship have always been subject to profound redefinition. The panel's thematic focus on African American studies is also particularly relevant for youth in the nation's classrooms looking toward this critical period of American history in order to understand the significance of Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States. This panel will allocat e considerable time and discussion to the myriad ways that teachers can utilize online resources to enhance pedagogy and enrich curriculum.

10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Challenging Citizenship: Historical Discussions, Enduring Debates
In this roundtable, sponsored by the K–16 Collaboration Committee, faculty and graduate students will discuss how they address citizenship in the classroom and through community-based projects. Historical analysis, oral history research, and student-led projects all encourage students to consider what it means to be a citizen and how that identity has shifted over time. Ultimately, this panel seeks to explore the richness with which educators examine questions of citizenship in and out of the classroom.

The roundtable will begin with Floyd Cheung, associate professor of American studies at Smith College, who will discuss how he approaches teaching questions of Asian American citizenship in his Introduction to American Studies course. His talk, "Asian Americans and the Construction of Citizenship," will focus on how a few key notions, such as the evolution of whiteness and the injustice of internment, have played (and continue to play) an important role in shaping ideas of citizenship. Phyllis Palmer, professor and chair of American studies at George Washington University, will discuss how she approaches the question of Mexican American citizenship in both her teaching and research through challenging the limits of cultural citizenship, in her talk, "Citizenship Requires More Than Cultural Inclusion." Jeannette Bellemeur, program coordinator for "Speak Up! Speak Out!" a project facilitated by the Strauss Institute for Civic Participation at the University of Texas at Austin, will share her experiences with "Speak Up! Speak Out!" which offers high school students the opportunity to engage with their community by identifying a persistent problem, researching the problem, learning about the tools available to citizens for working toward a solution, crafting a viable solution, and presenting the solution to community members at a civics fair, highlighting the role that choice plays in encouraging civic participation. Adam Bush, a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, will discuss the ways that oral history and service-learning projects can help expose students to a deeper understanding of institutional racism and uneven geographical development, which require students to rethink what it means to be a citizen. He will address the power to transform through listening and the pedagogical relationships that sustain transformation through two projects based in New Orleans and Providence.

This panel will be chaired by Jennifer Jefferson, doctoral student in cultural studies in education at the University of Texas at Austin and the K–16 Collaboration Committee chair. A primary goal of this roundtable is to encourage discussion about the myriad ways that citizenship can be conceived of in the K–16 classroom; therefore, a considerable amount of time will be allocated to discussion and audience participation.

2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Revolution '67 in Newark, New Jersey: Documentary Film
in the K–16 American Studies Classroom
This session, part of the Saturday sessions for K–16 teachers, presents the award-winning film Revolution '67, along with a conversation with the filmmakers, Jerome and Mary Lou Bongiorno. The film documents the events of the summer of 1967 in Newark, New Jersey, focusing not only on the riots but also on contributing factors such as urban economic policies, economic change and decline, job losses, "white flight," political corruption in Newark city government, and the actions of law enforcement agencies. The filmmakers will also discuss curriculum materials for teachers that have recently been developed that make use of the film. Attendees at the session will have the opportunity to comment on the fil m and to discuss its utility in a classroom setting with the filmmakers.

ASA Students' Committee

Breakfast Forums, Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7,
8:00 AM to 9:45 AM
The ASA Students' Committee is pleased to announce the seventh year of the popular Breakfast Forums. These breakfasts provide an opportunity for students to meet with outstanding scholars who champion the integration of junior scholars into American studies.

These scholars have pursued fields of inquiry that expand, renew, and challenge American studies, and they are committed to doing the same within the professional community. The informal mentoring breakfasts offer students the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics and the challenges they pose to American studies past, present, and future.

The Graduate Student Hospitality Lounge will be open from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm on Friday and Saturday at the Renaissance Hotel. A free buffet breakfast will be available to students. All events are first come, first admitted. The Students' Committee hopes to accommodate all interested students.

