Every year in late May-early June, CASDW-ACR hosts a bilingual, 2- to 3-day scholarly conference. Typically, we hold our conference at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities. The Congress itself is organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

About CASDW-ACR’s Conference

CASDW-ACR members learn about each year’s conference themes and deadlines through a Call for Papers announced on the CASDW-ACR listserv and published on our website. We invite members of CASDW-ACR and other colleagues interested in the study and teaching of discourse and writing to submit formal proposals for research oriented and/or theoretically oriented papers. We also accept proposals for other sessions, such as roundtables, workshops, or panels.

A special highlight: every year we invite one to three guest keynote speakers well known in the field of discourse and writing studies, including members of CASDW-ACR such as Catherine Schryer and Janet Giltrow, and non-members, including Dorothy Winsor, JoAnne Yates, Caroline Miller, Bev Sauer, Laura Gurak, Carl Herndl, Greg Myers, Ken Hyland, Jeff Grabill and Bill Hart-Davidson, Charles Bazerman, Vijay Bhatia, Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel–among others.

The CASDW-ACR conference is unique for three reasons. First, we provide speakers with more time than usual for their papers–usually about 25-30 minutes. Second, we have traditionally insisted that all speakers leave lots of time for audience discussion. Third, we build plenty of networking opportunities into our programs. These three features make our conference an excellent venue in which to present new research and receive useful feedback and responses.

Many conference-goers come back year after year, not wanting to miss this chance to make connections, learn about new ideas, present their work, and connect with colleagues and friends. CASDW-ACR also tries to create a particularly welcoming atmosphere for graduate students and new researchers in discourse and writing studies.

In general, CASDW-ACR conferences are great opportunities to meet new colleagues and renew old friendships!

Another special highlight: at each conference, we set one evening aside for our banquet. We gather for dinner at an excellent local restaurant, an event attracting as many as 30 to 40 conference-goers and travelling-companions.