Visiting Associate Professor of Religious Studies S. Brent Plate presented a paper at the International Society of Religion, Literature, and Culture conference. The conference takes place at a different European location every two years, and this year, the 13th of the Society, was hosted by St Catherine's College, Oxford. Plate's paper, "Face, Ethics, Cinematics" was part of a panel that explored the ethical challenges that can occur in filmic close-ups, especially close ups of the human face. His paper brought work in neurosciences together with film studies and ethics to explore the topic. Plate also coordinated five sessions on topics related to Religion and Film, and he sits on the interational advisory board of the Society.
Plate also presented a paper at the 3rd Iconic Books Symposium hosted at Syracuse University. His paper, "Looking at Words" examined ways in which varying scripts and typefaces impact readers before and beyond their abilities to interpret sacred texts. He argued that there is no "word-image" split, since scripted or printed words are always images and cannot be separated from the visual realm.
During the Symposium, Plate also helped launch a new academic society: SCRIPT, the Society for Comparative Research in Iconic and Performative Texts. Plate was named the first president of the new society which will begin to work alongside the American Academy of Religion, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP), and will begin to host its own meetings on a biennial basis.
Plate also presented a paper at the 3rd Iconic Books Symposium hosted at Syracuse University. His paper, "Looking at Words" examined ways in which varying scripts and typefaces impact readers before and beyond their abilities to interpret sacred texts. He argued that there is no "word-image" split, since scripted or printed words are always images and cannot be separated from the visual realm.
During the Symposium, Plate also helped launch a new academic society: SCRIPT, the Society for Comparative Research in Iconic and Performative Texts. Plate was named the first president of the new society which will begin to work alongside the American Academy of Religion, the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP), and will begin to host its own meetings on a biennial basis.
