UHV Professor Hosts Literature Conference
Later this month, academics from across the country and as far as China and Kuwait will come together in Houston to participate in the 2005 Southern Comparative Literature Conference. Dr. Jeffrey R. Di Leo, assistant professor of humanities and interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Houston-Victoria, is co-organizing the event with Dr. Marc Zimmerman, chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston.
“One of the most heartening things about putting together this conference is the support that I have received from the faculty, students and administration,” said Di Leo, who has taught at UHV since fall 2002. On the first night of the conference, participants will be welcomed with a reception hosted by the UHV Office of the President and School of Arts and Sciences. The conference is sponsored by the University of Houston-Victoria, the University of Houston and Symploke, a journal founded and edited by Di Leo.
While attending the three-day conference, guests will participate in panel discussions on topics such as Latino literature and global relations, American world literature and regional literatures in global contexts. In addition to lectures by keynote speakers Nicolás Kanellos, Graciela Limón, and Lois Zamora, the conference will feature a panel of distinguished professors from across the U.S. who will discuss the philosophy of the recently deceased French literary critic Jacques Derrida.
Other presenters include faculty members from all four UH System universities—the University of Houston, UH-Downtown, UH-Clear Lake, and UH-Victoria.
“I hope that this is just the beginning of many joint scholarly ventures among the sister campuses of the UH System,” said UHV President Tim Hudson, who noted that one of the strategic principles adopted by the UH System Board of Regents was to foster cooperation across the system.
“I’m sure many of the participants from outside the UH System will be impressed by the progressive research in the humanities being conducted at our campuses,” added Di Leo, who currently serves on the executive committee for the Southern Comparative Literature Association.
The conference will run from Sept. 22-24 at the University of Houston Hilton. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.scla2005.org.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
