CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Interculturalism Ahead: Transition to a Virtual World?
SIETAR EUROPA CONGRESS 2011
Krakow, Poland
September 21st to 25th
The Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR Europa) invites you to submit a proposal to present at its 2011 congress to be held September 21-25 inKrakow, Poland. The theme of the 2011 congress is Interculturalism Ahead: Transition to a Virtual World?
More frequent and intense intercultural experiences are what lie ahead for most of us. Ever increasing virtual communication, migration, tourism, and international business will challenge the idea that separate cultures exist.
Everyday living has taken on new dimensions. The IT revolution has changed our lives – we enter virtual worlds to play, to learn, to engage others. Growing numbers of people can now access endless streams of information on demand or instantly leapfrog continents to see and talk to others.Despite a world economic crisis and often extreme border controls, millions move around the globe for tourism, adventure, work and a better life.The European Union is a reality. While these forces change the cultures in which we live, they also open doors to new intercultural encounters and offer new possibilities of learning and sharing.
There is a transformation taking place. Does it reach into every sphere of our lives? What human knowledge and experience cannot be digitalized and pixelated? What part of our heritage should we carry forward? How is interculturalism relevant in virtual communities?Are the values of commitment, care of community, service and appreciating the contribution of others being encouraged or threatened? What are the opportunities for volunteerism in the virtual communities of the 21st century? What conflicts will emerge? What is our place as interculturalists in this new world, and what tools will be necessary?
The SIETAR Europa congresses have always served as a forum for interculturalists to come together to share their knowledge, insights, and questions with other members of the intercultural field. Members of SIETAR Europa represent a wide range of professions and disciplines and share a passion for deepening our understanding of cultures, increasing intercultural competence in ourselves and others, and in continually fostering culturally respectful and inclusive ways of making the world a better place to live and work.
The 2011 Congress seeks to understand the transition to, and our own transformation within, a new world and a new Europe.
This congress will invite us to engage with new trends in the intercultural domain and acquire new skills, to focus on developments now loose in the world that affect our everyday contact with virtual realities. We will ask how these new worlds affect our experiences, our expectations.
To do so we will track their progress in different cultures. We will ask whether these new forces level and dissipate our cultural heritage, or is it that the new culture that we have interiorized is leading us to virtual worlds? How can we use these new dimensions for cultural exchange?
We welcome contributions from all disciplines that deal with intercultural dynamics. However, proposals directly linked to the conference theme will receive priority treatment. These sub-themes have been identified for focused attention:
1.The cultural dimensions of encounters in virtual worlds
2.Does the blurring of time and space lead us to a single culture?
3.Developing virtual worlds in interdisciplinary teamwork and in intercultural learning and communication; sharing examples and experiences of virtual spaces
4.Conflict resolution and intercultural mediation; the potential conflicts between IT and diverse cultures
5.Networking and volunteering in a virtual context
6.The Europeanization of Europe’s living cultures
7.Opportunities for intercultural programs and projects under the EU umbrella
8.Latest trends in the intercultural field
About SIETAR-Europa (
SIETAR-Europa is a non-profit, membership-based organization for educators, researchers, and trainers from a wide range of disciplines who share a common concern for intercultural relations. SIETAR-Europa is a part of a network of SIETAR organizations around the world. Through a broad range of activities SIETAR-Europa provides a unique opportunity to learn from and share knowledge with colleagues in the intercultural arena and advance the body of knowledge and practice in the field.
Conference Location
The 2011 congress is being held in Krakow, Poland. Krakowis the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Krakow has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important economic centres. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596.
In 1978 UNESCO placed Krakow on the list of World Heritage Sites.
The conference hotel is the newly opened four-star Qubus Hotel, situated on the river bank, between Port Solny, Krakus and Nadwislanska streets, in the close vicinity of the historical district of Kazimierz. The Qubus is just a stroll away from the cultural and entertainment attractions, such as Market Square and St. Mary’s Square. The hotel conference rate will be 99 Euro per room. More information about hotel registration will be available soon.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
The following guidelines will assist you in completing and submitting a proposal. Proposals for concurrent sessions must include all ten elements described below to be considered by the conference program committee:
COVER PAGE(S):
- Presenter(s) Name(s) and Contact Information
- Title of presentation
- A 250 word abstract of the presentation
- Session length and format
- Target Audience
- Equipment & audio-visual requirements
- Room Size & Set-Up
PROPOSAL TEXT
- Session description including theoretical and practical context.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
- A 150 word biographical note about the/each presenter
- Two references with e-mail addresses. These should be individuals qualified to speak about the presenter’s professional competence
Very soon – by clicking at the SIETAR Europa website you will find the description how to submit your proposal. Hereyou can also find a Word version of the Call for Proposals. Please note that your final proposal will need to be submitted using the online proposal system.
