HOFSTRA CULTURAL CENTER presents a conference

Child's Play, Children's Pleasures:

Interdisciplinary Explorations

in cooperation with the School of Education, Health and Human Services 

Friday and Saturday
March 19 and 20, 2010

The Hofstra Cultural Center, in cooperation with the School of Education, Health and Human Services, is sponsoring a two-day interdisciplinary symposium focused on children's toys, games, dolls and play activities on March 19th and 20th, 2010. The event compliments the Hofstra University Museum's spring exhibition, "Children's Pleasures: American Celebrations of Childhood" featuring historic and contemporary art works by American artists depicting children and a display of historic toys. 

Play is not only a source of pleasure for children but presents diverse opportunities for learning. This symposium serves as a forum for stimulating and disseminating research on the historical, sociological, anthropological, psychological and educational study of children's development from infancy to age 12 through play activities, dolls, toys, and games. Additionally, the symposium focuses attention on artistic and literary depictions of children at play. 

The symposium welcomes the submission of scholarly papers, to be delivered in English, panel presentations, and/or media presentations by specialists in history, art history, child development, educational theory, social and behavioral sciences, children's libraries and literature, art education, children's book illustration, toy design, children's museum activities, and health, physical education and recreation. 

Categories for papers or presentation topics include "Evolution of Children's Pleasures: Past and Present;" "The Wide World of Children's Play and Pleasures;" "How and Why It's Made: The Design and Craft of Children's Toys, Games and Books;" and "Controversies About Children's Play and Pleasures." A complete list of topics can be found here.  

The symposium invites the attendance and participation of university faculty, independent scholars, museum curators, librarians, antiques dealers and toy collectors, school teachers, university students and interested members of the general public.

Proposals may be submitted for individual papers, panel discussions or media presentations. Send proposals consisting of 800 word abstracts, along with curriculum vitae or short biographical sketches, electrontically or by mail, by September 30, 2009. Presentation time for papers is limited to 20 minutes. Notification of acceptance will be sent by November 1, 2009. If accepted, final papers are due by January 15, 2010. More information can be found in the conference Call for Papers.

Send Submissions to:
Deborah Lom
Child's Play Symposium
Hofstra Cultural Center
113 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-1130
culdsl@hofstra.edu

For more information contact the Hofstra Cultural Center at (516) 463-5669, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Symposium Director:

Donna R. Barnes, Ed.D
Professor of Education
Hofstra University

Symposium Coordinator:
Deborah Lom
Assistant Director for Conferences and Special Events
Hofstra Cultural Center