06/26/2025

CSCA 2026 Convention - Women’s Caucus Call for Submissions

 WOMEN’S CAUCUS

Call for Papers and Panels

Central States Communication Association (CSCA)
Annual Convention Minneapolis, MN
April 14^th -19^th, 2026

Translate!

The CSCA Women’s Caucus invites submissions of competitive papers and panel proposals examining the role of gender in communication studies. Our caucus has a long history of community engagement and activism, and we welcome submissions that address the intersection of civic concerns and how they impact women’s lives. We welcome a range of topics, and we especially encourage members to address issues related to the convention theme, Translate! Let’s come together to share our scholarship and stories, collaborate, and celebrate!

The Women’s Caucus is dedicated to the exploration of multiple feminisms and the ways in which intersectionality shape identity and difference. Feminist scholarship that intersects with issues of race, class, sexuality, age, and ability are strongly encouraged. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Misconceptions of feminism and womanhood
• Social media representations of feminism and anti-feminism
• Social media trends that push or refute traditional gender norms
• Digital discourse surrounding the intersection of feminism and identity
• Global, cross-cultural, and multilingual feminisms
• Community-engaged research and translating feminist theory into practice
• Reproductive and menstrual justice
• Embodied narratives: Communicating diverse experiences of race, class, disability, gender identity, and sexuality
• Political attacks on the rights of marginalized communities

We strongly encourage submissions that reflect a diversity of perspectives and institutions. Co-sponsorship between other CSCA interest groups and caucuses is highly encouraged.

Awards: The Women’s Caucus issues a Top Paper and Top Student Paper award, both of which come with a $50 reward.

Submission Guidelines Papers:

• Only complete papers will be
• Papers must conform to APA 7th edition guidelines and be prepared for anonymous review.
• Papers must include a title and a brief
• Papers must not exceed 25 double-spaced pages (not including title page, abstract, references, and appendices)
• Graduate students should type “STUDENT” on the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
  • If the paper will be a single authored graduate student debut, please type “DEBUT STUDENT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
  • To be considered a graduate student debut paper the author must be a graduate student, the paper must have single authorship, and the paper must be the author’s first paper presented at CSCA
• If you would like your paper to be considered for the Inclusive Scholarship Award, type “INCLUSIVE SCHOLARSHIP” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
  • To be considered as an exemplar of inclusive scholarship, the paper must demonstrate academic rigor in the examination of communication and historically marginalized communities/populations.
  • If you would like to be considered for this award, please clearly articulate, in at least one paragraph in your abstract, how the respective scholarship explicitly addresses equity and inclusion.
  • Additionally, be sure to select the Inclusive Scholarship option when you submit your paper.

Paper Panel Proposals:

• Paper session panels must include a panel rationale (maximum 500 words) and abstract (maximum 100 words) for each paper.

Discussion Panel Proposals:

• Discussion panels must include a panel rationale (maximum 500 words) and a brief abstract (maximum 75 words) as it would appear in the conference program describing the program.
• You are strongly encouraged to include a brief abstract (50 words or less) of each participant’s perspective or what they add to the discussion.
• Preference will be given to panels with panelists from multiple

Submission Deadline & Information:

All media requests must be made at the time of submission. Please only request media if it is essential to your presentation, as media requests will be closely examined before approval. Laptop computers will not be made available for presentations.

Submissions for CSCA 2026 must be received by 11:59 PM (CDT) on October 10, 2025. Send submissions electronically through our CSCA online submission system site. Submitters should be certain that all potential presenters create a profile in the CSCA online submission system site as part of their submission. Membership in CSCA is not required to create a profile.

Any questions can be directed to Dr. Kristin Fitzsimmons, the chair and program planner for the Women’s Caucus, at fitz0332@umn.edu