The Northeast American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (NEASECS) is holding its annual conference from October 21 to 23 at the Buffalo Hyatt Regency.

Lisa Berglund, associate professor of English, is serving as chair. NEASECS, which is affiliated with the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, is a regional interdisciplinary association for the study of eighteenth-century history, literature, arts, and culture.

“The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Inquiry, Pedagogy, and Exploration,’” said Berglund, “so we decided to invite secondary school teachers and graduate students to come for one day for free.”

Patricia Johnston, professor of art history at Salem State College, is the plenary speaker on Saturday. “She was one of the organizers of a National Endowment for the Humanities’ summer session for secondary school teachers,” said Berglund. “She is very interested in helping teachers integrate eighteenth-century art into their classrooms.” Susan Juster, professor of history at the University of Michigan, is the other plenary speaker. She will discuss “Holy War in the Age of Enlightenment.” 

Because of NEASECS’s interdisciplinary character, programs include a wide variety of topics such as “Clothing in the Eighteenth-Century Novel,” “The Golden Age of Pyrating,” and “Teaching the History of the Eighteenth-Century Book.”

Buffalo State graduate students Ryan Bowers, Shauna Freiermuth Taglis, Michelle Hatswell, Rebeka Keator, Dana Eric Misenheimer, and Joseph Noah are among the presenters.

Mark Fulk, associate professor of English, will present “The New Formalism, Women's Poetry (1770-1840), and the Rhetorical Turn.” Andrew Nicholls, associate professor of history and social studies, served on the conference committee with Berglund and Fulk. 

The Graduate School, the School of Arts and Humanities, the School of Natural and Social Sciences, and the English Department are sponsoring the NEASECS Conference, along with the University at Buffalo.