Newsletter: March 2005
Nancy Vuckovic and Janelle S. Taylor, Contributing Editors
A Note of Thanks
Many thanks to Betsy Brada (U Chicago), exiting Webmaster for the SMA website (http://www.medanthro.net). Betsy was responsible for initial website architecture, as well as for maintaining and updating the site. Welcome to the new SMA Webmaster, Lauren Wynne (U Chicago).
SMA Call for Panel Proposals!
By Lesley Sharp (Barnard C) and Carolyn Sargent (Southern Methodist U)
As one of the largest sections of the AAA, the SMA receives an impressive array of panel and paper proposals. The review process is complex and involves numerous steps, where proposals are screened by the SMA and the AAA Board. The volume of material submitted is exhilarating, offering clear evidence of medical anthropology’s significance within the discipline; it nevertheless also heralds an inevitable increase in the number of proposals that are turned away. How, then, to write a winning proposal? We offer the following friendly tips for success for panels, followed by brief comments on individual submissions.
Read (and reread) submission instructions. This is no trivial matter. (See Anthropology News, 1/05, pp. 24-25, or visit the AAA webpage for details.) A failure to follow the guidelines can insure that even the most compelling proposal will fail. Panel organizer(s) must take their oversight role seriously. Strangely, each year the SMA receives at least a few incomplete proposals; incomplete submissions, although received by the April 1 deadline, run the risk of being immediately discarded.
How “WOSO” is the Panel? Considering Worth, Originality, Substance, and Organization. Neither the SMA Executive Board, nor its Program Committee (hereafter PC), sets internal thematic priorities for the annual meeting. Instead, the SMA promotes variety and inclusiveness. Nevertheless, PC members rely on certain basic rules of thumb as they scrutinize submitted materials. Is the panel’s theme clear? Do the papers define a cohesive whole? How intriguing is the panel? Is there a sense of originality, or timeliness, to the panel’s theme, or are the papers simply revisiting tried and true (and overworked) ideas? Are the papers limited to descriptive details, or do clear theoretical questions or arguments shape the panel’s concerns? Internal networking is certainly an important part of many panels, but remember that these are public events. Will the panel draw an audience? Who might wish to attend, both inside and beyond the confines of medical anthropology? And, finally, is SMA the best home for the submission?
Time is of the Essence. Small is Beautiful. Each year, the PC receives a few proposals plagued by inefficient use of time and space. For one, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify double sessions. Before submitting double panels, organizers should think carefully and critically about the panel’s purpose and membership. Could the same ideas be conveyed in half the time? Some single panels likewise suffer from disorganization. Slotted for 1.75 hours, a single panel typically includes only one 15 minute break (if any), and a maximum of two discussants. If the organizer(s) intend to provide an opening statement, this should occupy a full time slot. All time slots are 15 minutes long, whether reserved for introductory remarks, individual papers, discussant time, or open/audience discussion. And time slot lengths should not be altered.
Befriend Your Neighbor. The SMA receives an astonishing number of individual paper submissions. The PC takes seriously its task of organizing strong papers into cohesive and well-balanced sessions. Submitting a paper individually, however, is risky business, and thus we urge authors to consider organizing their own panels (one might extend a call for participants through the SMA website). The PC beseeches panel organizers to be open and receptive to occasional requests to take on a strong yet “orphaned” paper. The PC makes such requests only when the fit is appropriate.
And, Yes, Fear Not the Poster. Poster submissions have grown in recent years. Posters offer an easy and compelling method for presenting research findings, and a format that allows for more audience interaction than does a panel. The SMA welcomes poster submissions!