06/26/2025

CSCA 2026 Convention - Intercultural Communication Interest Group Call for Submissions

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION INTEREST GROUP
Call for Papers and Panels

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

Translate!

The Intercultural Communication Interest Group (ICIG) welcomes the work of graduate students, faculty, and professionals. We invite submissions for competitive individual papers, panel proposals, and creative/interactive sessions. The purpose of ICIG is to promote the scholarship and practice of communication between, among, and within cultural groups. We encourage all forms of scholarship and research methodology in addressing this year’s theme: Translate! Within intercultural communication, we have always worked to ensure our research and teaching is accessible both inside and outside the academy. We are excited for submissions that share a variety of ways that we can share our ideas and engage with a variety of audiences. The theme of Translate! offers us meaningful space to consider future directions of IC scholarship, mentorship, and curriculum programming. Inviting us to ask (among other possible inquiries):

• Can we imagine innovative ways to share what we know to the public in ways our institutions recognize? How can we share ideas of intercultural communication in a way that can be translated in a variety of cultural spaces?
• How might our research improve when others have access to it and how might other people’s lives improve if they had access to our research?
• How could our students participate in sharing knowledge with others? How do we ensure this knowledge can be shared in a variety of political climates?
• What kinds of ethical considerations must we take into account when we provide recommendations about engaging in conversations around intercultural communication?

Awards

ICIG presents two awards: a Top Paper award and a Top Student Paper award, both of which come with a $50 reward and will be recognized during the ICIG Business Meeting.

Submission Guidelines Individual papers:

Only completed papers will be considered. Papers must include a title, a brief abstract (100 words or fewer). Papers should not exceed 25 pages (title pages, references, tables, appendixes are not counted within the 25-page limit). Please remove any identifying information such as the authors’ names and university affiliations.

Special Notes: We strongly encourage graduate student papers.

• Graduate students should type “STUDENT” in the top, right corner of the title
• If the paper will be a graduate student debut, type “DEBUT STUDENT” in the top, right corner of the title page.
• To be considered a graduate student debut paper, the author must: o be a graduate student
• have single authorship
• be the author’s first paper to be presented at CSCA
• submit novel work not previously presented at other conferences

• Inclusive Scholarship Award
  • If you would like your individual paper to be considered for this award:
    • Your paper must clearly articulate, in at least one paragraph in the abstract, how the respective scholarship explicitly addresses equity and inclusion.
    • You must select the Inclusive Scholarship option when

Paper Panels

Paper sessions must include a panel title, a panel description and rationale (250 words or fewer), an abstract for each paper (100 words or fewer), a session chair, the name of each presenter, and their position and affiliation information.

Discussion Panels

Discussion panels must include a panel rationale (300 words or fewer), a session chair, between four and seven panelists, and a brief abstract as would appear in the conference program (75 words or fewer). Audience interaction is encouraged.

Creative/Interactive/Workshop Sessions

ICIG welcomes innovative and coalition-building programs of various forms. Examples of submissions for these sessions include mentoring/networking sessions, extended abstract/research-in-progress workshops, pedagogy/syllabi workshops, visual artwork displays, film/documentary exhibitions, performances/spoken word, and culture tours of Minneapolis. We especially encourage collaborations between professors and students that emphasize interactive workshop sessions dedicated to feedback for and development of research-in-progress/extended abstracts. Submissions must include the goals, rationale, specific activity plans, and the names of individuals responsible for the session. In your activity plans, please provide specifics such as equipment requests, size of the space needed, transportation plans, and number of slots needed.

Submission Deadline & Information

Submissions must be made via our CSCA online submission system site. A link will be available on the CSCA website (https://www.csca-net.org/aws/CSCA/pt/sp/callforpapers). Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm CDT, October 10, 2025, and any technology requests must also be made at the time of submission. Please be sure all potential presenters create a profile on the CSCA online submission system site. Any questions can be directed to ICIG program planner, Jennifer Willis-Rivera at jennifer.willis-rivera@uwrf.edu. For questions about the general call or the 2026 conference, contact Kristina M. Scharp, 2026 primary program planner kristina.scharp@gmail.com.