CCA Annual Conference
The Annual Conference is the first and most tangible benefit of CCA membership. This has become a de rigueur event for Canadian communication scholars, a convivial venue of scholarly exchange as well as networking.
The next conference will be held at Concordia University, Montréal.
For details on the conference, its awards, funding, travel information, and guidelines for submissions, please review the Conference FAQ.
Student Travel Expense Form: click here
Graduate Masters Session Terms of Reference: click here .
CCA Conference FAQ
1. Applying to the Conference
The CCA uses the Open Conference Systems developed by the Public Knowledge Project, which enables participants to submit abstracts online. The website is http://ocs.sfu.ca/fedcan/index.php/cca2010/ .
We only accept proposals submitted through this system.
Directions on how to submit a presentation proposal are on the submissions website (http://ocs.sfu.ca/fedcan/index.php/cca2010/ ). There are five different types of presentations:
Single paper presentations
Presentations must be between 15-20 minutes long (approximately 10 pages). The conference organizers will organize papers into panels of three or four participants. You do not need to submit your paper to the panel chair in advance. Proposals should be 150-250 words.
Multi paper presentations
You may submit a pre-constituted panel with no more than four presenters, or three presenters and a respondent. The panel convener submits a proposal for the panel but all presenters must also submit their abstract individually. Presenters must select “multi-paper presentation” and input the identical e-mail address as the panel convener used for the panel proposal.
The panel proposal submitted by the panel convenor should describe the panel and include a list of the presenters and their individual presentation titles. The description of the panel should be 150-250 words (not including the list of presenters and their presentation titles).
When submitting, all presenters must select "panel presentation" in the "submission type" selection box and input the identical e-mail address as the panel convener used for the panel proposal.
Abstracts of individual presentations within the panel should be 150-250 words.
Roundtable or Workshop
Less formal panel presentations include no more than five presenters, or four presenters and a convener. Formal papers are not given, instead each presenter offers brief comments and the emphasis is on group discussion. This format is best for topics on professional development. It is expected that the majority of presenters will be professors or well-established professionals.
Performance or Screening
We support and encourage creative work by our members. Thus, we include sessions devoted to multi-media works such as videos, sound recordings, digital arts, and other non-traditional forms of scholarship.
Graduate Masters Sessions
The CCA has implemented a series of competitive sessions for Master’s students that offer intensive scholarly mentoring and professionalization opportunities. Graduate Masters Sessions are designed especially for MA students to present advanced level thesis/project research that is either completed or at a late stage of development. Please download the terms of reference for full details on the submissions process. MA students may only apply through the Graduate Masters Sessions. MA students who apply into the general pool of submissions will have their application rejected without consideration for the GMS.
Joint Sessions and Collaborations
We also seek out opportunities for collaboration with other associations, however any proposals must be approved by the conference organizing committee.
Participation
You may only present one formal paper at the conference. You may also present another co-authored paper, but only if the other authors are present. You can, however, also act as a respondent on a panel or participant on a workshop or roundtable. Therefore, you may only submit one abstract for consideration. If you submit multiple abstracts, you will be asked to withdraw all but one. The organizing committee will not make the decision for you.
Audio-Visual Technologies
If you require any special equipment for your presentation, it is imperative that you make the request at the same time as you submit your proposal. Use of AV materials should be directly relevant to your proposed paper. Powerpoint “bullet” presentations, large blocks of text, incidental images, and the like are not appropriate for a scholarly presentation.
Attending the Conference
The Congress
The CCA annual conference is held during the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress (http://www.fedcan.ca ), a gathering of scholarly associations from across the country. The Congress usually takes place between late-May to early-June at a Canadian university.
Registration Guide
The CFHSS distributes a Congress registration guide that is also available on their website. It includes information about travel, accommodation, and special events. In general, especially when Congress is held in smaller cities, accommodations fill up quickly so you are encouraged to make your travel plans well in advance. The CCA does not provide any assistance with travel or accommodation reservations.
Association and Conference Fees
In order to present at the conference, you must pay the following dues:
CCA membership: You need to be a member before the final conference schedule is released. CCA membership runs from January 1 to December 31. More information is available on the CCA website (http://acc-cca.ca/en/services/our_members/membership ). You must pay your dues for that calendar year by March 1st in order to be included in the schedule.
CCA conference registration and Congress registration: both the CCA and Congress charge a registration fee, which is administered by Congress. You can either pay in advance or on-site. Information on how to pay registration is available through the Congress registration guide. The CCA does not handle any registration fees, only annual membership dues.
Financial assistance
The CCA has limited funds to help defray the travel costs of student participants. The funds will be disbursed as fairly as possible depending upon the number of requests. Students who wish to apply for this financial assistance can download an application form here . Payment can only be made after the Congress and only after receipts and the completed application form have been received by the treasurer.
Contacting the CCA
Every year, we elect two members to the board to serve as CCA Conference Chairs. They are your best bet for any special requests. You can find their names and contact info on the website, under Governance .
It is a difficult and demanding task to organize a conference. Therefore, special requests for scheduling cannot be taken into consideration unless there is a compelling reason (i.e., medical, family emergency, conflict with another presentation).
Awards
The CCA hosts an awards reception every year at the conference.
Van Horne Prize
In collaboration with the Van Horne Institute, the CCA is very pleased to offer the annual Van Horne Prize worth $1,000 for the best student paper presented at the Conference. Papers must be submitted to the President of the CCA by April 1st. The winner will be announced at the annual CCA Reception. Please download the Van Horne Prize terms of reference for more information (http://acc-cca.ca/en/members/awards_prizes).
The Gertrude J. Robinson Book Prize
Launched in 2001, The Gertrude J. Robinson Book Prize is awarded to a Canadian scholar who has published a single-authored monograph. Nominations should include the author's full name, affiliation and contacts, as well as the full bibliographic information for the book. Nominations must be sent to the Vice-President by March 1st. Please download the Robinson Book Prize terms of reference for more information (http://acc-cca.ca/en/members/awards_prizes ).
The Dalton Camp Award
The CCA is proud to host the Dalton Camp Award, established by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting in 2002 to encourage and recognize excellence in essay writing on the link between democratic values and the quality of the media in Canada. Each year, up to three Canadians are selected to win a prize consisting of a bronze cast medal and $5,000. For more information, go to http://friends.ca/DCA/