What is the Flow conference?

The Flow conference is hosted by the graduate students and faculty of the Radio-Television-Film department at the University of Texas at Austin. The conference will resemble traditional academic conferences in name only: there will be no panels, no papers, and no plenary meetings. The goal of the conference is to promote discussion amongst television and media scholars, members of the media industries, media activists, fans, and policy-makers over crucial issues related to television and media. The conference will consist of a series roundtables, each organized around a question on television and media culture.

Why did you decide to structure the conference in this way?

The Flow conference is premised on a few observations:

• There are too few television and media conferences.
• Traditional conferences provide too little time for discussion.
• Wider conversation and the circulation of ideas can promote collegiality, a less polarized discipline, and the promise of engaging multiple publics, both academic and non-academic, with our ideas.
• Critical media studies will be more effective if it grapples openly with the immediacy and breadth of its object of study.

When and where is the conference?

This year’s conference will take place on November 1 – November 3, 2012 and will be held at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.

How will you decide on roundtable topics?

The conference coordinators invite current and previous Flow columnists, as well as UT faculty, to propose questions for the roundtables.

How can I join a roundtable?

The conference Calls for Responses (CFR) is available on our website. Please send your submissions to flowconference2012@gmail.com.

Can I attend a roundtable if I am not an official member of it?

Yes! All conference guests are welcome to attend all roundtables and are actively encouraged to participate in the discussion.

Will you provide stipends to defray the costs of the conference to participants?

We are working on raising money to help participants attend the conference. The conference organizing committee’s priorities in allocating money are to graduate students and other participants who have particular need for financial assistance. We will have more information on applying for funding once registration opens up.

Who should I contact to find out more about the conference?

You can contact the 2012 Flow Conference Coordinators via email. You can also follow us on Twitter @FlowConf2012 or like our Facebook page.

Follow the 2012 Flow Conference on Twitter @FlowConf2012