Call for Book Chapter Proposals: "Second Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star Trek"

Vernon Press invites book chapters for a forthcoming edited volume tentatively titled “Second Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star Trek”.

Star Trek provides an opportunity to explore the final frontier of leadership through its nearly six decades of series and films. With its basis in Enlightenment thinking (reason coupled to compassion) and its encouragement of diversity in its myriad threads, Star Trek offers guidance on how to improve the human condition that has application to any academic and professional field. Additionally, leadership development need not be complicated or overly staid. It should be engaging. Leaders are constantly called upon to solve problems, direct institutional growth, and, on occasion, even solve humanitarian crises. Star Trek allows us a venue from which to make it so.

This edited volume will seek to explore the application of Star Trek to the practice of leadership across a diverse array of professional fields. We seek chapters from scientists, professionals, and writers, whether their expertise is relevant to the lab, classroom, boardroom, field, or page. Our goal is to utilize the wealth of canon to inform the leadership of business, law, politics, ethics, peace studies, conflict management, academic leadership, religion, literary and textual analysis, and beyond. Our goal is to broadly inform the practice of leadership for a better world.

Chapter proposals should focus on a character, scene, episode, or film from anywhere/anywhen in the franchise. We are especially interested in chapter proposals that explore matters of diversity, communication, patience, relationship, compassion, humility, or technology in the service of leadership. Proposals and subsequent chapters should be academically rigorous yet accessible to an informed non-academic audience. We want you to write to inform practice using Star Trek as the background of the discussion, not the focus. Humor is appreciated.

Chapter proposal submission

Please submit an abstract no longer than 500 words to volume editors Jason A. Kaufman (jason.kaufman@mnsu.edu) and Aaron Peterson (aaron.peterson@mnstate.edu) by April 8, 2024. The abstract should include a clear overview of the main focus of the chapter and the conceptual focus of the character/scene/episode/film you intend to utilize as its context. In addition, please include a CV for the author(s). Co-authored proposals are welcome, but please limit submissions to two per author. Finally, please begin your email heading with “SECOND STAR:” when you submit the proposal for review. Qapla’!

Deadlines

Proposal submission deadline: April 8, 2024

Acceptance of abstract sent out: May 8, 2024

Manuscript submission: September 8, 2024 (Star Trek Day)