DANBURY, CONN. — For one weekend this fall, the Northeast Popular Culture Association will bring topics from science fiction and folklore to social media and Lady Gaga to the campus of Western Connecticut State University.

On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, 2011, scholars from across the region will present their research and work at this year’s NEPCA conference. The weekend’s activities will begin at 4 p.m., Nov. 11, in several classrooms throughout Warner and White halls on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

The NEPCA is a regional affiliate of the American Culture Association and the Popular Culture Association. Since 1992, the association has promoted the study of pop and American culture by bringing together scholars of various intellectual disciplines. Among the works to be presented are “Eating La Famiglia: Consumption of Authenticity in Italian-themed Restaurants” and “Image as Spiritual Hologram: Lady Gaga & Alexander McQueen, Royalty of a Different Fashion.”

Friday’s program will conclude with a presentation by featured guest lecturer, William H. Foster III, a professor of English from Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury. A long-time comic book collector and researcher, Foster has written 15 books and nearly a dozen plays. He appeared as an expert commentator for CNN news and National Public Radio.

For more information, call (203) 837-9062.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.