Friday, November 6, 2009

10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Graduate Student Sustainability? Graduate Student Unionization and the Casualization of Academic Labor
This panel aims to address the unsustainability of the current model of graduate student education and employment in the humanities. Given the possible passage of the Teaching and Research Assistants Collective Bargaining Rights Act in 2009, this panel focuses on the goals and potential effects of graduate student unionization as a response to the increasing casualization of undergraduate teaching. Panelists include scholars specializing in academic labor issues as well as graduate student labor activists.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Demystifying Publishing: A Discussion with Writers and Editors
This roundtable is designed to help make the process of publishing, be it a review, a journal article, or a book, less obscure. The participants of this roundtable, including the managing editor of American Indian Quarterly, the executive director of the SUNY Press, a graduate student in the process of publishing an article in American Quarterly and an associate editor of American Quarterly, have all generously agreed to share their tips on publishing.

2:00 PM - 3:45 PM
Faculty Mentoring Coffee Hour (Co-Sponsored by the Students’ Committee and
the Minority Scholars’ Committee).
Renaissance DC Hotel/ Renaissance West B
Organizers: Rodolfo “Rudy” Aguilar, University of Minnesota, Ernesto Chavez, University of Texas, El Paso, and Sharon Heijin Lee, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Saturday, November 7, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Balancing Civic Engagement and Graduate Education
The imperative within American studies to practice socially engaged scholarship is one of its distinguishing characteristics. Yet for many who begin their graduate careers with the hopes of continuing or pursuing a commitment to activism and civic engagement, the material and temporal constraints of graduate school become an obstacle. The pressures of rigid curricula, burdensome teaching requirements, funding limitations, and professionalization often discourage students from their original goals. How can we reconcile our ongoing activist work with our graduate school careers? How might curricula change to not only make space for, but also facilitate, civic engagement? This roundtable, cosponsored by the Committee on Graduate Education and the Students' Committee, will provide a forum for students, faculty, and independent scholars to discuss ways in which the goals of civic engagement and activism might be reconciled with the demands and limitations of a graduate education.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Work and Family in Grad School
While graduate students feel pressured to finish their dissertations as quickly as possible and move on to tenure-track jobs, many find that graduate school offers the best opportunity before tenure to start a family. How can students balance parenti ng, home life, and scholarly work? What sort of support can students seek from their departments and universities? What institutional options are available for obtaining health care and child care? What possibilities and constraints do nonbiological parents and fathers face? Many students find it difficult to find advice and support to manage these decisions. This roundtable, sponsored by the ASA Students' Committee, will provide an opportunity to hear from graduate students and faculty who chose to become parents at various stages of their careers. Participants will share personal and professional perspectives and facilitate a discussion on parenting in academia.

International Committee Sessions

The ASA International Committee members are pleased to offer the Talkshop feature pioneered several years ago and successfully carried out during the last four ASA annual meetings. Each Talkshop event begins with a very brief frame-setting presentation by international panelists, each of whom will then facilitate parallel discussions among participants gathered at small roundtables. Toward the end of the session, each group will report briefly on the discussion and present comments on each table's dialogue by the facilitator or a selected reporter.

All three Talkshop events have been scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2009.

10:00 AM to 11:45 AM
The United States Is Not Enough: International Research and Teaching Opportunities in American Studies
The transnational turn in American studies has inspired recent scholarship to move beyond the nation as geopolitical border and as theoretical frame. However, these theoretical advances often pose practical problems for scholars interested in actually teaching and researching abroad. This applies to U.S. scholars open to pursuing research projects and teaching careers elsewhere and to international scholars interested in traveling to the United States or other places with strong tradi tions in American studies. Cosponsored by the International Committee and Students' Committee, this Talkshop will address the gap between the theory and practice of transnationalism by providing international scholars with a platform to discuss their experiences and publicize opportunities for working abroad. Participants will include graduate students who have traveled to teach and study, faculty members with transnational profiles, and senior scholars interested in employing visiting faculty and in soliciting book reviews and articles internationally.

The themes of the Talkshop will include the following: international job openings and research grants; the impact of the current financial crisis on grant opportunities and programs, many of them dependent on visiting lectures to meet curricular requirements; the practical problems of working abroad, including visa requirements, employment regulations, and health care; and book review and publishing opportunities. The Talkshop will also provide a forum for testimonials about what happens when scholars cross institutional and national borders and enter into new spaces and conversations.

12:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Presidential Politics, Administrative Change, and Teaching American Studies Overseas
Given the new administration and the location of the next conference, the International Committee proposes a Talkshop on the question of politics in the international work of American studies. In recent years the study of the United States overseas has declined, perhaps in response to the policies and actions of the previous administration. A number of programs have been closed or are threatened with closure and there has been significant attrition to the network of academics interested in the study of the United States. Our idea is to do an international follow-up on how Obama's election and his first months at the White House are viewed by political analysts and the media in different countries. Much talk has already been devoted to the messianic views, with President Obama as the main character. What will the world require from a new America if its leader is as one a Messiah? How did Obama get the role of the great Redeemer? Moreover, since expectations are running high for major changes in the new U.S. administration's foreign policy, the panel will also review the analysts' opinions on how much change is likely, and whether it will be enough to close the gap between America and the world. The overall question we wish to address is how political analysts and the media in a variety of countries view the changes in direction represented by the Obama administration, and how such changes affect or might affect the teaching and organization of American studies overseas.

2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
"Only in America Is My Story Possible": Teaching Race and American Studies Overseas with Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye as a Case Study
The question of "race" and the new president of the United States has drawn immense attention outside the country. While race was clearly one of the stakes in the election (how to downplay it without erasing it), it is necessary to understand how it was perceived in countries outside the United States, in countries whose cultural and political formations define race very differently. In the United States the notion of race has been pushing its roots into American history and depends on metaphors (such as color, language, or territory) that make of American race an idiosyncratic notion that does not readily translate to many places overseas. This workshop will examine the formation of the American racial other and compare it to overseas formations. We shall discuss ways of teaching American studies and race in places where that notion affects individuals differently than it does in the United States and where the history of the notion is also different. To make the discussion more concrete, we will prop ose short examples from Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye to see how U.S. narratives and metaphors of race travel overseas, how they are affected by this displacement, and how they can be conveyed to overseas students. Finally, in a time when the arrival to the White House of a black president gives rise to hope for many Americans, we will examine what is at stake in explaining how the notion of race has worked in the United States and what can be the impact globally of its current redefinition.

Book Exhibit

The conference book exhibit will be held in the Renaissance Washington Hotel. Admission will be by registration badge only. Hours of the book exhibit are:

ASA Celebration of Authors

The American Studies Association invites members who have published books in American studies between November 2008 and October 2009, as well as their publishers, to "A Celebration of ASA Authors."

This tribute to scholarly publishing will be held in the conference area of the Renaissance Washington Hotel on Friday, November 7, beginning at 4:00 pm. The ASA will sponsor a modest reception for the event.

Child Care Information

The meeting planner utilized by the American Studies Association, Experient Incorporated, has recommended the following bonded and licensed child care agencies within the District of Columbia.

Disabled Persons

The Renaissance Washington complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, its regulations, and guidelines. So that the Renaissance Washington can better assist persons with special needs, individuals should indicate their specific needs when making a re servation. In addition, they should make their reservations as early as possible, and no later than October 21, 2009. For additional assistance, please contact either the hotel or the ASA office of the executive director at annualmeeting@theasa.net.

Convention Headquarters and Hotel Information

The 2009 Convention Headquarters, the Renaissance Washington Hotel, is sold out.

Here are the names of moderately priced hotels in the vicinity of Renaissance Washington Hotel, from where participants could walk to the conference venue.

Embassy Suites Washington Convention Center
900 10th St NW
Washington, DC, 20001
866-539-8430

Four Points by Sheraton Washington D.C. Downtown
1201 K St Nw
Washington, DC, 20005
866-539-8430

Morrison Clark Hotel
1015 L St Nw
Washington, DC, 20001
866-539-8430

Red Roof Inn Washington, DC - Downtown
500 H Street NW
Washington, DC, 20001
866-539-8430

The 2009 convention headquarters is the Renaissance Washington Hotel.

All reservation requests will require a credit card guarantee or one night's deposit. If you are sending a check, please send your hotel reservation request and first night's room deposit to:

Or call 1-801-832-4532 to make your reservation.

You may also call 1-800-266-9432 or visit: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/amerstudies

Hotel Conference Area

RATES

SPECIAL STUDENT RATE

This rate is for students only. There are 40 student rooms available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The hotel front desk will require you to show student identification upon check-in. If you cannot provide student identification upon check-in, the student discount rate will not be honored; no exceptions will be made.

Please Note
Please make your reservation PRIOR to October 3, 2009. After October 3, all sleeping rooms will be sold on a space available basis and will NOT be subject to the group or student discount. Please mention you are attending the ASA annual meeting to receive the discounted room rate. Availability of rooms at the group or student rate after the cut-off date is subject to availability. If the group or student room block fills up before the October 3 cut-off, you may be closed out of the conference headquarte rs hotel at the group or student rate. All rates are subject to taxes equaling 14.5%.

