We invite proposals for “Risk and Reward: An Undergraduate Researcher Poster Session” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) on March 19, 2015, in Tampa, Florida. The poster session showcases undergraduate research in professional writing, writing studies, rhetoric and composition, and related programs.
CCCC is an annual convention for academics interested in all aspects of teaching and researching writing. It routinely attracts 3,000 attendees, ranging from professors to undergraduate students. This year’s conference theme focuses on “Risk and Reward.” Undergraduate researcher posters are not restricted to that theme, but submitting a poster presentation presents its own risks with great rewards. As the 2015 Program Chair, Joyce Locke Carter, has challenged this year’s attendees: “Take the risk and display your research in a format [the academic poster] widely used and celebrated in other fields and conferences.” Your reward will be engaging conversations about and celebrations of your research.
The annual poster session was initiated at the 2012 CCCC to encourage undergraduate participation in the conference; to attract younger members who are contemplating further education and careers in rhetoric and composition; to extend the organization’s diversity; and to examine, support, and represent the growing presence of undergraduate research in rhetoric, composition, and communication. In the context of these ongoing discussions, this poster session showcases the field’s premier undergraduate researchers and their projects.
The undergraduate researcher poster session is organized by a multi-institutional team of faculty and students, including undergraduate and graduate students who presented at the prior undergraduate researcher poster sessions; members of the special interest group on undergraduate research; and members of the Committee on Undergraduate Research.
To be considered for this poster session, submit a presentation title and a 400-word proposal that:
- Explains your research project,
- Indicates the anticipated status of the project by March 2015 (note that projects may just be beginning, or still in-progress, when you submit this proposal), and
- Discusses your interest in sharing your research with CCCC attendees.
Submit proposals via the online submission form by 11:59 PM EST on November 24th. Page one of the online submission form requests Contact Information for all proposal authors; page two asks for your Presentation Title and 400-word Proposal. Proposals will be reviewed by the Poster Session Planning Team identified below, and applicants will be notified about the status of their proposals by mid-December.
To help accepted presenters prepare for the poster session, in early January the Planning Team will share strategies for designing posters. Accepted presenters also will be invited to participate in an online peer review of poster drafts in late February.
The 2012 poster session was highlighted in a Kairos review (see http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/CCCCReviews/2012SE1Roser). The 2013 poster session featured research by 27 undergraduate students from 13 colleges and universities, and the 2014 poster session featured research by 15 undergraduate students from 14 colleges and universities. Undergraduate presenters from all three years have proposed papers or panels for subsequent conferences – and appeared on the CCCC program in 2013 and 2014.
If you have questions about the poster session or about the proposal process, please contact Jessie L. Moore at jmoore28@elon.edu. We look forward to learning about your undergraduate research projects!
CCCC Undergraduate Researcher Poster Session Planning Team:
- Jane Greer, Director of Undergraduate Research, and English and Women’s & Gender Studies Faculty, University of Missouri, Kansas City
- Kim Lilienthal, 2014 Presenter and Rhetoric & Composition Graduate Student, North Carolina State University
- Jessie L. Moore, Professional Writing & Rhetoric Faculty, Elon University
- Rebecca Porter, Professional Writing & Rhetoric Undergraduate Student, Elon University
- Paula Rosinski, Professional Writing & Rhetoric Faculty, Elon University
- Megan Schoettler, 2014 Presenter and Writing Center Assistant, York College of Pennsylvania
- Megan Stone, Communications and English Undergraduate Student, University of Missouri, Kansas City
- Michael Zerbe, Professional Writing Faculty, York College of Pennsylvania