Skip to content

ARSTM at the National Communication Association

ARSTM’s NCA activities include a preconference the day before NCA and sponsored panels during the NCA convention.

NCA Preconference Call for Papers

Method/ology in the Rhetoric of Science, Technology and Medicine

The Association for the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (ARSTM) calls for submissions for the annual NCA preconference, to be held on November 20th, 2024.  In 2024, the ARSTM preconference will focus on research method/ology. 

Research methods in the rhetoric of science, technology and medicine have diversified considerably over time, with traditional text-based approaches joined (and challenged) by those that ask us to center people and places, attending to both embodiment and emplacement.  Scholars in the discipline increasingly do fieldwork, conducting observations, interviews and ethnographies, for example.  Technology has transformed existing methods, reshaping archival work, for instance, while engendering new ones, such as large-scale digital methods and those that harness the power of generative AI.  This preconference invites us to take stock of these and other such developments, while considering how we might continue to innovate around research method/ology.  How do we, could we, and should we do research in the rhetoric of science, technology and medicine?  This preconference offers the opportunity for scholars of rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine to think through answers to these and other such questions together. 

Given the conference theme, we are particularly interested in proposals for panels in non-traditional formats, such as those that lead participants through an exercise or explore research methods in ways that include hands-on engagement.   

We also especially encourage submissions that do one or more of the following:

• Forefront methodology, highlighting methodological choices and their ramifications

• Showcase results from research projects that employ innovative methods

• Reflect on the methodological moment, situating current practices in the history of the discipline

• Address how technology has changed methodologies and methods in the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine

• Examine relationships between theory and method in the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine

• Advance our understanding of textual, field, digital, archival and/or other methods

• Discuss the potential for novel arts-based methods, to include those that engage visual, auditory, and/or tactile artistic processes

• Introduce strategies for collaborating across methodological divides, offering insight for rhetoricians who aim to work with practitioners in science, technology, and medicine

• Discuss methodological failures and what we might learn from them

• Envision the future of methods in research in the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine

In addition, we welcome submissions broadly related to the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine. 

Submissions may be in the form of individual abstracts, panel proposals, or special sessions and should detail the main topic and approach in 500 words or fewer.  Panel proposals should include three or four presenters and an additional 100-word rationale for the panel that carefully details how each paper contributes to an overall theme. Panels should include speakers from multiple institutions.  

Submissions should be sent as an attachment without any identifying information to Michelle.Gibbons@unh.edu by Wednesday, May 15th, 2024. Please use “ARSTM Preconference Submission” as your email subject and provide your preferred contact information and the contact information for any co-authors in the email body. Any questions about this CFP may be addressed to Michelle Gibbons (Michelle.Gibbons@unh.edu). 

Accepted papers will be invited for publication in an upcoming issue of POROI (ISSN 2151-2957).

NCA Sponsored Panels Call for Papers

Communication for Greater Regard

The Association for the Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (ARSTM) invites submission of individual papers, paper sessions, and panel discussions for the 2024 NCA convention. We invite submissions that respond to the convention theme—Communication for Greater Regard—as it pertains to the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine.

The purpose of ARSTM is to promote research, teaching, and civic engagement that explores the communicative and persuasive dimensions of scientific, technical, and medical texts, genres, practices, materials, and settings. ARSTM is concerned with how scientific, technological, and medical discourses shape and are shaped by broader rhetorical, cultural, historical, and material forces.

Submissions may cover any area of the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine, including but not limited to the rhetorical analysis and criticism of (1) scientific, technological, and medical texts, materials, practices, and genres; (2) the production, deployment, invocation, and contestation of scientific ideas and technological visions in political, professional or disciplinary, and literary or social contexts (e.g., policy debates, controversies, popular culture); (3) discourses of reason and rationality, including reflexive engagement with the rhetoric of science as a field; and (4) issues of social justice as they intersect with scientific, technological, and medical problematics.

General Submission Information

All submissions must be made electronically through NCA Convention Central. Emailed or mailed submissions will not be considered. 

