Call for Seminar, Panel,
and Roundtable Proposals
Deadline for Submission of Seminar Proposals: February 28, 2005
Deadline for Submission of Panel Proposals: May 9, 2005
Deadline for Submission of Roundtable Proposals: May 9, 2005
Additional Conference Event: "What Are You Reading?"
Please note:
- All who attend the MSA conference must be members of the organization with dues paid for 2005-2006. (MSA membership runs from October to September.)
- Because we wish to involve as many people as possible as active participants, MSA does not permit multiple appearances on the program. That is, one cannot give papers in two sessions, or be both a seminar leader and a panelist or roundtable participant. However, panelists, roundtable participants, and plenary speakers who also wish to participate in a seminar or a "What Are You Reading?" session may certainly do so. And of course one may chair a session and also appear elsewhere on the program.
- MSA rules do not allow panel or roundtable organizers to chair their own session if they are also speaking in the session. Organizers are encouraged to identify a moderator and include this information with their proposals; the MSA Program Committee is also able to help you secure another conference attendee's service as moderator.
CALL FOR SEMINAR PROPOSALS
Deadline: Monday, February 28, 2005
Seminars are one the most significant features of the MSA conference. Participants write brief "position papers" (5-7 pages) that are read and circulated prior to the conference. With no more than 15 participants, seminars generate lively exchange and sometimes produce networks of scholars who continue to work together beyond the conference. The format also allows most conference attendees to seek financial support from their institutions as they educate themselves and their colleagues on subjects of mutual interest. Seminars are two hours in length.
Please note that this is the call for seminar leaders. Sign-ups for seminar participants will take place on a first-come, first-served basis starting in mid-April, coinciding with registration for the conference.
Seminar Topics
There are no limits on topics, but past experience has shown that the more clearly defined the topic and the more guidance provided by the leader, the more productive the discussion. To scan past seminar topics, go to the Conference Archives on the MSA website, click the link to a prior conference, and then click on "Conference Schedule" or "Conference Program." You'll find seminars listed along with panels and other events.
Proposing a Seminar
Seminar proposals must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: MSA 7 SEMINAR PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF SEMINAR LEADER] (e.g., MSA SEMINAR PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* List the seminar leader's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Provide a brief curriculum vitae (including teaching experience) for the seminar leader
* Give a brief description (up to 100 words) of the proposed topic
Submit proposals by February 28 to:
Ann Mattis, Conference Assistant
MSACHICAGO@LUC.EDU
Seminars will be selected in mid-March 2005.
CALL FOR PANEL PROPOSALS
Deadline: Monday, May 9, 2005
There are no limits on topics, but please bear in mind these guidelines:
* We encourage interdisciplinary panels and discourage panels on single authors.
* In order to encourage discussion, we prefer panels with three participants, though panels of four will be considered.
* Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted.
* Graduate students are welcome as panelists. However, panels composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than panels that include degreed presenters together with graduate students.
Proposals for panels must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: MSA 7 PANEL PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF PANEL ORGANIZER] (e.g., MSA 7 PANEL PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* Session title
* Session organizer's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Chair's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, and contact information (if you do not identify a chair, we will locate one for you)
* Panelists' names, paper titles, institutional affiliations, disciplines, positions or titles, and contact information
* A maximum 500-word abstract of the panel as a whole
* Brief (2-3 sentence) scholarly biography of each panelist
Send proposals by May 9 to:
Ann Mattis, Conference Assistant
MSACHICAGO@LUC.EDU
Panels will be selected in mid-June.
Deadline: Monday, May 9, 2005
Unlike panels, which generally feature a sequence of 15-20 minutes talks followed by discussion, roundtables gather a group of participants around a shared concern in order to generate discussion among the roundtable participants and with the audience. To this end, instead of delivering full-length papers, participants typically deliver short position statements in response to questions distributed in advance by the organizer, or they take turns responding to prompts from the moderator. The bulk of the session should be devoted to discussion. No paper titles are listed in the program, only the names of participants.
Other MSA roundtable policies:
* Roundtables may feature as many as 6 speakers.
* We particularly welcome roundtables featuring participants from multiple disciplines, and we discourage roundtables on single authors.
* Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted.
* Graduate students are welcome as speakers. However, roundtables composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than roundtables that include degreed presenters together with graduate students.
Proposals for panels must be submitted via email and must include the following information. Please assist us by sending this information in exactly the order given here:
* Use as a subject line: MSA 7 ROUNDTABLE PROPOSAL / [LAST NAME OF ROUNDTABLE ORGANIZER] (e.g., MSA 7 ROUNDTABLE PROPOSAL / GORMAN)
* Session title
* Session organizer's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address
* Moderator's name, institutional affiliation, discipline, position or title, and contact information (if you do not identify a moderator, we will locate one for you)
* Speakers' names, institutional affiliations, disciplines, positions or titles, mailing addresses, phones, faxes, and e-mail addresses
* A maximum 500-word rationale for the roundtable
* Brief (2-3 sentence) scholarly biography of each speaker
Send proposals by May 9 to:
Ann Mattis, Conference Assistant
MSACHICAGO@LUC.EDU
Roundtables will be selected in mid-June.
