Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Deadline for Proposals: February 15, 2008
Location: Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, Harvard University, Boston, MA

Call for Papers and Panels

We invite proposals for the 6th Annual APSA Preconference on Political Communication to be held on Wednesday, August 27, 2008, at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, Harvard University, Boston, MA.  This year’s theme is Old Media, New Media: Political Communication in Transition. 

For almost two decades, political communication has been in the midst of a transformation coinciding with the evolution of new technologies that have facilitated the development of novel media formats.  At the same time, traditional media have both struggled to maintain their position and adapted to the presence of new media.  Papers and panels addressing the evolution, characteristics, and behavior of old and new media as well as the relationship between old and new media focusing on conflict, cooperation, accommodation, and adaptation, are welcome.  These themes can be explored in light of numerous contexts, such as government, election campaigns, and citizen politics.  Comparative studies are encouraged.  Individual paper submissions as well as proposals for entire panels are invited.  If you are interested in serving as a panel facilitator, please let us know (owend@georgetown.edu).  The deadline for proposals is February 15, 2008. 

The preconference is jointly sponsored by the APSA Political Communication Division and the Shorenstein Center. The co-chairs are Thomas Patterson (Shorenstein Center, Harvard University), Richard Davis (Brigham Young University), and Diana Owen (Georgetown University).  Held the day before the APSA Annual Meeting, the preconference has become a popular event for political communication scholars.  It provides an opportunity to learn about the latest research developments and to socialize with people in the field. 

If you are interested in registering for the preconference, you may respond to this email with your name, affiliation, and preferred email address.  Please address any conference correspondence to owend@georgetown.edu.