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Call for Papers and Programs
Media Studies Interest Group
WESTERN STATES COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION

2013 WSCA Convention
Reno, Nevada
February 15 - 19

Conference Theme: GOING GLOBAL: COMMUNICATION IN THE NETWORK ERA

In 1962, Marshal McLuhan popularized the concept of the “global village,” which predicted that the ongoing development and spread of electric communication technologies would lead to an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world. Fifty years later, we find ourselves immersed in a global networked environment much like the one McLuhan envisioned. The transition to this new world has been both swift and sweeping, and encompasses a wide array of social, political, and technological transformations. The rise of new information technologies and corresponding proliferation of information have dramatically impacted our personal, professional, and public lives and significantly altered our sense of ourselves, our world, and our place(s) in it. A commitment to charting the contours and consequences of these seismic changes for intercultural, interpersonal, family, health, organizational, strategic, political, rhetorical, media, and various other modes and methods of communication animates the 2013 conference theme: “Going Global: Communication in the Network Era.” Conference attendees are invited to interpret the theme broadly, while focusing on the many and varied ways that our teaching and scholarship are influenced by the forces of globalization and the emergence of the network era.
— Brian L. Ott, WSCA President Elect and 2013 Primary Program Planner

Competitive Papers and Program Proposals for the MEDIA STUDIES INTEREST GROUP

Please submit competitive papers and program proposals electronically to:
Dr. David Scott Diffrient
Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies
Program Planner, MSIG
Department of Communication Studies
1783 Campus Delivery
Colorado State University
Fort Collins CO 80523-1783
Email: scott.diffrient@colostate.edu

COMPETITIVE PAPERS

A. Authors are encouraged to submit papers to the interest groups for competitive selection. Papers may employ any humanistic and/or scientific methodology(ies) and may address theoretical developments, critical analyses, disciplinary issues, pedagogical issues and research advancements.
• Submit each paper to one interest group only. (Note: Because not all interest groups sponsor competitive papers, interest group planners should be contacted prior to the submission of such papers.)
• Competitive Papers should not: (1) have been presented at another conference or convention; (2) have been published; and (3) have been accepted for publication.

B. Submitted papers should include the following:
• A separate title page that includes the paper’s title, names of all authors, affiliation(s), email address(es), phone number(s), and audio-visual requests. This information should be included for each author. 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/aboutus/PolicyandProcedureManual.pdf
• A 100-200 word abstract of the paper (with title appearing on this page)
• A maximum of 30 pages of text
• No information in the paper that identifies the author(s) beyond that which appears on the title page.

C. Submission: Specific information about submitting to interest groups appears on http://www.westcomm.org/conventions/wsca-2013-Reno/CallForPapers.

D. Research in Progress: Some interest groups sponsor programs of “Research in Progress.” Papers submitted to these programs should be so designated on the cover page and 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” before submitting it.

E. 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 be marked “DEBUT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
• Please also indicate whether each author is a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral student.
• Some interest groups also sponsor debut programs; papers need not be presented on a debut panel to be eligible for the Executives Club Debut Award.

F. Competitive paper submissions must be RECEIVED by the interest group planner NO LATER THAN Saturday, September 1, 2012. Some interest groups allow or require that papers be submitted electronically, whereas others require paper submissions. BE SURE TO CHECK THE INTEREST GROUP CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE ACCEPTABLE FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION.
• For specific information about submitting to interest groups, visit the WSCA website at: http://www.westcomm.org/conventions/WSCA-2013-Reno/Reno.asp

PROGRAM PROPOSALS

A. Program proposals should focus on a unifying theme relevant to research, theory, or instruction in the area of the sponsoring interest group. Programs may consist of a chair, individual presenters, and a critic respondent in a format traditionally presented at conferences. However, debates, round table discussions, performance activities, or other unique formats are encouraged. Innovative program proposals, especially those that provide opportunities for interaction among participants and attendees, are encouraged. Programs co-sponsored with other interest groups are also welcome. Programs that relate to the convention theme, “Going Global,” are encouraged.

B. Program proposals must contain the following:
• Thematic title of the program;
• Names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and affiliations of all participants;
• Title and brief description of each presentation;
• Equipment needed for the program. 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/aboutus/PolicyandProcedureManual.pdf
• Program proposals must be RECEIVED by the appropriate interest group planner NO LATER THAN Saturday, September 1, 2012. Some interest groups allow or require that program proposals be submitted electronically; some allow paper submissions. Check the interest group call for papers for the acceptable format for submission. For specific information about submitting to interest groups, visit the WSCA website at
http://www.westcomm.org/conventions/WSCA-2013-Reno/Reno.asp