Ithaca College

77th Annual Conference October 18-20, 2019
Villa Roma Resort and Conference Center
356 Villa Roma Road, Callicoon, NY 12723

 “Theory vs. Practice: Bridging the Gap”

Spaghetti and Meatballs. Salad and Ranch Dressing. Laurel and Hardy.
Laurel and Yanni.

Pen and Paper.

Theory and Practice.

That last one is no more a polar opposite than the others, so why do we see it portrayed this way so often in academic and business circles? Often these terms are more about “things that go together” yet sometimes we see the discussion turned into an either-or, binary, take it or leave it, all or nothing, bifurcated reality when it comes to the classroom.

How many times have we heard “Professor X only teaches production” or “Dr. Y only teaches concepts”? Has this been of concern to us, or a necessary side effect of people who have different focuses, approaches, goals, and methods?

Surely in some courses, there is an emphasis on theory over practice and vice-versa. And in other courses, the content is more of a blend. Lately blends seem to have been making more inroads, but are these constructions really necessary in a modern educational context? Do theoreticians need to learn to pull up their sleeves and do actual hands-on work? Do practitioners need to learn the ins and outs and nuances of all the important foundations of thought that we expect communications students to understand? Or are we serving our students poorly to expect people to model behavior which employees in contemporary organizations are not always themselves practicing?

In a world of inter-disciplinary, inter-cultural, inter-national collaboration – is it acceptable to expect people to hyper-specialize as some in the academy do, or will higher education embrace a more generalist worldview which may provide more opportunities to not only gain the entry-level job experience that families of our students now expect, but also the ability to code-shift into different and more lucrative and fulfilling opportunities?

In this, the 77th conference of the New York State Communications Association, we examine Theory VS. Practice.How can they work together and where should they be apart? How will we navigate the age-old tension between the camps, and ensure that our graduates can both think deeply, and also deal with the practical issues that citizens of a 21st century planet must tackle to move forward together.

We welcome submissions in a variety of formats including papers, panel proposals, posters, roundtables, media screenings, and other innovative proposals for thoughtful engagement. Work related to the conference theme is encouraged, as well as scholarship addressing a wide range of communication topics from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. Undergraduate and graduate student submissions are also welcome and completed papers will be considered for student paper awards.

Submitted papers of no more than 25 pages should be complete, and not include identifying information (author, affiliation, contact information) – identifying information will be entered by submitters into the submission program. Papers should include a running head with an abbreviated title. Student submissions should indicate “undergraduate” or “graduate,” along with an abbreviated title in the running head.

For all other presentation formats, including panel proposals, posters (undergraduate students only), and roundtables, please include the title, the lead contact or panel chair, the participants/authors, affiliations, contact information, and a description of the panel, poster, or roundtable. For each paper in a panel or roundtable proposal, please include a title, a list of authors, and abstracts of no more than 125 words for each presenter.

A statement of professional responsibility should be included on the first paper of the submission and should state the following: “In submitting the attached paper/panel proposal, poster, or roundtable, I/we agree to present at the 2019 NYSCA conference if it is accepted. I/we further recognize that all who attend and present at NYSCA’s annual meeting must register and pay the required fees.”

We have transitioned to an electronic submission system for all abstracts, proposals, and/or completed papers – the link to the EasyChair submission site is below. Please read the instructions on the site prior to submitting your paper or proposal. All abstracts, proposals, and/or completed papers are due no later than midnight on July 7, 2019.

Please post your submission to https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=nysca2019