More than 1,000 Jewish studies scholars will head to San Diego in the upcoming days to share ideas and explore how the academic community has deepened its engagement with the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences.

Associations: Association for Jewish Studies

Conference: 48th Annual Conference

Venue: Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Location: San Diego

After a Sunday morning and afternoon filled with sessions, exhibit hall time, and a board meeting, the annual conference will kick off with an evening welcome reception. That will be followed by the plenary session, where professors and rabbis will explore the widely acclaimed web television series Transparent and its significance to Jewish studies. Also on the agenda:

Flip side. The meeting will once again feature the “flipped panel” format. Presenters posted papers online by December 1, and attendees read them in advance. Once onsite, panelists’ presentations focus on key questions or problems in their papers, and they engage in back-and-forth discussion with audience members and other panelists about their work.

Family friendly. New this year, in response to member feedback on last year’s conference evaluation, is the availability of low-cost onsite childcare for attendees. The service was made possible thanks to donors and sponsors.

Match maker. Before the meeting, members interested in presenting a session could use an online announcement board to post their ideas as a way to gauge interest from and recruit fellow presenters.

For other need-to-knows, check out Twitter (#AJS16) and Facebook.

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