Be sure to obtain a confirmation number from the Renaissance Washington. Bring your confirmation number with you to Washington, D.C., in case you are asked for it at the front desk upon check-in. Persons without reservation confirmation numbers may not be able to get a room at the host hotel.

Transportation

Arrival by Air
The Reagan Washington National Airport is 4 miles/6 km and 15 minutes from downtown. Dulles International Airport is 28 miles/45 km and 45 minutes from downtown. Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) is 35 miles/56 km and 45 minutes. All times presume normal traffic conditions.

Travel information from the various regional airports maybe found at their Web sites:

BWI: http://bwiairport.com/en/travel/ground-transportation

Reagan Washington National: http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/parking_transportation_4/

Dulles: http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/parking_transportation_3ground_transportation

Driving directions from the airport to the hotel may be found at http://www.renaissancehotels.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=WASRB.

Arrival by Rail
Union Station is the principal interstate rail station within the District of Columbia.

The station is served by:

Amtrak: http://www.amtrak.com

Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC): http://www.mtamaryland.com/service/marc/

Virginia Railway Express (VRE): http://www.vre.org/

Union Station is also a principal Metro Station and Metrobus transfer point. For further information about Union Station, please visit: http://www.unionstationdc.com/

Arrival by Automobile
Directions to the hotel may be obtained directly from the hotel Web site listed above. Attendees may obtain driving directions from Google Maps, MapQuest, or similar services. Please be sure to thoroughly check all directions for complications arising from seasonal construction projects, major events, and other such issues.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Information regarding travel by the WMATA, including the Metro and Metrobus, may be found at http://www.wmata.com/. Fare and Smartcards for all WMATA transportation may be purchased inside most Metro Stations.

Access Guidelines for Session Organizers and Panelists

The ASA is committed to making arrangements that allow all association members to participate in the conference. Therefore, we request that all session organizers and presenters review the information below and take the necessary steps to make their sessions accessible to attendees with permanent or temporary disabilities. These guidelines are designed to provide access for attendees with disabilities but will benefit all convention participants.

Room Setup
There is space for two wheelchairs in each meeting room. Please keep this area, the door, and the aisles clear for persons using wheelchairs, canes, crutches, or motorized vehicles.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing and who use sign language interpreters or read lips should sit where they can see both the speakers and the interpreter. The interpreter may stand close to the speaker within a direct line of sight that allows the audience to view both the speaker and the interpreter. Speakers should be aware of the location of interpreters and attempt to keep this line of vision clear.

Papers, Handouts, and Audiovisuals
Speakers should bring five copies of their papers, even in draft form, for the use of members who wish, or need, to follow a written text. Speakers who use handouts should prepare some copies in large-print format (14- or 16-point font size) and briefly describe all handouts to the audience. Avoid colored papers. Speakers should indicate where to return their papers and handouts.

Allow ample time when referring to a visual aid or handout or when pointing out the location of materials.

When not using an overhead projector, turn it off. This reduces background noise and helps focus attention on the speaker.

Communication/Presentation Style
Speak clearly and distinctly, but do not shout. Use regular speed unless asked to slow down.

Because microphones often fail to pick up voices in the audience, speakers should always repeat questions or statements made by members of the audience. In dialogues or discussions, only one person should speak at a time, and speakers should identify themselves so that audience members know who is speaking.

Avoid speaking from a darkened area of the room. Some people read lips, so the audience should have a direct and clear view of the speaker's mouth and face.

ASA Guidelines for Interviewing

The ASA discourages interview activities in hotel bedrooms. The ASA strongly advises that a parlor suite rather than a sleeping room be used and that a third person always be present in the room with the candidate. Interviewers using such facilities bear sole responsibility for establishing an appropriate, professional atmosphere and should take special care to ensure that all interviews are conducted courteously and in a proper manner.

The papers and commentaries presented during this meeting are intended solely for the hearing of those present and should not be tape recorded, copied, or otherwise reproduced without the consent of the authors. Recording, copying, or reproducing a paper/presentation without the consent of the author(s) may be a violation of common law copyright and may result in legal difficulties for the person recording, copying, or reproducing.