The Council on Thai Studies (or COTS) is an informal organization of scholars interested in all aspects of Thai studies. COTS annually provides scholars with a venue for reporting preliminary findings, opportunities to receive prepublication feedback and a forum to discuss field and archive challenges. Please consider giving a paper or gathering a small group for a roundtable discussion or panel. Graduate students are always encouraged to submit papers. Individual topics or groupings of papers are also welcome. An effort will be made to group individual papers into panel sessions around a common theme, issue, methodology or discipline. Each person will have a maximum of 15 minutes for an oral presentation and should be prepared to field questions after the talk. Since the agendas of COTS meetings have grown over the past several years, we will try to adhere to these time limits. Scholars are free to distribute copies of their papers.

Traditionally, COTS has subsisted without collecting registration fees. We have depended on the goodwill of our institutions and the generosity of the Thai government. If you are inclined to donate to Thai Studies at Northern Illinois University, however, we will not refuse your gift.

Please send brief abstracts (including contact information and institutional affiliation) to Grant Olson: golson@niu.edu
Acceptance of paper proposals, information regarding scheduling of panels and assignment of panel moderators and discussants will be sent via email.

A block of rooms will be held at the Holmes Student Center at Northern Illinois University for conference participants to make their own reservations (815-753-1444). These rooms will be held until September 27; please visit www.niu.edu/hsc/hotelinfo/index.shtml

Please contact Julia Lamb, Center for SE Asian Studies, concerning logistical questions: jlamb@niu.edu