OXFORD—September 29, 2009—Wiley-Blackwell is proud to announce its first virtual scholarly conference, to be held 19-30 October 2009, with the theme of "Breaking Down Barriers." The aim is to facilitate multidisciplinary discussion and debate across the eight Social Science & Humanities disciplines represented by Wiley-Blackwell's innovative Compass review journal series, for more information please visit http://compassconference.wordpress.com
There will be presentations and discussions from the fields of History, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Geography, Linguistics, Sociology, and Social Psychology & Personality Studies. Registration is free, and more than 550 delegates from more than fifty countries have already registered.
Conference features include keynote podcast addresses from leading scholars including Professor David Crystal (University of Wales Bangor), Professor Peter Ludlow (Northwestern University) and Dr. Eileen Joy (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), as well as delegate discussion on review papers, publishing workshops, a book and journal exhibition, musical entertainment, and even an online cocktail bar where delegates can mingle with the speakers.
Vanessa Lafaye, Compass Publisher, says, "This is the first event of its kind at Wiley-Blackwell, and we are very excited about the response from our communities. We have had great feedback from academics all over the world, who are excited by the opportunity of taking part in a multidisciplinary conference without the costs and hassles of travel. There is an excellent line-up of speakers and papers."
All of the keynote addresses and scholarly papers cover topics of interest to academics in more than one discipline, from areas as diverse as the relationship between climate change and suicide, and how the war in Chechnya informs readings of Beowulf. Delegates can tune into publishing workshops on how to write a review paper. There will be discussion on the joys and sorrows of writing an undergraduate textbook, and attendees will also receive a virtual delegates' pack, which includes a 20% discount in the book exhibition. New podcasts and papers will appear regularly throughout the conference, and all previous content will remain on the site so that delegates can make use of it at their convenience.
Blackwell Compass Journals publish peer-reviewed survey articles from across the entire discipline. Experienced researchers, teaching faculty, and advanced students will all benefit from the accessible, informative articles that provide overviews of current research. For more information on the virtual conference and free registration, please visit http://compassconference.wordpress.com
About Wiley-Blackwell: Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or www.interscience.wiley.com.
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