National Communication Association’s 103rd Annual Convention Highlights Legacy and Relevance of Communication Discipline
More than 4,000 Communication researchers, teachers, and students are expected at the National Communication Association (NCA) 103rd Annual Convention to explore the theme of “Our Legacy, Our Relevance.” Communication scholars will convene in Dallas, Texas, to engage in deep discussions about Communication scholars’ role in a society in desperate need of greater understanding regarding communication, civility, and inclusion.
This year, NCA will host a ground-breaking poetry slam showcase titled “Lyrical Justice,” featuring six of the most accomplished spoken word poets in the world, including Ed Mabrey, Imani Cezanne, Rudy Francisco, and Terisa Siagatonu. The performers will touch on themes of personal healing, civic justice, and community.
To attend: Media are invited to attend the convention to learn more about the highlights listed below and to explore more than 1,100 sessions in which NCA members will present new research and discuss emerging issues in Communication.
WHAT: National Communication Association’s 103rd Annual Convention
WHEN: November 16-19, 2017
WHERE: Sheraton Dallas, 400 North Olive Street, Dallas, TX 75201; select sessions at the Dallas Marriott Center (next door), 650 North Pearl Street
To obtain press passes: Media personnel must register at the registration desk and present working press or media credentials. Register in advance with Jenna Sauber to have your press pass ready.
Highlights:
For full program information, visit www.natcom.org/convention or contact Jenna Sauber at 202-534-1104 or jsauber@natcom.org.
Opening Session (Thursday, 11/16: 5-6:30 pm)
- This interactive session will feature a panel of Communication scholars and poets who will use poetry and aesthetic response to ask each other and the audience to think critically about themes of legacy and the future, to engage “the verbs of social justice.” Presenters include poets Ed Mabrey and Imani Cezanne.
Carroll C. Arnold Distinguished Lecture (Friday, 11/17: 5-6:30 pm)
- Dr. Catherine R. Squires of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will present “Tubman and Jackson on the Twenty Dollar Bill: Or, Ghosts, Gossip, Mediums, and Debts.”
Lyrical Justice (Friday, 11/17: 7:30-9 pm)
- This special performance session will feature nationally and globally-acclaimed poets, including:
- Amir Safi: Co-Founder of Mic Check and Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival, 2013 National Poetry Slam Semi-Finalist
- Ed Mabrey: Three-time World Champion of TV One’s Lexus Verses & Flow, Emmy-nominated actor and comedian
- Imani Cezanne: National Champion and multi-national finalist of TV One’s Lexus Verses & Flow, 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam Co-Champion
- Janae Johnson: Two-time National Champion and Co-Founder of The House Slam
- Rudy Francisco: National Champion and multi-national finalist of TV One’s Lexus Verses & Flow
- Terisa Siagatonu: Recipient of President Obama’s Champions of Change Award, poet ambassador
NCA Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony (Saturday, 11/18: 5-6:30 pm)
- NCA President Stephen J. Hartnett will speak about Communication, globalization, and the prospects for cosmopolitan solidarity.
- 31 Communication scholars will receive awards for their research, teaching, and service.
Immigration, Race, & Ethnicity
- Post-racial? Nigga Please! Conversations about Race in the Classroom (11/17, 2 pm)
- Texas Sanctuary Cities Law and the Public Erosion of Trust: Local and National Implications for Immigrant Communities (11/18, 3:30 pm)
Gender & Identity
- Sanctioning Discrimination through Texas HB3859: The Varied Implications of Texas' Child Adoption Legislation (11/16, 11 am)
- #Why I March: Washington D.C., the Sister Marches and Continuing Activism (11/18, 3:30 pm)
Politics & Policy
- Archiving History, Archiving Identity: Visual Culture and the Rhetorical Construction of History, Politics, and Subjects (11/17, 12:30 pm)
- Waging War Against the Media: Donald Trump Battling the Forces of the First Amendment and a Free Press (11/18, 8 am)
Entertainment & Media
- From Black-ish to Black Lives Matter: Communicating Blackness in the 21st Century (11/16, 8 am)
- Freedom Film Festival, featuring a variety of documentary screenings (11/16-11/18)
The National Communication Association (NCA) advances Communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion.
For more information, visit natcom.org, follow us on Twitter at @natcomm, and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalCommunicationAssociation.