Submission Guidelines

Discussion (90 minute scholarly session)

The discussion type was previously called Roundtable/Townhall, Conversation/Debate, and Interview. These three types have been combined into one type.

This session is designed to allow participants to discuss and share ideas with each other on a topic of shared interest with the aid of a discussant. In this session type, the discussant acts as a guide and frames the conversation, with most of the comments and discussion coming from the participants. If there are two participants, the discussion generally takes on a debate or interview style. If there are more than two, then it generally takes on a more roundtable discussion style, as determined by the organizer(s) and discussant(s).

Participants

• 2-7 presenters
• 1-2 organizers
• 1-2 discussants

Submission Requirements

• Title (50 Words)
• Full session abstract (300 words),
• Section and/or Review Category Selection (you will see these in the submission portal)

Oral Presentation (90 minute scholarly session)

This session is group panel presentation session, where 4-6 participants each share their papers one by one in a series of 15 minute presentations, followed by a discussion and/or Q&A session lead by the organizer, chair or discussant.

Participants

• 4-6 paper presenters
• 1-2 organizers
• 1 discussant (required)
• 1 chair (optional)

Submission Requirements

• Title (50 Words) of entire session
• Abstract (300 words) of entire session
• Title (50 words) of each paper that will be presented
• Abstract (300 words) of each paper that will be presented
• Section and/or Review Category Selection (you will see these in the submission portal)

Special Event

A “special event” is any event that takes place at the annual meeting but is not part of the scholarly program. These include section business meetings, board meetings, receptions, parties, committee meetings, alumni receptions, lunches, award ceremonies, section distinguished lectures and any other event that you would like on the program and that requires a room, time slot and/or food and beverage order. Scholarly work is not presented during a special event.

Please note: this year the deadline for submitting these is much earlier than last year. Special Events must be submitted by April 29th, and will be scheduled in early summer. Please keep this in mind and enter all special events into the portal before the deadline.

Submission Requirements

• Title (50 words) as it will appear on the program
• Description (300 words) as it will appear on the program

Important – Participant Information: Please enter the name of anyone who’s participation is required at the special event. They will not appear on the program, and this will not affect their presentation role limit. This is required for the purpose of scheduling, so that the system will flag us if we try to schedule a session with one of your required participants at the same time. This is the only way we will know if someone in a session also expects to attend your special event. If you do not include them, then it is possible there will be scheduling conflicts, and we can’t promise we will be able to change them later.

Additional information you will be asked

• Affiliation (university, section, interest group, etc)
• Event Type (board meeting, business meeting, committee meeting, award lecture, reception, mentoring event, other)
• Event Modality
  • onsite: you need a room in the AAA meeting space
  • offsite: you do not need a room in the AAA meeting space but would like your event to appear on the program
• Event Listing (public, invitation only, ticketed event, not listed in program)
• Do you want to order food or beverage at your event? Yes/No
• Expected attendance number
• Expected Duration (time)
• AAA Section/IG cost code (if applicable)
• Name and email of individual approving expenses

Workshop

A workshop is an interactive session that typically focuses on a single aspect of a specific topic within the field of Anthropology, and provides an opportunity for attendees to gain knowledge, skills, or expertise in an area relevant to their work. Workshops differ from traditional annual meeting scholarly sessions because facilitators and attendees have different expectations.

Workshops can be 90 minutes long, or longer depending on your workshop curriculum.

Workshops typically take place on Wednesday before the Annual Meeting begins.

Submission Requirements

• Title (50 Words): as it will appear on the program
• Description (1000 words): as it will appear on the program
• Clearly identify the purpose and learning outcomes of the workshop (300 words)
• Answer the questions (300 words each): Clearly identify the purpose and learning outcomes of the workshop. How does the proposed topic advance the science of anthropology, and/or the professional interests of anthropologists? What supplemental materials and resources will be made available to attendees for access after the event? How will active learning techniques: such as problem solving and case studies, be used in your presentation? How does this presentation attract audiences outside of anthropology, including those with interdisciplinary interests?
• Presenters: enter the names of the people who will be facilitating the workshop (1 required, additional optional)
  • Note: facilitating a workshop does not count toward your presentation role limits.
• Indicate your intended audience (options in submission portal), how many people the event is designed for.

The AAA will hold a limited capacity, two day virtual annual meeting event two weeks prior to the in-person meeting. This event is meant to support members who cannot attend the meeting in person.

The Annual Meeting in St. Louis is in-person only, and is not a hybrid event. There will be no concurrent virtual programming.

Submission types for the virtual event are

• Discussion
• Oral presentation
• Individually volunteered paper

Organizer

Each session type will have an organizer. The organizer is responsible for the following:

• Create and submit the session proposal through the submission portal.
• Approach potential session participants and ask them to join your session before making the submission.
• Communicate the requirement to become a AAA member and register for the annual meeting to all session participants.
• Confirm all speaker tasks are completed by each session participant by the deadline.
• Ensure all participants are aware of the time and location of the presentation.

*Note: You can add a co-organizer in the submission portal if you are working with another person. The person who makes the submission will be the primary organizer and will receive official communication.

Chair

Oral presentation sessions will have a chair. The chair is responsible for the following;

• Supervise the session
• Introduce each paper, author, and discussant to the audience.
• Manage time for presentation.

Speaker/Presenter

Each session type has a presenter role. The presenter role responsibilities for each session type are:

Oral Presentation Session

• Present your work through a visual presentation along with 3-5 other presenters- 15 minute presentation
• Become a member of the AAA and register for the meeting before September 25th

Discussion (Previously Roundtable/ Town Hall, Conversation/Debate and Interview)

• You will speak as an informed panelist and will share ideas on a single topic, and participate in the conversation with other speakers.
• Answer questions posed by moderator/conduct an interview if applicable.
• Prepare and provide a brief (3-5 minute) opening statement.
• Become a member of the AAA and register for the meeting before September 25th. 

Poster

• Prepare and present research or current work through visual display.
• During session time be available near your poster to answer questions and discuss your work with fellow attendees.
• Become a member of the AAA and register for the meeting before September 25th.

Individually Volunteered Paper

• Present current projects or concepts within 12-minute time frame.
• Interact with other participants of your assigned session before the Annual Meeting.
• Be available after your presentation to engage with audience and answer questions.
• Become a member of the AAA and register for the meeting before September 25th.

Discussant

The Discussant is the subject matter expert, who understands all of the works presented in the session and facilitates discussion and connections. The session types that have a discussant role are Oral Presentation Session and Discussion (previously called roundtable/town hall, and conversation/debate). All discussants must become a member of the AAA and register for the meeting to participate and appear on the program. The discussant role responsibilities for each session type are:

Oral Presentation Session – 1 to 2 discussants are assigned to a panel.

• Review all the paper abstracts within the submission prior to the annual meeting.
• During the session, highlight and integrate contributions of the various presenters’ abstracts.
• Use expertise to provide general commentary on individual papers within the session, how they relate to each other, and how they help to advance the topic.
• Plan on discussing the session for 10-15 minutes, depending on available time.

Discussion – 1 to 2 discussants are assigned to a discussion panel.

• Serve as a moderator.
• Introduce the panel to the audience.
• Use expertise to guide the direction of the discussion between presenters and audience members.
• Lead the question-and-answer portion of the session.