Dear colleagues,
We are now accepting proposals for the upcoming Thomas R. Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition, “Create, Connect, Reflect: Launching Collaborations and (Re)building Community in Our Fields,” which will be held on Zoom from February 28-March 1 and in-person at the University of Louisville from March 7-9, 2024.
A brief summary of what we are planning is below; for more details and the exigence, please see our call for proposals. Project proposals are due on Sunday, November 26 at 11:59 pm EST.
Read the full CFP and submit proposals here (link).
What We are Planning, in Brief:
The 2024 Watson Conference will offer a space for launching collaborative projects and increasing access to participation. Attendees will spend three days working together, either over Zoom or on-site at the University of Louisville; additionally, whatever their chosen modality, attendees will communicate asynchronously over Slack. The conference will also feature a keynote, showcase, reflection on the collaborative process, and social activities (including on Zoom). By the end of the conference, each group will have presented a project deliverable at the showcase and will be free to continue their collaboration thereafter.
The conference team will select 12 projects to launch at the conference. Project descriptions will be published on our website, and applications for participants will be open for one month. Although the number of participants per project is determined by the facilitators, we anticipate around 20 people per project, with around 240 participants total.
For their work in crafting and guiding the project, each facilitation team (of 2 or more people) will receive an honorarium divided among them and paid after the conference. Zoom facilitation teams will receive $1,500; in-person facilitation teams will receive $2,500, with the additional funds to help offset travel and lodging.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Thanks!
All the Best,
Steve Shoop
He/Him/His
Watson Conference Assistant Director
University of Louisville