ESBB 2018 Toyama, Japan: Conference and Symposium

Thank you to all who attended

ESBB’s 5th International Conference is titled “ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium on English Academic Writing in a Global World” 

23 March – 25 March,  2018

University of Toyama Gofuku Campus General Education Building, Toyama, Japan

Here are some photos from our event:

Our event flier is available below:

March 23 will be the Symposium on English Academic Writing in a Global World, where invited speakers will present on the theme of English academic writing, including Dr. John Unger, Dr. Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam, and Dr. Atsushi Iida.

March 24 and 25 will include invited Plenary presentations, concurrent short paper presentations, and poster presentations on the more broad themes outlined in our call for papers below.

The program book for the ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium is available below. Please note that this is a late draft and is still subject to change.

Our call for papers is closed.

Sponsors, Supporters, and Endorsements

We have partnered with NPO JALT‘s CUE SIG for the conference and symposium.

Generous financial support for ESBB 2018 and the Symposium on English Academic Writing in a Global World has been provided by:

We are actively soliciting additional support and endorsements. If you or your organization are interested in supporting or endorsing the ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium, please contact the Conference Chair, Theron Muller.

Contents

You are welcome to scroll through the information on this page. If you’re looking for something specific, you can navigate using the contents links below.

More information about the conference will be made available as the planning process proceeds. If you have a question about the conference, you are welcome to contact the Conference Chair, Theron Muller.

Call for Presentation Proposals

Our call for presentation proposals is now closed. This information is included here for archival purposes.

While the conference theme is English Beyond Borders, our intention is always to embrace the global along with the local, including supporting teachers grappling with local EFL/ESL issues. We are keen to hear from presenters wishing to discuss a very local issue. You can also download our call for papers as a PDF.

Our conferences explore the diverse kinds of borders and boundaries that English teachers and scholars must negotiate to achieve success and benefit learners.

We invite proposals on the following themes:

  • Research related to English language teaching and learning at the college or university level
  • General research related to English language teaching and learning, TEFL/TESL, and TESOL
  • English for research publication purposes
  • Studies which critically investigate academic publishing from the perspectives of authors, reviewers/editors, and Open Access;
  • Multilingual scholars in study and publication
  • Non-blind dialogic review
  • Multi/bilingual issues in language learning and linguistics
  • EAP/ESP across borders
  • English literature across borders
  • CLIL (Content and Language Integrated learning)/EMI (English Medium Instruction)
  • Study abroad and International exchange
  • Interdisciplinary issues in TESOL
  • Encouraging (cultural) diversity in voice and agency
  • New directions in critical thinking and reasoning
  • Using technology to cross borders
  • Corpora in language teaching and research
  • Migrants and refugees in language learning

English is the working language of our conferences, although we are eager to incorporate as broad a range of speakers as possible, so if you are interested in using a language other than English to present, please contact the local conference organizers.

Proposals should include brief biodata, a 50-75 word abstract and a one page summary of approximately 300 words. Please submit these through our online conference management system.

English Scholarship Beyond Borders Journal will have a call for papers for presentations given at the conference which will be announced shortly after the conference has finished.

Schedule

Schedule information will be updated as the event draws nearer. The current plan for the ESBB Conference and Symposium is:

Friday March 23, 2018 9am – 5pm Symposium on English Academic Writing in a Global World. Three invited plenary presentations and a closing discussion panel. The schedule for the one-day symposium is online here.

March 23, 2018 5:30pm – 7:30pm Conference Reception. Admission fee: 6,000 JPY (RSVP Required, price not included in conference fees) Please register for the party through our online conference management system.

Saturday March 24, 2018 9am – 5pm Regular conference, including plenary presentations, concurrent presentation sessions, and poster sessions

Sunday March 25, 2018 9am – 4pm Regular conference, including plenary presentations and concurrent presentation sessions

The tentative conference schedule can be viewed here. Please note that abstract revisions following review and proofreading are still underway, so it is still subject to change.

Registration & Fees

The process for registration and paying fees is the same for presenters and delegates (those attending but not presenting). Registration is open and can be completed through our online conference management system. The fee structure is as follows:

  • Early Bird: 5,000 yen for full 3 day access to the conference and symposium (March 23 to 25)
  • Early Bird: 3,000 yen for one-day access to one conference day (March 24 or 25) or the symposium (March 23)
  • 3-day regular registration (after Early Bird): 7,000 yen
  • 1-day regular registration (after Early Bird): 4,000 yen
  • March 23, 2018 5:30pm – 7:30pm Conference Reception. Admission fee: 6,000 yen (RSVP Required, price not included in conference fees)
    Deadline for reserving: March 8, 2018
  • Conference lunch: 1,500 yen per day (4,500 yen for all three days of the symposium and the conference)
    Deadline for reserving: March 8, 2018
    Please note that the university’s regular dining services will also be available on the day of the Symposium, Friday March 23. Presenters and delegates are also welcome to bring their lunches if they prefer.

