Each year at this time, communication faculty and students from across the United States and various other countries gather to discuss current research and teaching strategies in the field. The National Communication Association (NCA) meets every November (Wednesday through Sunday) to share cutting edge research and other topics of interest. The convention will host 1,200+ sessions that involve more than 5,000 participants, reflecting the substance and progress of the communication discipline. This year is the 93rd Annual Convention in Chicago, IL. This year’s theme, Communicating Worldviews: Faith-Intellect-Ethics, encourages participants to examine communication within the discipline, society or world through a literal, metaphorical, or virtual lens.
So, OUR faculty are on their way or already there to present their work. Here is a sample of some of the things we are doing:
Gloria Galanes and Isabelle Bauman are presenters for a workshop called: Social Construction and Social Change: Communication Research, Teaching, and Practice
Elizabeth Dudash is on a panel discussing political issues in talk shows: Political Issues and Campaign Content: An Analysis of Topics in Sunday Morning Talk Show
AND Political Issues and Campaign Content: An Analysis of Topics in Sunday Morning Talk Shows
Susan Waters is also presenting on this panel: Does Media Matter? Investigating Media Bias, Answering Bill O’Reilly, and Challenging Sunday Morning News Programs.
Randy Dillon is responding to a panel called: Comparative Cultural Worldviews in the Educational Context
Sam Dyer is presenting a paper with a couple of graduate students: Newspapers and Weblogs During the 2006 Mid-Term Elections: Toward a Coding Scheme
Kelly McNeilis (me) is presenting a paper with a graduate student: Aligning Talk and Identity in Functional Work Groups: Communication Competence and Identification in Teams
Heather Walters and Eric Morris are attending along with 14 of our graduate students in our Masters Program (some of whom are also presenting at the conference).
Be sure to ask the faculty how their presentations went when you see them next week.
Next week is Thanksgiving and you can be sure that if your class was canceled or rearranged this week, you’ll definitely be meeting next week. Classes meet on Monday and Tuesday.
I hope registration is going well for you. Look for an online survey soon about summer classes and about satisfaction with your major.