I was in Chicago last week for the American Political Science Association (APSA) Conference. If political science were a sport, APSA would be the Olympic Games (except that APSA comes around every year, not every four). There are several regional APSA conferences such as the Western and the Midwest, but this conference was the national one. I arrived in Chicago in the mid afternoon. After checking in to my hotel room, I headed to the APSA registration desk to check in. The conference site was in two hotels, and attendees were milling about and clogging the corridors. I picked up a tote bag and a 400 page program.
Conference presenters are part of either a panel or a poster session. Each lasts nearly two hours. Prior to each conference, there is a call for papers. Grad students and professors submit an abstract, which is basically like a summary of the paper. Sometimes abstracts are submitted before the paper is even written. Those who submit may be accepted to a panel, a poster session, or nothing at all. Each panel and poster session has a different theme, and participants' work is relevent to this theme. For example, we would not have a panel in which one presenter discussed gender politics and another discussed international security.
Panels consist of a chair, 5 presenters, and 1 or 2 discussants. The chair manages the panel, introduces the presenters and discussants, and keeps time. Presenters are alloted 10 minutes to present their papers. They discuss their research question, why previous research has failed to answer this question, the importance of their research, and their findings. The biggest challenge is to sum everything up in 10 minutes. After each presenter has presented, the discussants discuss the highlights of each paper, offer a critique, and ask questions. Finally, those in the audience are allowed time to offer their comments and questions.
Poster sessions operate differently. There are many more presenters in each poster session. Presenters simply stand with their poster, and session attendees walk around and look at the posters. In poster sessions, there is no formal presentation but the presenter may have to sum up their work, answer questions, and discuss their findings to anyone who may be interested.
I attended my first panel after I checked in. It was called Politics, Gender, and Concepts. This panel was a book panel in which each presenter had written a chapter in a soon to be published book. Each presenter presented discussed her chapter. These professors were well established in the field, and I recognized many of their names because I had studied their work. I tried my best to contain my excitement and awe of being in the same room with so many brilliant minds.
After the panel, I went to a grad student reception and met a few people from other schools. I met a guy who was originally from Florida and had completed his undergraduate degree at Bemidji State. He said that he wanted to get as far away from Florida as possible. I gave him a hard time; after all, we all know the the climate in Minnesota (especially northern Minnesota) is extremely different than that in Florida. Later, I met up with some friends from my school. We walked around, relaxed at a sports bar, and took a walk by the river.
Conference presenters are part of either a panel or a poster session. Each lasts nearly two hours. Prior to each conference, there is a call for papers. Grad students and professors submit an abstract, which is basically like a summary of the paper. Sometimes abstracts are submitted before the paper is even written. Those who submit may be accepted to a panel, a poster session, or nothing at all. Each panel and poster session has a different theme, and participants' work is relevent to this theme. For example, we would not have a panel in which one presenter discussed gender politics and another discussed international security.
Panels consist of a chair, 5 presenters, and 1 or 2 discussants. The chair manages the panel, introduces the presenters and discussants, and keeps time. Presenters are alloted 10 minutes to present their papers. They discuss their research question, why previous research has failed to answer this question, the importance of their research, and their findings. The biggest challenge is to sum everything up in 10 minutes. After each presenter has presented, the discussants discuss the highlights of each paper, offer a critique, and ask questions. Finally, those in the audience are allowed time to offer their comments and questions.
Poster sessions operate differently. There are many more presenters in each poster session. Presenters simply stand with their poster, and session attendees walk around and look at the posters. In poster sessions, there is no formal presentation but the presenter may have to sum up their work, answer questions, and discuss their findings to anyone who may be interested.
I attended my first panel after I checked in. It was called Politics, Gender, and Concepts. This panel was a book panel in which each presenter had written a chapter in a soon to be published book. Each presenter presented discussed her chapter. These professors were well established in the field, and I recognized many of their names because I had studied their work. I tried my best to contain my excitement and awe of being in the same room with so many brilliant minds.
After the panel, I went to a grad student reception and met a few people from other schools. I met a guy who was originally from Florida and had completed his undergraduate degree at Bemidji State. He said that he wanted to get as far away from Florida as possible. I gave him a hard time; after all, we all know the the climate in Minnesota (especially northern Minnesota) is extremely different than that in Florida. Later, I met up with some friends from my school. We walked around, relaxed at a sports bar, and took a walk by the river.
(Zahra, Armando, Vickie, Joe, me)
(Armando, Vickie, Joe, me)
No comments:
Post a Comment