Early Bird registration has been extended until February 28, 2018. Regular registration will be available until the conference closes (including on-site registration). Registration for the conference meal options will close March 8.

Presenters will be expected to complete registration before the Early Bird registration period closes on February 28, 2018 or risk their presentations being cancelled. If you are unable to pay the conference fees in advance, please contact the Conference Chair, Theron Muller to arrange for on-site payment of the Early Bird fees. We realize international transfers of funds is expensive and complicated, and it is our intention to be accommodating where possible.

We have tried to keep our fees reasonable so that our conference and symposium is accessible to everyone interested in attending. If paying the fees would prohibit you from attending, please contact the Conference Chair, Theron Muller to inquire about fee waiver options. Please note that there are a limited number of fee waiver conference badges available, and their availability depends on feasibility and conference finances.

Access

Getting to Toyama

Toyama is accessible via Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo. The fastest trains take about two hours from station to station. When planning your trip, Jorudan offers an English language train search service, as does Hyperdia.

Toyama has an airport with service to and from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport multiple times a day, along with a daily service to and from Sapporo. It also has international flights to and from Taiwan, Seoul, Shanghai, and Dalian, China, although these are not daily services. There is a bus shuttle service between Toyama Airport and Toyama Station.

For international delegates and presenters arriving into Narita Airport, there is a bus shuttle service between Narita and Haneda airports. Train service is also available between Narita Airport and Tokyo Stations. The Shinkansen bullet train service to Toyama departs from Tokyo Station.

If you book your tickets well in advance or are not a resident of Japan, domestic airfare into Toyama can be marginally cheaper than taking the train. For delegates and presenters who are not residents of Japan, please check ANA’s discount service for foreign visitors. ANA’s advanced booking discounts, or tabiwari, are available to residents and non-residents alike.

There is also a daily domestic service from Narita Airport to and from Komatsu Airport, which is about an hour from Toyama by shuttle bus and train. If you are thinking of flying into the conference via a domestic flight, we would recommend Toyama Aiport over this alternative option.

Getting to the University of Toyama

The ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium will be held at the University of Toyama General Education Building at its Gofuku Campus.

The University of Toyama’s Gofuku Campus is easily accessible from Toyama Station using Toyama Chihou Railway’s tram service. You want to take the tram from Toyama Station bound for Daigakumae and get off at the last stop. From there it’s about a 5 minute walk to the General Education Building.

Here’s the view from the Daigakumae tram station looking toward the university:

The university has two gates, along this street, a side gate and then the main gate, immediately across from a Lawson’s convenience store. The main gate is the easiest to use to access the General Education Building. Here is a view of the main entrance to the university:

To reach the General Education Building, pass the guard station then turn right down the first side road. The General Education Building will be the big building on your left.

This is the side road mentioned above, with the General Education Building in the background:

Here is the main entrance to the General Education Building:

The ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium registration should be just inside the entrance.

Accommodation

The ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium has not arranged for an official conference hotel. We would recommend you find lodgings that suit your budget through your preferred travel accommodation provider. The links provided below are for information purposes only.

Presenters and delegates are responsible for arranging their own accommodation for the conference.

Visa Information

If you require a visa to enter Japan for the ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium, please contact us as soon as possible. We cannot guarantee a letter of invitation, but will consider requests on an individual basis among ESBB Management and the Conference Planning Committee. Securing the necessary permissions to enter Japan is the responsibility of presenters and delegates. When entry permission to Japan is required, please secure travel permission first before paying the conference fees. In exceptional circumstances, we can extend the payment deadlines to accommodate bureaucratic delays if necessary.

Conference Team

ESBB Management

ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium Conference Chair

ESBB 2018 Conference and Symposium Treasurer

ESBB 2018 Conference Committee

ESBB 2018 Symposium on English Academic Writing in a Global World Committee

ESBB 2018 Reviewers

  • Dr Roger Nunn, Department of Writing Studies, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
  • Dr John L Adamson, UNP, Japan
  • Additional names will be added as reviewing proceeds