Message from NAPA: Panels, Presentations, and Profundity, Oh My!
WAPA DC
Panels,
Presentations, and Profundity, Oh My!
The National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA) is looking for interesting and thought-provoking panels and presentations to sponsor at the SfAA meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico (March 26-30, 2024). We are specifically looking to sponsor sessions that highlight important contributions in program and policy being made by Professional, Practicing, and Applied (PPA) anthropologists. If you are working with inspiring people on a topic that has change as its purpose or outcome, please consider developing a presentation. There are different kinds of presentations possible:
- Single and Multiple-Part Sessions
- Session organizers bring together presentations – usually 3-5 papers - that focus on a topic or method. The organizer registers and submits the session abstract and list of participants. The participants register and submit individual paper abstracts.
- Session organizers occasionally request approval for a "double session" on the same topic. Such sessions are difficult to slot into the program if they are scheduled in sequence. However, they can be arranged when a large group of closely organized papers are coordinated (7-10 papers for a double session).
- For a multiple-part session, the organizer registers and submits the session abstract and list of participants using more than one submission form. The session abstracts submitted can be the same or different, but should be titled part one, part two. The list of participants and individual paper titles included on each form should correspond to the correct session “part.” The participants register and submit individual paper abstracts.
- Sessions of timed formal papers are only one way to present research results or discuss timely topics. Increasingly, our members choose alternative formats for communication and discussion. Below are the more popular alternative formats, and how organizers should register them.
- Panel Sessions (No
Papers)
- Panels of several speakers, who make brief statements and then respond to questions and comments from the organizer and the audience are increasingly popular. The organizer registers and submits the panel abstract and list of participants. The panelists register, but do not submit abstracts.
- Roundtable Sessions (No
Papers)
- Roundtables are similar to panels, except that the exchanges tend to be between the participants. The organizer registers and submits the roundtable abstract and list of participants. The roundtable participants register, but do not submit abstracts.
- Open Discussions (No
Papers)
- Open discussions may have panelists, or they may only have a facilitator who leads a freewheeling discussion of a specific topic. The organizer registers and submits the discussion abstract and list of participants, if any. If there are discussion participants to be listed, use the Panel form. The participants register, but do not submit abstracts.
If you are interested in developing and running a panel/presentation with NAPA sponsorship and promotion, please reach out to Cathleen Crain and Erica Hawvermale.
Many thanks, Cathleen
Cathleen E. Crain
Past-President,
National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA)