2023 ECA Convention to Focus on Innovation
Eastern Communication Association Plans Innovative Convention: Please Plan to Attend
“Innovate”: To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new ideas, methods, or activities. To create transformation, revolution, metamorphosis.
The Eastern Communication Association would be honored to have you join us for our 114th Annual Convention at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD, March 29-April 2, 2023. The theme for our gathering is “Harboring Innovation.”
Regular Submission Deadline: October 16, 2022, 11:59 p.m. PST
Graduate Posters and Undergraduate Scholars’ Submissions: December 11, 2022, 11:59 p.m. PST
What Will You Discover at ECA?
If you’ve never been to an ECA convention, we hope you will consider checking us out! In these dynamic times, we are committed to creating a new and innovative type of conference that will meet our attendees’ needs. We offer a small venue with plenty of opportunities for sharing research ideas, professional development, socializing with friends, and discussing state-of-the-art ideas about teaching. We are proud of our inclusive environment. We showcase a broad range of research methodologies, provide plenty of opportunities for students, and we offer balanced content on both research and teaching. From performance studies to mediation and moderation to baseball, there is truly something for everyone at our convention. You will feel welcome even if it’s your first time. Special meals, meaningful plenary speakers, and innovative session formats are just some of what you will discover at ECA.
The Theme
The “Harboring Innovation” theme may sound familiar. When the 2020 ECA convention was canceled less than two weeks before its scheduled date, innovation meant something different to us than it does today. Innovation became more important than ever before during that extended period of virtual teaching, difficult access to research participants and venues, and the absence of in-person conferences to connect with colleagues. So, I decided to again take up the intended theme of that ill-fated but fully planned 2020 convention for 2023.
ECA’s officers and my planning team invite you to bring to Baltimore your best thoughts about innovating the field, our scholarship, our teaching, and our outreach.
Please Join Us
You can find all pertinent details, including the call for papers and submission procedures, by going to www.ecasite.org and selecting “Convention.” And, of course, I invite you to email me with any questions or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Waldeck, Primary Planner/First Vice President
Department Head & Professor, Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communication
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
University of Georgia
jwaldeck@uga.edu
WSCA
Call for Submissions – 2023 Convention
COMMUNICATION AND
WESTERN STATES COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION 93RD ANNUAL CONVENTION
FEBRUARY 17–20 • 2023 • PHOENIX, AZ
The great coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2022 changed many aspects of the human experience. When the world shut down for months, re-opened, and then went through cycles of isolation and gathering, people across the globe reconsidered what it means to be well. For many, it meant expanding conceptualizations of well-being, considering the multiple aspects of well-being in new ways, or prioritizing being well over other elements of being that had previously been priorities, such as being productive or being successful.
Communication scholars, teachers, and students are uniquely situated to focus on the interplay of communication and well-being. Although many definitions of “well-being” exist, various theoretical and practical approaches share a common focus on what is “good.” That might entail what is good for a person, for a community, for the environment, and so on.
In preparing for the WSCA 2023 convention in Phoenix, Arizona, we can continue our focus on growth and sustainability that began with the “Cultivate” theme of the 2022 convention by turning our attention to the role of communication in the various features of well-being. What are nuanced connections between communication and emotional well-being? How does the communicative constitution of physical and mental well-being impact our concepts of self and other? How do we communicate to reduce – or perpetuate – stigmas surrounding a lack of well-being? What is the role of communication in environmental well-being? Each WSCA Interest Group features scholarship and teaching that explore well-being in some way. I invite each of you to consider the power of communication in your own well-being journey.
Our 2023 convention in Phoenix will provide multiple opportunities for interrogating the ties between communication and well-being. I encourage you to submit proposals that will facilitate robust conversations about communication and well-being. I also will be working with our local hosts to provide a variety of formal and informal ways to engage our convention theme.
Heather E. Canary
WSCA President-Elect and 2023 Program Planner
Call for Competitive Papers, Program Proposals, and Pre-Conference Workshop Proposals, and Undergraduate Scholars’ Research Conference (USRC) Submissions
- Competitive Papers (deadline: received by 9/1/22). Submit online at westcomm.org, Conventions, 2023 Submissions, select appropriate Interest Group (see below)
- Panel Session Proposals (deadline: received by 9/1/22). Submit online at westcomm.org, Conventions, 2023 Submissions, select appropriate Interest Group (see below)
- Pre-Conference Workshop Proposals (deadline: received by 9/1/22). Submit online at westcomm.org, Conventions, 2023 Submissions, select Pre-Conference Workshop
- Undergraduate Scholars’ Research Conference (deadline: received by 12/1/22). Submit online at westcomm.org, Conventions, 2023 Submissions, select USRC
Specific information about submitting to Interest Groups is available in our online submission program.
I. Competitive Papers – Deadline: 9/1/22
Authors are encouraged to submit papers to Interest Groups for competitive selection. Papers may employ any humanistic, scientific, and/or other methodology(ies) and may address theoretical developments, critical analyses, disciplinary issues, pedagogical issues, and/or research advancements.
You should submit your paper to one Interest Group. Not all Interest Groups sponsor competitive papers, so be sure to review the Interest Group’s online call for papers prior to submission. These calls will be posted to www.westcomm.org after they have been tailored by each Interest Group. Submitted papers should not include information that identifies the author(s).
Competitive paper submissions must be submitted using the Attendee Interactive system no later than midnight PST on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
Research in Progress: Some Interest Groups sponsor “Research in Progress” programs. Papers submitted to these programs should not exceed ten pages in length. Be sure that the Interest Group to which you want to send your paper accepts “Research in Progress” programs before submission.
Debut Award: The WSCA Executives Club Debut Award is made to the author (or co-authors) of a paper presented at the convention “who have not presented a paper at a state, regional, national or international convention, or published in any academic journal.” Papers presented at student-only conferences are exempt from this requirement. All authors of a co-authored paper must meet these eligibility requirements for a paper to be considered a Debut Paper. Papers eligible for the Debut Award should select “debut” in the Attendee Interactive online submission system. Some Interest Groups also sponsor debut programs; papers need not be presented on a debut panel session to be eligible for the Executives Club Debut Award.
Competitive papers must be submitted online using the Attendee Interactive system no later than midnight PST on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Please address any competitive paper questions, comments, or concerns to the Interest Group Planner or the Primary Program Planner, Heather Canary.
II. Panel Session Proposals – Deadline: 9/1/2022
Panel session proposals should focus on a unifying theme relevant to research, theory, or instruction in the area of the sponsoring Interest Group. Panel sessions may consist of a chair, individual presenters, and a critic/respondent in a traditional conference format. However, we encourage proposals for a debate, a round table discussion, a performance activity, or an innovative program that provides opportunities for interaction among participants and attendees. We welcome programs co-sponsored with other Interest Groups. We particularly solicit programs that relate to the 2023 convention theme, “Communication and Well-Being.”
Panel session proposals must contain the following:
- Thematic title of the panel session;
- Names and affiliations of all participants;
- Title and brief description of each presentation;
- An abstract of 50-75 words that identifies the content and purpose of the panel, which will be printed in the program book. If accepted, additional explanations or details may be included in a separate panel session leaflet or handout made available at the panel session presentation;
- Equipment needed for the panel session. Equipment availability is extremely limited. Note that an AV request is not a guarantee that AV will be available. If your submission is accepted, your Interest Group planner should inform you whether or not you will have AV.
Panel session proposals must be submitted online using the Attendee Interactive system no later than midnight PST on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Please address any session proposal questions, comments, or concerns to the Interest Group Planner or Primary Program Planner, Heather Canary.
III. Pre-Conference Workshop Proposals – Deadline: 9/1/22
A workshop is intended as a training or informational short course that can be presented in a three-hour or six-hour time block. A workshop topic may concern the presentation of teaching innovations, an area of research, a new theoretical perspective, the application of a body of knowledge, skill development, or another clearly focused topic. Workshop leaders are encouraged to advertise their workshops and solicit participation.
Workshops are scheduled the day of the kick-off, as a pre-conference activity on Friday, February 17, 2023. Participants pay a modest registration fee. The fee is intended to cover only the direct costs (photocopying, materials, etc.) incurred in conducting the workshop.
Pre-conference workshop proposals should include the following:
- Title of the workshop;
- Names and affiliations of all presenters;
- A detailed rationale that outlines the workshop's goals;
- A brief (50-75 words only) outline and description of workshop activities for potential inclusion in the conference program;
- Room size and configuration requested (e.g., theater seating, tables of eight, etc.);
- Equipment needed for the pre-conference. Equipment availability is extremely limited. Note that AV costs are the workshop submitter’s responsibility. You will either have to pay for it directly, bring it with you (if the hotel contract allows), or put it in the cost of the workshop and pass the fees on to the participants;
- Maximum enrollment number;
- Fee amount, set in accordance with WSCA policy (see below);
- Time block requested (i.e., three hours or six hours)
Guide to setting fees for workshop leaders: WSCA has set $5.00 as the base fee for any workshop. The first $5.00 of each registrant’s fee is designed to cover the association’s administrative costs. Any fees above $5.00 should be set at such a level as to provide reimbursement to the workshop leader(s) only for the cost of materials, equipment, and any out-of-the-ordinary expenses. Costs for audio-visual and other equipment rental and costs of producing materials for participants must be covered within the overall fee that is specified. WSCA cannot reimburse more money to a workshop leader than it receives from participant fees. If a part or all of a fee is proposed as covering an individual’s expenses or as an honorarium, Christina Yoshimura, current WSCA President, must approve it prior to any commitment to the individual.
Workshop proposals must be submitted online using the Attendee Interactive system no later than midnight PST on Thursday, September 1, 2022. Please address any workshop proposal questions, comments, or concerns to the President Elect, Heather Canary.
IV. Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference (USRC) – Deadline: 12/1/22
USRC submissions must be submitted online using the Attendee Interactive system no later than midnight PST on Thursday, December 1, 2022. Go to westcomm.org, Conventions, 2023 Submissions, and then when you are directed to the Attendee Interactive system, select USRC as the Interest Group. All submissions should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format. For the USRC, all authors of the submitted papers must be undergraduate students at the time of submission. Please address any questions, comments, or concerns to WSCA Second Vice-President, Anthony Cuomo at cuomoa@laccd.edu.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Authors must disclose whether they have obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, organizational approval, or other necessary permissions for any convention submission involving the collection of data on human participants. If no approval was obtained, the reason should be stated.
For example, if authors have not obtained IRB approval because their institutions do not have IRBs, that fact should be stated. The IRB disclosure statement should be included in a footnote, as an author note, or in the submission text.