Rhetoric and Public Address Announces Anchorage Call

By Katie L. Gibson, California State University, Long Beach–

The Rhetoric and Public Address Interest Group invites submission of competitive papers and thematic panel program proposals for the 2010 WSCA Annual Convention. The convention theme is “Power and Communication” and submissions to the Rhetoric and Public Address Interest Group should adhere to the following guidelines:

Competitive Papers

Authors are invited to submit completed papers dealing with rhetoric and public address from any theoretical, methodological, or critical perspective. Competitive papers should not have been presented previously at another convention/conference, be accepted for publication, or have been published. Competitive paper submissions must be submitted electronically and should include:

1. TWO separate attachments. The first attachment must be an information page with the title of the paper, names of all authors, their institutional affiliations, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. This must be attached as a separate document. Audio-visual requests should also be listed on the information page, but please note that equipment availability is extremely limited (see the WSCA policy on Audio-Visual Equipment at Conventions in the Policies and Procedures Manual on the web site: http://www.westcomm.org/);

2. The second attachment of your electronic submission should be the paper. The submitted paper should NOT include any author(s) identification anywhere in the document, including on the title page or in the header. The paper should include:

a. A 100-150 word abstract of the paper (with title appearing on this page);

b. A maximum of 25 pages of text (excluding title page and notes/references). Longer papers will be not be sent out for review;

c. Authors “who have not presented a paper at a state, regional, national or international convention, or published in any academic journal” should include the word “DEBUT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. Papers authored by students should include the word “STUDENT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. All authors must meet debut or student criteria for the paper to be so designated.

Panel Program Proposals

Panel program proposals should focus on a unifying theme relevant to research, theory, or criticism in the area of rhetoric and public address. Programs may consist of a chair, individual paper presenters, and a critic/respondent, however roundtable discussions, performance venues, or other unique formats are encouraged. In alternative program formats, respondents may be included or omitted as appropriate. Innovative program proposals, especially those that provide opportunities for engaged interaction among participants and attendees, or those which address the conference theme directly are encouraged. Programs co-sponsored with other interest groups are also welcome. Panel program proposals should include:
1. Title and rationale for the thematic panel/program;
2. Title and 100 word abstract of each presentation;
3. Names, affiliations, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of all participants;
4. Expected size of audience;
5. Equipment needed (please note that equipment availability is extremely limited).

Paper/Program Submission Process

Submit competitive paper and program proposals to Katie Gibson, Chair of the Rhetoric and Public Address Interest Group, via email at kgibson@csulb.edu. Papers and program proposals must be submitted in Microsoft Word. Paper submissions should include two separate attachments: 1. The title/information page and 2. A blind copy of the paper with no author name(s). Only electronic submissions will be accepted. All submissions must be received by Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

This article originally appeared in WSCA News, v36, n3. Editor Bill Eadie