Conference Ground Rules

Prof Lauren Griffith - Keynote 1, 2019

It is exactly one month until day one of our 5th annual conference, this year titled 'Martial Arts, Culture and Politics' and held at Chapman University, Orange, California. Our keynote on day one will be Professor Lauren Griffith (pictured above), author of two important studies of capoeira and culture. Day two's keynote will be Dr Benjamin Judkins (pictured below), prolific martial arts studies scholar, editor, and author of a hugely influential study of wing chun.

A draft conference schedule is available here, and a more formal/finalised version will be available very soon.

With the conference looming large on the horizon, we just wanted to set out some ground-rules for everyone attending the conference, combined with some instructions for presenters.

Note also that, as the conference is approaching, the discount deals we secured from our recommended hotels  are coming to an end, so if you have not yet booked accommodation, you really should.

Dr Ben Judkins - Keynote 2, 2019

Ground Rules - for Everyone

To make the conference a success, experience shows that we need to set a few ground rules, and stick to them. Our key rules and guidelines for everyone - presenters and audience alike - are the following:

Rule #1: Stay on Time

• Please try to get into the right rooms at the right times. We have a tight schedule, and there will often be several sessions running parallel at the same time. These need to start and stop at the right time.
• To do your bit to keep things to time, please ensure that your own presentation does not overrun the agreed limit (which is 20 minutes, max., for standard presentations). Each panel has a chair, who will politely try to keep you to time – with the aid of bells and whistles, if need be.

Rule #2: Be Respectful

• This applies to all things. Be respectful in keeping to time and thereby enabling other people's time. Be respectful of academic and social protocols and normal polite conventions.
• When you are presenting or asking a question, remember that your time and your voice is not more important than other people's time and other people's voices. Similarly, in the rooms, in the corridors, during the meals, in the pubs, in the streets, in the halls, and at all times, please be respectful of other people's dignity, rights and expectations.
• There must be no harassment or prejudice of any kind, whether sexual, racial, religious, class, nationalistic, macho, male, female, or anything else.

Rule #3: Be Hospitable

• Intellectual hospitality is vital and vitalising in any academic context. So you must be hospitable to other people's ideas, approaches, opinions, and voices. Being open to new ideas, new approaches, and being ready for meeting difference, diversity, eclecticism and even dissensus should not take anyone by surprise here. We are, after all, working across the intersections of multiple academic disciplines and discourses, seeking to immerse ourselves in and advance our knowledge and understanding of myriad aspects of martial arts, even if only for these two days.

Guidelines for Presenters

• Panels. Panels consist of 2-3 presentations, each of which can be no more than 20 minutes.
• Chairs. Each panel has a chair. The chair is responsible for keeping the panel to time.
• Timing. Presenters are expected to finish within 20 minutes. The chair will alert presenters when they have 5 minutes left, 1 minute left, and no time left. Presenters must stop when they have no time left. You should time your talk in advance and keep checking a countdown timer.
• Discussion. After the 2 or 3 twenty minute presentations, panel chairs should organise a discussion Q&A session. Chairs should try to ensure that anyone who wants to ask a question has the opportunity, if possible. Sessions should finish at the designated time.
• Computers. Each lecture and seminar room has a networked computer connected to a data projector. There are facilities for connecting USB memory sticks, discs, laptops and macs.
• Printing. We do not have automatic access to printers. Please print before you arrive.
• Precautions. It is a good idea to save your presentation in more than one file format (e.g., PPT and PDF), and on more than one device (e.g., USB memory stick and disc), just in case of technical glitches.
• Preparation. You should load and test your presentation in the presentation room before your session begins. All presentation rooms will be unlocked from early in the morning and will remain unlocked between presentations. Everyone should work to ensure there are no delays caused by trying to load a presentation during the panel itself.    

Hopefully these rules and guidelines are helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to email either or both of the conference organisers, Paul Bowman and/or Andrea Molle.

See you soon!