Member-Organized Panels

A member-organized panel may follow the conventional three- or four-paper format, but we also encourage proposers to consider alternative formats such as:

  • Round Table: participants present and have a discussion on a designated topic
  • Pecha Kucha or 7-14-28 or Ignite: participants offer rapid-fire showcases with limited time/number of slides, followed by discussion
  • Workshop: Participants work collaboratively and with attendees on a practical problem (eg., a crux in interpretation, developing course syllabus, constructing an effective grant proposal)
  • Demonstrations of teaching or technological innovations, with explanations and discussion.
  • Interview session: each panellist gives a brief presentation, and is then interviewed by the next panellist, who then presents his/her work
  • Storytelling panel: discussion based on participants’ narrative presentations: a “stories of….” approach
  • Technology-mediated session: incorporates social media responses, mobilizes technology to access off-site participants or author reading/interview
  • Collaborative presentations: participants present in groups rather than individually

Member-organized panels are proposed by an ACCUTE member for the annual ACCUTE conference. Member-organized panels are not invitational: the organizer picks the topic but does not pre-select the participants. As with general submissions to the ACCUTE conference, paper proposals and submitted papers are peer reviewed, with the panel organizer acting as the first vettor. Participants are selected in consultation between the organizer and the ACCUTE office, depending on the vetting results. If a panel proposal is selected for the program, the organizing member is expected to attend the ACCUTE conference to act as Panel Chair. Note: Member-organizers do not present on the panels they organize.

What Makes a Good Member-Organized CFP?
Some CFPs attract many submissions; some, few or none. A successful CFP is neither too general (Munro’s fiction) nor too specific (Jungian approaches to The Great Gatsby). It identifies an interesting or timely topic or critical problem, or an under-represented area, and reflects current scholarship in that field. Think of the eventual audience as well as the submitters: try to pick a topic that is not overly specialized and that has a general or cross-field appeal. Craft the CFP carefully, without issuing too many directives, and let your submitters show what they can do with it. And be sure to spend some time publicizing the CFP to the kinds of scholars who would be an asset to the event.

Submitting a Member-Organized Proposal
If you would like to submit a panel proposal, email ACCUTE with the following information indicated clearly:

  • The proposed panel title and format
  • Your name, institution, and email address
  • The text of the CFP to a maximum of 200 words
  • Please also include the ACCUTE submissions procedures in your CFP (i.e., “Please send the following: A file containing a 300 to 500-word paper proposal without personal identifying marks and the 2019 Proposal Info Sheet available on the ACCUTE website).

If accepted, your CFP will be publicized to the ACCUTE membership in early or mid-September with a deadline for submissions of 15 November. This year, submissions will be sent to the ACCUTE office at info.accute@gmail.com, then distributed to the panel organizers.  Note that you are responsible for ensuring that submissions conform to ACCUTE’s proposal guidelines, as described in the final bullet point, above.

The panel organizer serves as the first vettor for the proposals, and should follow our vetting guidelines. After you have vetted your papers, you will forward all the materials you received to the ACCUTE office, and paper proposals and/or submitted papers will be sent to a second external assessor. Any submissions not selected for your panel will go into the “general pool” and will be considered for the ACCUTE conference program.

Submitting a Proposal to a Member-Organized Panel
Persons submitting to one of these panels should send an email submission to the ACCUTE office, info.accute@gmail.com, by 15 November. Submitters are required to follow ACCUTE’s proposal guidelines for submissions (as described in the final bullet point, above).

For more information on member-organized panels, please click here.  For information on jointly sponsored panels, click here.