The Women’s Caucus mission is “to advocate for women’s improved status, voice, and opportunities in the discipline. In doing so, we are committed to exploring the diversity and complexities of women’s lives in terms of their academic and professional experiences. In keeping with the spirit of this mission, the Caucus encourages innovative and alternative ways of understanding and investigating women’s experiences. We are committed to building alliances with other NCA divisions and caucuses who are interested in creating opportunities for students, recent graduates, and/or scholars who have not previously participated in NCA programming.”

The Women’s Caucus offers the Francine Merritt Award to someone who has made a difference in the field of communication through her/his mentoring, service, advocacy, teaching, and scholarship.  Nomination packages should stress the nominee’s contributions in each of these areas, particularly as they relate to the mission of the Women’s Caucus.

A complete nomination package consists of the following materials:
•Letter of nomination outlining candidate’s contributions
•Nominee’s vita, including current contact information
•No more than 5 letters of support
•A letter from the nominee accepting the nomination and agreeing to attend NCA’s convention in 2012

Nominators from the 2011 call may choose to have their nominee’s materials remain in the pool for a second year. The nominator should send a letter requesting such, and the nominee should send a letter accepting the nomination and agreeing to attend the NCA convention in 2012.  The deadline for submissions is May 10, 2012.

Nomination materials may be sent either as PDF electronic portfolios or as hard copies to:
Rachel Anderson Droogsma, Past Chair Women’s Caucus
Communication Studies Department
Nebraska Wesleyan University
5000 St. Paul Ave.
Lincoln, NE 68510
rdroogsma@nebrwesleyan.edu

The loss of a desired pregnancy or the inability to experience pregnancy are intensely personal phenomena; these losses are also, in our culture at least, extremely (and some would argue, inexplicably) private. There is no shortage of books that help prospective parents through the process of recovering from an unintended pregnancy loss or “dealing with” or “surviving” infertility, whether that fertility is explained or unexplained. Most of these books, however, are authored by physicians or therapists and address these issues through the language of guidance, advice, questions and answers, as well as a variety of coping strategies. Even within those books that include the voices of women and their partners who experience the miscarriage themselves (acquired through interviews), these voices are segmented; the choice of what part of the story to include is the decision of the author.

We are embarking on a project of a different kind. For this edited collection, we’d like to include the first-person narratives of individuals who have experienced miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy loss, and/or infertility. Our vision for this project contains two distinct sections: lay perspectives and clinical perspectives. We feel that such an approach – an edited collection of narratives – will serve as a valuable resource that would further the options available for individuals and couples for whom the current information may lack the depth that can only come from a storyteller.

We are currently seeking abstracts for the edited collection. If you are interested in being part of this project, please submit a 250-word abstract of your narrative (including working title) and a 75-100 word bio.

Editorship spans Spring 2014 to Fall 2016, which involves the publication of three journal volumes of three issues each (2014, 2015, 2016). The transition between the existing and incoming editor commences Fall 2012 with the incoming editor to begin accepting manuscript submissions soon thereafter.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit the following: a letter outlining her/his philosophy, experience, ability to set up and work with a good editorial board, as well as time commitment, institutional commitment, and curriculum vitae. The WSIC editor is an ex-officio member of the ORWAC Executive Board and also is expected to attend the annual ORWAC/WSCA conference. Also required are a list of three references and a letter detailing institutional support for the position such as release time, computer storage, and minimal postage and copying costs. Applications in electronic format, preferably pdf format, are due April 1, 2012. Following a review of the applications by the ORWAC Executive Committee, interviews will be arranged.

Please forward materials to Dr. Stacey Sowards, President, at ssowards@utep.edu. For more information please contact Dr. Sowards or Dr. Valeria Fabj, the current editor of WSIC at vfabj@lynn.edu. For additional information about the journal or ORWAC, please visit www.orwac.org

We live in the tension of moments: while we look ahead at what we have to accomplish, how can we be present to recognize what we’ve accomplished? From this perspective, we have to live in the tension of celebrating accomplishment while craving change. While we should have reason to remain committed to pursuing the work that changes our world, this conference is also an opportunity to celebrate us. It’s a moment-us. What have we accomplished? How has it been accomplished? At what cost? Only through these time-marked occasions do we stop and recognize the good at hand while we continue to pursue what needs to be done. Cheris Kramarae noted that “The inequalities that were present in the 1970s when OSCLG was created have not disappeared. However, some conditions, including our awareness of what’s needed for an equitable society, have changed. We face some important challenges.” What do we, as scholars, community members, and humans on the path of social change have cause to notice? How has our increasingly complex society framed the challenges of our gendered identities? How has intersectionalities of identities problematized and changed our call as feminist scholars?  We invite your ideas, work, and creative projects that celebrate our legacy and examine these issues and others that face us as we look to the future.

The Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (OSCLG) provides a forum for professional discussion, presentation of research, and demonstration of creative projects in the areas of communication, language, and gender. OSCLG promotes recognition of those doing work in this area. Members of OSCLG believe that interaction across a wide spectrum of disciplines fosters more insightful discussion of the issues of language, gender, and communication.

Please submit your work electronically by June 1, 2012 to Renee Houston via e-mail (rhouston@pugetsound.edu). Confirmation of receipt will be sent within 48 hours – if you have not received such confirmation, please contact Renee by phone (773) 508 8431 in case your e-mail did not arrive.

Panel Proposals—Each proposal must include the following information:

• Panel title and one to two paragraphs rationale explaining the rationale for the panel
• Panel chair’s name & contact information (including affiliation, phone & email).
• Names & contact information of panelists (including affiliation, phone & email).
• One paragraph description of each panelist’s topic (Audio-visual equipment must be ordered in advance so please indicate any AV needs).
• If you are in need of panelists for your topic idea, feel free to post your idea on the OSCLG listserve at osclg-l@mtu.edu

Round Table Discussion Proposal—Each proposal must include:

• Title and topic of discussion, and one-two paragraph rationale that explains the purpose of the discussion.
• Discussion leader’s name and contact information (including organizational affiliation, phone, and email).
• If relevant, a list of invited participants (including organizational affiliation, phone, and email).
• If you have a topic idea and need discussants, feel free to post your idea on the OSCLG listserve at osclg-1@mtu.edu

Paper (Completed papers or extended abstracts)—Each paper or abstract must include:

• On the first page, please indicate the title of your paper, your name, and contact information (including organizational affiliation, phone and email).
• Submit completed paper or extended abstract (500-750 words). Please indicate any audio-visual needs.
• Individual papers will be grouped into panels with other papers on similar topics. Participants typically have 12-15 minutes to present their papers.

Alternative Presentations
OSCLG welcomes submissions for alternative presentation formats such as videos, individual or group performances.

Jen Cronin at jcronin@email.unc.edu, a Ph.D. Candidate in Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is doing dissertation research that aims to understand difficult conversations between parents and their children to explore learn how families negotiate the disclosure of unwed pregnancy. She specifically seeks adult women who have disclosed a pregnancy outside of marriage to their parent(s) within the past five years. Participants will involve complete a brief questionnaire and do a phone or face-to-face interview with me where the unwed mother tells me about her experience of disclosing pregnancy to parents. Appropriate confidentiality protocol will be followed.

Dr. Ebony Utley from the Communication Studies Department at California State University Long Beach is part of a research team conducting a study on the meaning of marriage for African Americans.  They request that you, your students, or anyone else you know who self-identifies as African American and is at least 18 years old take part. Link to the confidential online survey (that will take about 15 min.) is bit.ly/blkmarriage Participants may choose to be eligible to win a $50 gift card upon completion. Pls direct questions to Dr. Ebony Utley  at ebony.utley@csulb.edu Thanks in advance.

The course seeks to acquaint students with Morocco from both a historical and a contemporary perspective and train graduate and undergraduate students, professionals, civil society activists, and civil servants in gender mainstreaming and cultural awareness raising, support and upgrade their gender-sensitive skills and competences, and deepen their knowledge of Muslim culture and gender issues and challenges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The course includes two modules.  Professor Fatima Sadiqi teaches Women and Gender in Fez and Morocco; Moha Ennaji teaches Contemporary Issues in North Africa.  Knowledge of Arabic is optional but recommended; the unviersity also provides classes in Moroccan colloquial Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic to beginners, intermediate and advanced students.
Cultural Activities available include a guided tour of the Medina of Fez; and excursion to Meknès and Volubilis and an excursion to Ifrane.

Application Deadline: April 29, 2012. For more information about the course and admission go to the web site http://www.inlac.net or write info@inlac.net

The institute recommends homestays for economy and for linguistic and cultural immersion.  It can help with arrangements.

WeNews correspondent

Thursday, January 26, 2012

After a year of courageous digital leadership, female activists from the Middle East and North Africa–some of them Twitter superstars–met in Cairo last week. It was a chance to meet face-to-face, savor revolutionary success and weigh setbacks. Click here for the complete article

Direct questions and proposals to either co-editors: David Whitt, Nebraska Wesleyan University at dfw@nebrwesleyan.edu or John Perlich at jperlich@hastings.edu

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, gender/sexuality in relation to: Campus Life, Sexuality and Relationships, Film/Drama; Literature; Popular Culture; The Arts; Health/Medicine; Politics and Activism; Religion/Spirituality; Cross(ing) Cultures; Regional Issues; Topical Issues; Current Events

250 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday, February 24, 2012. Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organizing Chairs. Abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, PDF or RTF formats with the following information, in this order: a) author(s), b) email address, c) title of abstract, d) body of abstract. E-mails should use the following as subject line: Intersections Conference Submission. We will acknowledge receipt of all proposals submitted for review. Please email proposals to rflynn1@ggc.edu and rbowser@ggc.edu

Special thanks to Pride Alliance and Science and History Club for contributions and support.