Ethics - Widener University

We invite papers on
Rites of Passage: We welcome papers that analyze literary and cinematic
works through the lens of mythology, psychology, and anthropology, in
particular those that offer insight into our journey towards adulthood or the
many transitional phases of maturation.
Spiritual Passage: Religious texts embrace the term as a means to connect
the real world with the mystical world. Consider that the most common
euphemism for death is “passing,”as if life and death are separated by a
dividing line that one need only pass over. Papers exploring passages of the
spirit, be they heaven-bound or hell-bent, in print or celluloid, are welcome.
Passage as Journey: Travel literature is its own genre, and epic journeys
often come with a celebratory song! From the Beowulf scop to the Beat
poet, Arlo Guthrie to the Rolling Stones, lyricists remind us that “Life is a
Highway.” We welcome papers invoking the call to travel, regardless of the
destination.
Passage to America: Regardless of your political stance, our Statue of
Liberty continues to invite “huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” We
join the current debate by inviting papers on immigration literature and film.
One could also analyze America’s identity through our literary icons: the pioneer,
the hobo, the Huck Finn, and the runaway in American narrative.
Literary Passages: For the academic, passages are our stock in trade, the
medium through which we journey through the text; for it’s a rare class that
dares to tackle Shakespeare’s ¬Tempest in one sitting. Instead, we are dwellers,
preferring to spend quality time with an image, an echo, a pattern.
Papers that celebrate the “passage” with an extended close reading are welcome.
We also invite papers that seek to analyze the process of close reading
or any other literary theory that claims to illuminate the art form through an
analysis of its parts.
More Info on the 2008 theme 41