Submission Types

Submissions may take the form of individual papers, paper sessions, or panel discussions.

  • Individual Paper submissions are for a single paper, which may have one or more authors. If accepted, the individual paper will be scheduled on a panel with other individual papers. Individual paper submissions should include a title, a paper description for the online convention program (75 words maximum), and an extended abstract of 500-1000 words (inclusive of footnotes/endnotes and references/works cited). The extended abstract should clearly outline connections to relevant scholarly conversations pertaining to the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine, the contributions of the proposed project to that scholarship, the project’s methodology, and the texts or evidence (however broadly defined) on which claims will be based. Only PDF files will be accepted.TOP STUDENT PAPER AWARD INFORMATION: To be considered for the Ploeger Award for top student paper (detailed below), Submitters must submit a complete paper of no more than 25 pages of 12-point and double-spaced text, excluding references or endnotes, including a maximum of100-word abstract. All authors must be students at the time of submission to be considered for this award. Submitters should indicate they are students by selecting the appropriate box on the electronic submission form. 
  • Paper Sessions are pre-conceived and complete sessions of papers. The papers are not submitted or reviewed individually and are not submitted by the author(s) but rather by the person submitting the paper session. The entire paper session is reviewed for consideration as a whole. Paper sessions must include chairs; respondents are optional. Paper Session submissions should include a title for the session, a session description for the online convention program (75 words maximum), a list of presenters, their institutional affiliations, and e-mail addresses, titles, and descriptions (250 words maximum) for each paper, and a session rationale (500 words maximum) justifying the theme of the session and the session’s significance to scholarship addressing rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine. 
  • Panel Discussions aresubmitted as pre-conceived and complete sessions of presenters discussing a topic/issue. There are no papers presented at a panel discussion.Panel Discussion submissions should include a title for the panel, a panel description (75 words maximum) for the online program, a list of presenters, their institutional addresses and e-mail addresses, and a panel rationale (500 words maximum) justifying the theme of the panel and its significance to scholarship addressing concerns related to rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine. 

Joanna Ploeger Memorial Essay Award

Established in 2007 in honor of the late ARSTM past President Joanna Ploeger, this award recognizes the top student papers submitted to ARSTM in a given year. Each year the award recipient’s work will be featured on the ARSTM top papers panel at NCA. Award recipients also receive a plaque and are recognized at the ARSTM business meeting.

  • To be considered for the Ploeger Award, applicants must submit a completed individual paper following the submission guidelines above. Proposals and works-in-progress submissions cannot be considered for the Ploeger Award.
  • Ploeger Award submissions must be marked as “student-authored” on the electronic submission form at NCA Convention Central. Submissions not marked as “student-authored” will not be considered for the Ploeger Award.

Additional Notes

  • A paper, session, or panel may only be submitted to one NCA unit.
  • Individuals may present only one paper on ARSTM-sponsored panels, whether submitted as an individual paper or as part of a session. However, individuals may chair or respond to other panels in addition to presenting a single paper.
  • Individuals should serve only one role on a panel (i.e. a chair should not also serve as a respondent; a presenter should not also serve as a chair). 
  • Paper Sessions and Panel Discussions should be comprised of individuals from multiple institutions. ARSTM highly encourages the papers and panels of diverse presenters at different stages in their careers. 
  • Papers should not have been accepted for publication before the time of submission.
  • Each submission should express a coherent project that addresses relevant concerns related to scholarship in rhetoric, science, technology, and medicine. Submissions should exhibit sound methodology. Extended abstracts should clearly outline the contributions of the proposed project, and its methodology, scope, and texts. 
  • Student papers should be marked as “student-authored” on the electronic submission form. Debut submissions should clearly indicate “Debut” status on the cover page of the uploaded document.
  • Equipment requests are available, and we encourage you to make any requests you require for accessibility. Requests for specific equipment must be submitted online and meet the same submission deadlines for papers, sessions, and panels.

PROGRAM PLANNER:
Dr. Nathan R. Johnson
University of South Florida
Email: nathanjohnson@usf.edu