Program Components

The announced Regular Session topics listed in the Call for Papers are open to submission of full papers from members of the Association and other interested individuals. For these avenues to formal paper presentation, the 2008 Program Committee selected fairly broad topics, drawing upon the experience of past programs as well as suggestions from the membership, its own views of the discipline, and those topics it considers to be of timely and emerging interest in the field. This structure of fewer but wider categories is believed to broaden the scope of sessions and stimulate fruitful dialogue among related areas of specialization.

One benefit of this structure is that Regular Session organizers have the opportunity to organize more than one session, depending on the number and quality of submissions. An author’s chances of acceptance are thus enhanced, since organizers are less constrained by narrowly defined topics. Last year, 187 sessions were formed from submissions to 193 topics. All Regular Session topics are eligible for multiple sessions if warranted by the number and quality of submissions.

Regular Session organizers are expected to select for the program the best papers submitted to them. It is against ASA and Program Committee policy for organizers to recruit presenters selectively or to impose their own pre-planned themes on Regular Sessions.

Further, in order to assure wide participation in the program, it is Program Committee policy that organizers not give sole-authored papers in sessions they organize if they are to serve as presider or discussant in that session.

Regular Session organizers may construct sessions in the traditional paper-reading style or opt for a more interactive format. A traditional paper-reading session normally lists a session presider, four or five papers, and a discussant (optional). Interactive session formats vary, often pairing paper presentations, using more discussants, or having presenters discuss each other’s papers. In all cases, organizers are responsible for facilitating the session interaction.

A paper presentation on a Regular Session is classified as an authorship under the participation rules. Paper titles with authors' names and affiliations will be listed in the Program.

All Association members with interests in special fields of sociology may join Sections; there are currently 43 Sections (and two Sections-in-formation). Sections publish occasional newsletters, give awards, and offer various networking opportunities, and sponsor program sessions and receptions during the Annual Meeting.

Each official ASA section receives a program allocation based on its current membership. Section-sponsored sessions usually include formal paper-reading sessions and refereed roundtable sessions. The chair or chair-elect of each section usually serves as the program chair and assists the section in determining what type of sessions will be sponsored and what topics will be announced. The Section-sponsored open submission sessions are listed in the Call.

All Section program activities are subject to the submission criteria, deadlines, and program policies listed in this Call for Papers. All Section sessions will be one hour and 40 minutes in length, unless noted otherwise.

A presentation on a Section-sponsored paper session is classified as an authorship under the participation rules. Paper titles with authors' names and affiliations will be listed in the Program.

Section Refereed Roundtable sessions normally use a mini-session format: a topic identified for each table based on the submissions received, two to four paper presentations, and a presider to coordinate presentations and discussions. A Refereed Roundtable paper presentation is classified as an authorship under the participation rules. Table topics, table presiders, and paper titles with authors' names and affiliations will be listed in the Program.

The name, institutional affiliation of each open Section session organizer is provided in the Call.

Research Posters.  A research poster presentation consists of an exhibit of materials that report research activities or informational resources in visual and summary form. Poster presentations provide a unique platform that facilitates personal discussion of work with interested colleagues and allows meeting attendees to browse through highlights of current research. Research submissions on all topics will be considered. Each author will have access to a large 4’x8’ bulletin board upon which to display important points from her/his work.

Anyone wishing to propose a poster presentation should submit either a full paper with abstract, or a 1-2 page abstract and an outline of the actual display presentation. These materials must be submitted via the online submission system on the ASA website.
A presentation in a research poster session is classified as an authorship under the participation rules. Paper titles with authors' names and affiliations will be listed in the Program.

Organizer: Charles Tolbert, Baylor University

Submission deadline: January 17, 2008.

Graduate Program in Sociology. At this poster session sociology graduate programs from around the country will display information about their program and its application and admissions processes. This session is intended to serve highly motivated undergraduate and Master’s level students who wish to continue their education in sociology and are interested in learning about a broad range of programs while also having the opportunity to speak with program representatives in an inviting atmosphere. This session provides both students and graduate programs with a low-cost means for developing an initial relationship between a prospective applicant and a school. Each year, students from the honors program and general student attendees participate in the poster session. New for this year, the poster session will feature more schools and representatives than ever, and it will be combined with a special social event for student attendees.

Interested presenters, are invited to reserve display space in the appropriate informational poster session. If you have questions about this poster sessions, please contact the ASA Executive Office staff as noted below.

Organizer: Kyle Murphy, Academic and Professional Affairs Program, American Sociological Association, apap@asanet.org.

Research Funding Opportunities and Data Resources Poster Presentation.These informal poster presentations provide information on funding resources, materials, and data sets available for graduate students and faculty research. The annual Research Support Forum includes a major poster session for each research funding opportunities and data resources. A resource poster area will be available for browsing during exhibit hours, and there will be two designated times when attendees can expect to meet representatives from funding sources and available data sets such as the PSID, the NORC, and NCHS.

Interested presenters are invited to reserve display space at this poster session. If you have questions about this poster session, please contact the ASA Executive Office staff as noted below.

