2012 Eastern International Regional Meeting May 4–5, 2012 University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

The Eastern International Region of the AAR invites you to submit proposals for papers and panels to be presented at the 2012 Regional Meeting. Proposals are welcome in all areas of religious and biblical studies. In particular, the Program Committee is interested in the following areas this year:

• Religious Diversity in North America
• Religion and Popular Culture
• Indigenous Religious Traditions
• Religion and Food

Each proposal should contain the following in a single e-mail attachment in MS Word format:

• One-page abstract (300 words maximum) describing the nature of the paper or panel
• Current CV for the participant(s)
• Cover page that includes the submitter’s full name, title, institution, phone number, fax number, e-mail, and mailing address. For panel proposals, identify the primary contact person

Please send your proposal to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2012.

Scholars from any region may apply to participate. Only those proposals received by the deadline will be considered for inclusion in the program. Presentations are limited to twenty minutes, with ten minutes allowed for questions. If you require technological support for your presentation/panel (such as an Internet connection or audio and projection equipment), you must request it with your proposal.

As a general rule, the Region discourages panels comprised of scholars from a single institution. Exceptions to this rule would include a presentation from a research team or a panel based on other types of collaborative research.

Also, the region will once again meet concurrently with the Society for Comparative Research on Iconic and Performative Texts (SCRIPT). For more information about SCRIPT and how to submit paper proposals for SCRIPT sessions, see http://script-site.net.

Student Paper Competition

Graduate and undergraduate students in the Eastern International Region are invited to enter the student paper competition. Please note that to be eligible for submission, the student must attend a university in the Eastern International Region. The committee will give preference to work that is new at this conference. Up to two $200 awards are reserved for winning papers. The award(s) will be formally presented at the business meeting on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

To enter the competition, please attach a letter of intent along with your initial proposal by the January 31, 2012, deadline. A final draft of the paper must be submitted to the Regional Coordinator Scott Kline, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , by April 1, 2012. To be eligible for this award, the student must read the entire paper at the meeting, which means the paper and presentation must conform to the twenty-minute time limit (roughly 2,500 words).

Undergraduates

The Region welcomes submissions from undergraduates in the field of religious studies. The Committee requests that, in addition to the abstract, CV, and cover letter, the undergraduate student also submit a letter from a faculty member who has supervised the student’s work.

Note: All presenters at the 2012 regional conference must have active membership in the AAR. All participants must preregister for the conference.