GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION
Panel vs. Paper and Other Session Formats
The general conference has a variety of formats for examining and presenting women’s and gender studies education, scholarship, and activism: panel sessions, paper sessions, poster sessions, performances, workshops, and roundtables. Poster sessions are a new and efficient format given their informal nature and their networking potential. Therefore we will continue to expand the program space devoted to poster sessions and encourage prospective participants to consider this option.

Graduate and Undergraduate Research Sessions may be submitted in any of the formats listed below and give students an opportunity to present their academic work in a professional context. The National Women’s Studies Association encourages both graduate and undergraduate students to seek guidance from professors and mentors at their home institutions on building skills such as writing a conference proposal, organizing a panel on a specific theme, and presenting their scholarship to an audience.

Panels provide an opportunity for examining specific problems or topics from a variety of perspectives given that they include 3-5 participants. Panels may present alternative solutions, interpretations, or contrasting points of view on a specified subject or in relation to a common theme. Panel members are expected to prepare papers addressing central questions described in the proposal.

The National Women's Studies Association especially encourages complete panel submissions. The Proposal Review Committee encourages members to use NWSA and other listserve resources to network and find colleagues with whom to develop full sessions.

Paper proposals are typically submitted individually and arranged into sessions by the Proposal Review Committee. In paper sessions, authors present 10-12 minute papers followed by audience discussion. A typical structure for a session with four papers allows approximately 5 minutes for the moderator to introduce the session, 10 minutes for each presenter, and 30 minutes for discussion.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to meeting room space constraints, individual paper submissions are frequently converted into poster sessions. NWSA strongly encourages presenters who wish to deliver traditional papers to organize complete panels with colleagues.

Performance proposals may be submitted individually—for a 10-12 minute performance—or as a complete panel of performances suited for a 75-minute session. The National Women's Studies Association encourages combined performance sessions around particular themes, texts, or theoretical concepts. Note that the Proposal Review Committee may combine individual performance submissions with other individual paper submissions that address a similar theme or topic. Also note that performance proposals must demonstrate intellectual rigor and relevance to the field of women’s and gender studies.

Poetry and Prose submissions are accepted for possible inclusion in the Creative Writer’s Series only. These individual submissions will be arranged into sessions by the Creative Writer’s Series Chair. Accepted writers will read for a maximum of 15 minutes.

Sponsored Sessions may be submitted by NWSA Caucuses on topics of particular interest to caucus members and NWSA members as a whole. One sponsored session per caucus will be offered space in the Conference Program if submissions are received by the proposal deadline. Task forces and interest groups may also submit proposals for sponsored sessions, but please note that these slots are not guaranteed. Roundtables typically include a moderator and 4-6 presenters who make brief, informal remarks about a specific idea or project. It allows for extensive discussion and audience participation.

Poster Sessions present research or analysis on a topic by combining graphics and text on a 4’x8’ board. The poster session presenter is available during an assigned session time in order to interact on a one-on-one basis with the attendees viewing the poster. A well-planned poster communicates its message in a visually and textually powerful way, allowing the attendee to grasp the information quickly. Detailed instructions on the preparation of posters are available BY CLICKING HERE

Workshops provide an opportunity to exchange information or work on a common problem, project, or shared interest. Workshops are typically experientially oriented, grounded in some sort of women’s and gender studies research agenda, and include brief presentations that allow adequate time for reflective discussion and interaction.