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Call for Submissions

Communicating Diversity 2023:

SUBMISSIONS DUE MARCH 24, 2023

The Communicating Diversity Conference started in 2012 as an event aimed at Texas A&M undergraduate and graduate students and has expanded over the years. 2012 was a half-day conference with about a dozen Aggies presenting their scholarship. 2015 included a full day’s schedule with about 35 students from six different universities. During the 2019 conference, before the pandemic, presenters from across Texas, the neighboring states, and from a variety of disciplines were in attendance. This year, we aim to respark our in-person growth by inviting submissions from scholars across different regions and disciplines.

 

The conference theme this year started with an acknowledgement that the routines of our everyday lives can bury meaningful messages and rush important conversations. For some, it can be easy to be content with social progress that has already been made. For others, continued inequity, inaccessibility, and injustice are the very stuff of daily life. To provide a platform for these marginalized perspectives, the theme of the 2023 conference is “Sit and Listen.” With this theme, we seek to create a space outside of the routine shuffle where people will be able to pause and take in the diversity-related conversations which some of the newest scholars think are most important. We invite scholars from all disciplines to submit abstracts for a variety of projects related to our theme of “Sit and Listen.” 

In developing or workshopping a project about the conversations that we need to listen to, scholars may consider these questions: Where do these conversations need to happen? How do we adapt them to the multiplicity of communication contexts? Where have they already been happening? Who should take part in these conversations? Who needs to be listening? Who needs to be speaking? What can make these conversations most effective? What aspects of the timing of the conversation are most important? Why haven’t these conversations happened before? What in the past needs to inform the conversation today? Beyond the theme, We invite submissions related to, though not limited to, communicative processes in issues such as power, privilege, social justice, and climate and inclusion, in a variety of contexts (e.g., rhetoric, media, health, organizational, intercultural, political).

Scroll down to see submission guidelines. 
 

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Share your voice

Full Paper Sessions: Submit a 250-word (or less) abstract to the submission tab by midnight CST on March 24, 2023. Please include your name, university/college affiliation, departmental affiliation, and student status (undergraduate or graduate), as well as three self-identified keywords that describe your presentation. Abstracts should be attached as PDF document with no identifying information in the document.

Research Escalator Sessions: Submit an extended abstract (500 words) of your paper. This abstract will be reviewed by up to 3 potential mentors (more advanced scholars with expertise in the field and/or your paper topic). If your abstract is selected for mentorship, you will be expected to send the most recent version of your paper to your mentor by April 22nd so that they have sufficient time to review your piece.

Alternative Format Sessions: Alternative formats such as art, film, and performance are welcomed. Please provide a 250 word description and rationale for your alternative format presentation. Be sure to discuss what technical requirements your presentation will require, duration, and how the presentation connects to the conference theme. 

During the conference, time will be set aside specifically for the research escalator sessions. Submitters will meet with their mentors in one-on-one mentorship meetings to discuss their feedback on the manuscript. At the end of the session, all submitters will present a short “recap” of new directions/goals as well as highlight the main points they took away from their mentorship sessions.

 

Socially relevant and theoretically informed abstracts that fit the conference theme will be prioritized. If your submission is accepted, you will be put on a panel to give a 10-12 minute presentation about your project during the conference on Saturday, May 6th.  

Those accepted to the conference are eligible for the Communicating Diversity Paper Competition. To be considered, submit your paper (10-page minimum) directly to tamucommunicatingdiversity@gmail.com by April 22nd. Top student papers will be recognized at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

***Submission decisions will be sent via e-mail. Please add our conference director, Nance Heise's email (nanceheise@tamu.edu) to your contacts to ensure your submission decision doesn't go to junk/spam. 

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Eligibility

Undergraduate and graduate students from any institution of higher education are eligible to participate, including junior colleges, two-year institutions, and community colleges.

Registration

Registration for the conference is available and is free of charge. The registration deadline is May 3rd 2023. Spaces are limited.

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