Organizer: Nicole Van Vooren, Research and Development Department, American Sociological Association, vanvooren@asanet.org. 

Two open roundtable components are sponsored by the Program Committee each year. These roundtables are not intended to compete with Section sessions. Rather, since many topics are not covered by Sections, these sessions allow individuals previously excluded from the active interaction of refereed roundtable presentation to find a place on the program.

For information on roundtables sponsored by Sections, please see Section Sessions; for details.

Open Refereed Roundtables. Paper submissions for Open Topic Refereed Roundtables must meet the same submission criteria as for Regular Sessions. Open Refereed Roundtables use a mini-session format: a general topic identified for each table, two to four paper presentations, and a table presider to coordinate presentations and discussions. The roundtable organizer will group papers and tables by topic areas; submissions on all topics are welcome.

Roundtable sessions are held in meeting rooms set with 8-25 round tables that seat 10 people each.  Discussion proceeds simultaneously at all tables listed on each session.
An Open Refereed Roundtable paper presentation is classified as an authorship under the participation rules. Table topics, table presiders, and paper titles with authors' names and affiliations will be listed in the Program.

Organizer: Greg Walker, University of Pennsylvania

Informal Discussion Roundtables. Informal roundtables offer opportunities for those who share conceptual, methodological, professional, or policy concerns to meet one another and to initiate and expand networks. These discussion sessions also are particularly valuable for those who are developing new ideas on formulating issues in new ways and who would like to explore these ideas or issues with colleagues who have similar interests.

An Informal Discussion Roundtable Session is usually comprised of 10-20 tables, each with a different discussion topic. Each table will seat ten people. Discussion proceeds simultaneously at all tables listed on each session. At each table the discussion leader will introduce the topic and facilitate discussion among all the participants at the table; no formal papers are to be presented.

These sessions are not intended to be avenues for formal paper presentation. Such papers should be submitted to organizers of Regular Sessions, Section sessions, or Open Refereed Roundtable sessions. Informal Discussion Roundtables are development and discussion opportunities and are considered to be informal sessions.

Informal Discussion Roundtable sessions are sponsored by the Program Committee and open to proposals on all topics. All submitted discussion summaries will be reviewed for possible inclusion in the program. If submissions warrant, multiple sessions will be organized.

Anyone wishing to propose a topic or issue for a discussion table should submit a 1-2 page summary describing the discussion topic/issue via the online submission system on the ASA website. The submitter is considered to be the discussion leader. The formal program listing will show the discussion topic at each table and the discussion leader’s name and affiliation.

Leading a discussion table does count as program participation, but it is not classified as a paper authorship.

Organizer: Kim Scipes, Purdue University

AV Restriction. No audio-visual or tape recording equipment is supplied or permitted at Open Refereed Roundtable Sessions and Informal Discussion Roundtables.

The American Sociological Association welcomes the participation of graduate and undergraduate students at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Boston. Special arrangements for students include discounted registration fees and sessions co-sponsored by the ASA Student Forum and the 2008 Program Committee.

While all sessions listed in the 2008 Call for Papers are open to submissions from students, there are three paper sessions, one roundtable session, and a professional workshop sponsored by the ASA Student Forum and geared specifically towards students. Interested student authors should note that ASA Student Forum sessions operate under the same guidelines as regular sessions and are subject to the submission criteria, deadlines, and program policies listed in the 2008 Call for Papers.

Thus, for the 2008 Annual Meeting, the Student Forum Advisory Board (SFAB) is calling for papers to fill three (3) Student Forum Paper Sessions and one (1) Student Forum Roundtable Session. All sessions are open, and the topics of the final sessions will be based on any themes that emerge from the more developed student submissions. Student papers not included in one of the above three Student Forum Paper Sessions will be considered for inclusion in the Student Forum Roundtable Session.

To submit a paper to any of the Student Forum Sessions, go to the online Call for Papers on the ASA website, enter the online submission system, and select “Student Forum Sessions” when presented with the option to select a submission destination. All student papers must be submitted via the online submission system by January 16, 2008.

Student Forum Session participants should note that: 1) only completed papers are eligible for full consideration; 2) authors may present in only one Student Forum Session; and 3) authors/co-authors who decline to present their papers must notify the chairs of the SFAB’s Program Committee, Catherine Connell, University of Texas-Austin and Audrey Devine-Eller, Rutgers University.

There will be other student-oriented sessions at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Boston in addition to the Student Forum sessions. There will be several sessions devoted to presentations by students involved with two long-standing ASA programs, the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and the Honors Program (HP). Current MFP Fellows may submit their papers for the two MFP research sessions by using the same guidelines and deadlines as above. Inquiries about the MFP sessions may be sent to the ASA Minority Affairs Program. The ASA Honors Program has a separate programming process for its own roundtables at the 2008 Annual Meeting. The application deadline to participate in the 2008 Honors Program is February 25, 2008. Undergraduate students interested in applying for participation in the Honors Program may find more details on the ASA website by clicking on “Students” at the top.