07/04/2026

CSCA 2027 ... Ethnicity, Race, International, and Class Concerns (ERICC) Caucus Call for Papers

Ethnicity, Race, International, and Class Concerns (ERICC) Caucus

Call for Papers and Panels

Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Annual Convention
Madison, WI | April 7–11, 2027
Theme: Navigate — Finding Inspiration in Uncharted Terrain

The Ethnicity, Race, International, and Class Concerns (ERICC) Caucus invites submissions of competitive papers, panels, roundtables, and innovative programming. ERICC advocates for members on matters of race, ethnicity, citizenship, and class while promoting collaborative, inclusive scholarship grounded in lived experience and community engagement.

In response to the 2027 theme, ERICC encourages work that explores how we navigate the unknown, the invisible, and the uncertain in increasingly complex social worlds. We are especially interested in how communication shapes and challenges borders—material, symbolic, and psychological—and how individuals and communities make meaning across ambiguity, inequity, and shifting terrains.

Suggested Topics (not exhaustive):

• Borders in community and mind: migration, diaspora, citizenship, and belonging
• Communicating the unknown: ambiguity, uncertainty, and invisibility in lived experience
• Immigration, surveillance, and ICE-related issues, including legal literacy and advocacy
• Class, labor, and structural inequality in local and global contexts
• Media, discourse, and cultural production shaping identity and resistance
• Reimagining teacher–student relationships in contemporary social and political contexts
• Navigating academic freedom in contested institutional terrains
• Community-based solutions for equity, justice, and inclusion
• Co-sponsored programming opportunities, including intersections with areas such as Sports Communication

Guidelines for Submission

Competitive Papers:

• Competitive papers should be complete and may employ any methodology chosen by the author, including qualitative, quantitative, rhetorical, critical, grounded theory, etc.
• Paper length should be a maximum of 25 pages, excluding references, graphs, and illustrations. Submissions should include the title and a brief abstract.
• Author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and any identifying information should be omitted.
• Graduate student papers should contain the word STUDENT in the upper right corner of the title page if all authors are students.
• If the paper is single authored by a graduate student and they are presenting a paper at CSCA for the first time, the term DEBUT STUDENT should be written in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
• 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 an exemplar of inclusive scholarship, the paper must demonstrate academic rigor in the examination of communication and historically marginalized communities/populations. Please clearly articulate, in at least one paragraph in your abstract, how the respective scholarship explicitly addresses equity and inclusion. Additionally, make sure to select the Inclusive Scholarship option in submitting.

• ERICC is also pleased to recognize excellence in scholarship through its Best Student Paper Award and Best Faculty Paper Award. Competitive paper submissions will be considered for these awards as part of the review process.

Panels/Round Table Discussions:

• Panels/Round Table Discussions should center on a common idea within the convention theme, explain the purpose of the panel/round table, as well as list the names of all participants.
• Please include a chair or moderator; a respondent is optional.
• For paper panels, it is suggested that there are no more than 5 participants. With round tables, it is best to focus on 7 panelists or less so that everyone – including the audience – can have a chance to engage with the topic.
• Reviewers will be instructed to give preference to panel submissions with participants representing multiple institutions and lived identities.

All technology requests must be made at the time of submission. Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, CDT, October 9, 2026. Send submissions electronically through our CSCA online submission system site.

ERICC encourages submitters to create a profile on the CSCA online submission system site. Membership is not required to create a profile.