The deadline for receiving proposals is March 15, 2011. Each SIETAR-Europa conference proposal is reviewed by several experienced interculturalists. The quality of their work in reading and choosing proposals depends upon having sufficient time to give each proposal careful consideration. Early submissions are greatly appreciated.
After submitting the proposal, you will receive an initial acknowledgement of receipt. You will be notified of acceptance in time to pre-register for the conference by the March 31, 2011 early bird deadline. All presenters are required to register for the conference.
Note: SIETAR-Europa is a non-profit organization and presenters do not receive any form of payment in conjunction with their participation in the SIETAR-Europa 2011 congress.
Reminders to register will be sent to all presenters well ahead of the early-bird and other deadlines.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES IN DETAIL
Please follow the format outlined below for your proposal. Due to the logistical challenge of handling a large amount of proposals, we ask you to please make sure all the information requested is provided upon submission.
- PRESENTER(S) NAME(S) AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Please provide the following information for every presenter. If there is more than one presenter, please start with the one who is designated as a contact person for the group. All proposal related communication will be between the conference committee and this one person.
1. First/given and last/family name
2. Primary affiliation (institution, business, government agency, etc.)
3. E-mail Address
4. Website (If available)
5. Phone(s) including Skype address if you have one (
6. Mailing address (If possible, please do not provide a P.O. Box)
7. SIETAR membership (yes/no) and the name of the SIETAR to which you belong.
8. Previous SIETAR presentations. (What, when, where?)
- TITLE OF PRESENTATION
Choose a title that accurately reflects the content of the proposed session. Clever or catchy Titles are acceptable, but make sure that they are not misleading.
- A 250 WORD ABSTRACT OF THE PRESENTATION
These short abstracts of the chosen papers will be published in the conference program to assist participants in selecting the presentations they will attend.
- SESSION LENGTH AND FORMAT
- TARGET AUDIENCE
Please describe who will most benefit from attending your session.
Level of experience: (Check All That Apply)
o Intermediate (1-5 years of experience)
o Advanced (5+ years of experience)
o All
Areas of professional interest: (Check All That Apply)
o Education
o Higher education
o Elementary or secondary education
o Training
o Research
o Simulations
o Business/corporate
o Non-profit/NGO
o Domestic diversity
o Global diversity
o Cultural transitions
o Culture/country specific
o Peace, conflict resolution
o Communication/dialogue
o Intrapersonal dimensions
o Politics
o Religion
o Government
o Social Service
o Other (please specify):
- EQUIPMENT LIST
Please specify what equipment you will need for your presentation. The following will be provided if requested with the proposal:
o Flip chart
o TV/VCR/DVD
o LCD projector (please contact us if you need an LCD projector and cannot bring one.)
o Screen
o Other (please let us know now what you have in mind and we will tell you if it is possible)
PRESENTERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MATERIALS INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING OF HANDOUTS.
- ROOM SIZE & SET-UP
Please specify the following:
Desired number of participants:
Maximum number of participants:
Your preferred room set-up:
o Classroom Style
o Theater Style
o Other (please specify):
- PROPOSAL TEXT
Please provide a 1000 to 1500 word description of the presentation you will be making. This should include a description of the content, methodology, sequence of activities along with the theoretical and practical context of the work, including the relationship of your work to the theme of the conference: Interculturalism Ahead: Transition to a Virtual World?
- A 150 WORD BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ABOUT THE/EACH PRESENTER
These short bios of presenters will be published in the conference programme to assist participants in selecting the presentations they will attend.
- TWO REFERENCES WITH E-MAIL ADDRESSES
These should be individuals qualified to speak about the presenter’s professional competence
For more proposal submission information or if you have any questions, please email them to
Please state on the e-mail subject line: SIETAR Europa 2011 Proposal Question. For any questions not related to a session proposal, please write r by calling +33 4 92 19 04 90.
The conference organizing committee is looking forward to receiving your proposal in a timely fashion and enjoying your presentation and your company at the SIETAR EUROPA congress Interculturalism Ahead: Transition to a Virtual World?