Tentative Conference Agenda

Days 1-3

8:00-16:45       Conference Registration

9:00-10:25       Concurrent Session #1-3

10:25-10:40     Coffee Break

10:45-12:10     Concurrent Session #4-6

12:15-13:40     Lunch, Table Leaders, Welcome

13:45-15:10     Concurrent Session #7-9

15:10-15:25     Coffee Break

15:30-16:55     Concurrent Session #10-12

 This conference is a presenter’s conference, and we encourage everyone to attend all the sessions to maximize the networking opportunities as well as the cross-pollination of ideas. We have found that people who show up simply to present their own paper and then leave often do not benefit as much as those who participate fully. There are ample networking opportunities throughout the meeting. The Conference Secretariat will also provide forums for people to get together and go out to dinner as small groups. (We will make tentative dinner reservations at a variety of restaurants that people can sign up to attend. The costs for the dinners are not included in the conference registration fee.)

Proposal Types: There are two types of proposals – research papers and colloquium.

Research papers will be presented in a 25 minute time slot during the meeting. The total time for the presentation should be about 15 minutes with ten minutes for question and answer. Each person who has an accepted proposal will need to serve as a chair (simply introducing the presenter and keeping time) for one session, typically in the same room and 90 minute time block where the person gives her own presentation.

Colloquia are typically comprised of 3-5 individuals who will each present on a similar topic. This could be five papers on the same general topic, or an ‘experts panel’ where everyone discusses the same issue.

Scheduling. In order to insure that there are very few ‘no-shows’ we require that all presenters pre-register for the conference. This must be done before their session is scheduled in the program grid. A list of accepted proposals will be posted to the website, however the preliminary program with the scheduled times of the registered participants will only be available about a month before the conference. Registrations are accepted up until two weeks before the conference. We take scheduling requests due to religious observation, unusual family responsibilities, and unusual work responsibilities.

Table Discussions:  The concept is to have some of the tables in the lunch banquet set aside for theme-oriented discussions during the lunch.  For example, a person might want to meet with presenters who are from the same discipline (e.g. Sociology, Economics). Other themes could be by the subject of the research/interest (e.g. Homelessness, Public Opinion). It could also be oriented around methods (e.g. experimental, archival) or geography (attendees from Europe). The proposed discussion topics are reviewed by the conference committee before they are approved. The person who proposes the theme is the table leader and should insure introductions are made and should facilitate the conversation, remembering that the theme oriented discussion may only take a short portion of the time for lunch. In addition, if people want to extend the discussion, this might be a good time to make dinner plans with folks with a similar background/interest.

Participation Limits. Due to space limits and to insure that everyone has a chance to participate, only two proposals may be submitted per person. 

Virtual presentations. This is an option that has been requested by scholars who are traveling from other continents. A virtual presentation and virtual conference registration will allow you to record your presentation for on-line distribution via YouTube. We encourage all presenters to create a video version of their presentation that can be linked to the program. This can be done either by 1) recording a video of your presentation before or after the conference (or ask a colleague to record your presentation at the conference) or 2) create a PowerPoint presentation with voice over before or after the conference.

Publication. All papers will be published in an on-line proceedings. This would not preclude the author(s) from having the article published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PodCasting. The Chair of each session is responsible for introducing the speaker and facilitating the Q&A after the presentation. Speaker should introduce themselves before they ask their questions. The Chair is also responsible for turning on the podcasting equipment prior to the session. Not all sessions will be podcast.