Call for Proposals: Second International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence

The conference, "Aiming for 'The Third Place': Intercultural Competence through Foreign Language Teaching and Learning," which will take place from January 29-31, 2010 at the University of Arizona, Tucson, aims to bring researchers and practitioners across languages, levels, and settings to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices and foster meaningful professional dialogue on issues related to intercultural competence teaching and learning. It is organized by the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) and co-sponsored by the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching program (SLAT) and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). The keynote speaker is Claire Kramsch, Ph.D., Professor of German and Foreign Language Acquisition, University of California, Berkeley, and Founding Director of the Berkeley Language Center. www.cercll.arizona.edu. Online proposal submission form: www.cercll.arizona.edu/icc_2010_submit.php. Deadline: June 1, 2009.

ATJ’s journal, Japanese Language and Literature, welcomes submissions from ATJ members and others in the Japanese language education field. Articles are published in each issue in the fields of literature and culture, linguistics, and language pedagogy. JLL also contains regular reviews of books and other materials, including textbooks and electronic teaching materials. Special issues are published regularly; topics under consideration for upcoming special issues include translation and visual culture. Please direct inquiries to the editor in the appropriate field; the members of the editorial board are listed every issue of the Newsletter, as well as on the ATJ website.

Call for Submissions: International Fiction Review

The editor of the International Fiction Review invites essays on contemporary fiction by international writers, new and established, including minority writers. Equally welcome are essays on literary and narrative theory, comparative studies of world fiction, and surveys of contemporary national literatures or writers. Contributors are invited to explore all narrative forms in any interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and critical context. We are particularly interested in receiving essays on contemporary Japanese literature and writers. Please send submissions to the editor via mail or e-mail.

About the journal: The International Fiction Review, now in its thirty-first year, is a reviewed scholarly periodical devoted to international fiction. It publishes articles and book reviews. The journal has a world-wide circulation and a diverse readership which shares an interest in fictions of other cultures and language groups. The journal is available online to subscribers at www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/IFR.

Recent publications: The Quest for Community in American Postmodern Fiction; The Politics and Poetics of Philippine Festival in Rosca’s State of War; International Fiction vs. Ethnic Autobiography; Oral Tradition and Modern Storytelling: Revisiting Chinua Achebe’s Short Stories; African Interests: White Liberalism and Resistance in Margaret Laurence; Early Precursors to the Egyptian Novel; Writing as Tea Ceremony: Kawabata’s Geido Aesthetics.

Christoph Lorey, Editor, University of New Brunswick, Department of Culture and Language Studies, Fredericton, N.B. Canada E3B 5A3. Tel.: (506) 453 4636. Fax: (506) 447-3166. Email: ifr@unb.ca.