Experience Southern’s Hospitality at the 2024 SPSA Conference in New Orleans!

The SPSA is pleased to announce that it will hold its 2024 Annual Conference at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. 

The Conference will take place January 10-13, 2024.

Guidelines for Panel Discussants

Thank you for your willingness to serve as a discussant at this year’s annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association.

You play a key role in providing an excellent conference experience for all attendees. You are really the linchpin of the experience for many attendees who come looking for feedback on emerging projects. In your role as a discussant please keep in mind the following details of your role:

Panel guidelines: Please follow the guidelines provided by your panel chair for the length of time for your comments and the format for the panel. The preliminary program can be accessed here:

https://spsa.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2024-SPSA-Conference-Preliminary-Program-v.-3.0.pdf

Nominations: The SPSA gives out a variety of best paper awards that carry cash prizes. Please take the time to nominate worthy papers for these awards.

• Pi Sigma Alpha/Malcolm Jewell Award: The Pi Sigma Alpha/Malcolm Jewell Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Graduate Student Paper presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Marian Irish Award: The Marian Irish Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Paper on Women and Politics presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Best Paper Award: The Best Paper Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Overall Paper presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Neal Tate Award: The Neal Tate Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Paper on Judicial Politics presented at the Annual Meeting.
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Last minute changes: If for some reason you are unable to fulfill your professional obligations at the conference, please notify your colleagues on the panel, and info@spsa.net

Guidelines for Panel Chairs

Thank you for your willingness to serve as a chair at this year’s annual meeting. We have a terrific program lined up with great keynote talks, timely roundtables, and excellent panels. You can access the preliminary program here

You play a key role in providing an excellent conference experience for all attendees. You have significant discretion over how to organize your panels. However, in your role as a chair please keep in mind the following details of your role:

Completed paper drafts: Please email your panelists and remind them of the time and date of your panel, and encourage your panelists to circulate papers in a timely fashion to discussants and fellow panelists. The preliminary program can be accessed here:

https://spsa.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2024-SPSA-Conference-Preliminary-Program-v.-3.0.pdf

You can access all emails by logging into your All Academic account and accessing your panel, or by emailing info@spsa.net

Paper presentation: Please provide paper presenters and discussants clear guidelines as to the length of presentations. Keep in mind that panels last 80 minutes and allocate time among paper presentations, discussant comments, and audience interaction. Here are some suggested allocations:

• 4 participants (e.g., 3 papers, 1 discussant): 15 minutes
• 5 participants (e.g., 4 papers, 1 discussant): 12 minutes
• 6 participants (e.g., 5 papers, 1 discussant): 10 minutes

Robust discussion: Most panels have at least one discussant, but some panels may not.  Section heads have assigned you the role as chair because of your expertise. Please take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the papers on your panel and feel free to contribute to a robust discussion.

Nominations: The SPSA gives out a variety of best paper awards that carry cash prizes. Please take the time to nominate worthy papers for these awards.

• Pi Sigma Alpha/Malcolm Jewell Award: The Pi Sigma Alpha/Malcolm Jewell Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Graduate Student Paper presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Marian Irish Award: The Marian Irish Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Paper on Women and Politics presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Best Paper Award: The Best Paper Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Overall Paper presented at the Annual Meeting.
• Neal Tate Award: The Neal Tate Award is given to the author(s) of the Best Paper on Judicial Politics presented at the Annual Meeting.

Last minute changes: If for some reason you are unable to fulfill your professional obligations at the conference, please notify your colleagues on the panel, and info@spsa.net.

Download the Preliminary Program!

The 2024 SPSA Annual Conference Preliminary Program is available HERE!  Download a copy and search for your name to find your place on this year’s conference schedule.

Register for the Annual Conference

You can begin the meeting registration process (as well as join the SPSA) HERE. If you wish to join and register at the same time, please email info@spsa.net and we will create an invoice for your membership and registration. Just let us know the level of membership you want (1 year or 2 year and online or print).

Note: If you are having problems with the speed of using the membership system. MemberSuite says that often there can be a local caching issue with the user’s web browser. They are sharing this loom video with you which walks through step-by-step on how to clear the cache and storage within the web browser.

Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel Room Block Is Full!

The Hilton New Orleans Riverside is the 2024 SPSA Annual Conference hotel, however, the block of rooms for the SPSA is full. Please check with one of the hotel booking sites (such as Hotels.com, Priceline.Com, Expedia.com etc.) for a list of available hotel rooms. 

Book Your Flight Now!

Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for Southern Political Science Association. You may also call Delta Meeting Network® at 1.800.328.1111*, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (EST) and refer to Meeting Event Code NM2ZW.

*Please note there is not a service fee for reservations booked and ticketed via our reservation 800 number.

Professional Development Workshops at SPSA 2024

The SPSA is once again partnering with the KiND Institute to offer a series of Professional Development Workshops at this year’s Annual Conference. There are no additional fees to participate in workshops, which take place throughout the January meeting.

Workshops this year will include “Inductive and Deductive Coding for Analysis,” “Strategies for Building Networks Between Academics, Communities, and Governments,” and “Arts-based Approaches: Fostering community engagement for research,” among others. For participants who have started taking classes in pursuit of the KiND/SPSA certificate program, this will be an opportunity to make progress on your Research Methods, Professionalization, or Leadership certificates.

For more information on the workshops and the certificate program, please see the SPSA 2024 webpage on the KiND website.

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Saturday Night Riverboat Reception!

Every year the SPSA holds a “Finale Reception” on the Saturday night at the end of the Annual Conference. Examples include a Texas BBQ Dinner (Austin!), Fireworks on the Beach (St. Pete’s Beach!), and Rum Receptions (San Juan!). This year the Association has arranged for the 2024 Saturday night Finale Reception to take place on a Mississippi Riverboat! The riverboat will depart from the dock at the conference hotel (the New Orleans Hilton Riverside) for a two-hour cruise from 7-9pm on Saturday, January 13th. Food, beverages, and live entertainment will be part of the excursion. The cost is $10 per person, and you can register when you register for the conference.  You can also contact Pat Brown (spsa.finance@spsa.net) and she can register you for the cruise.  Please plan to attend this January’s SPSA meeting and take part in this unique event!  

Film Screening: “GETTING BACK TO ABNORMAL, a film about politics and race in post Katrina New Orleans.”

“They say that a mixture of every nation is to be in New Orleans. But in midst of this confusion, what race should dominate and give direction to the rest?” -Alexis de Toqueville, 1832

GETTING TO BACK ABNORMAL, broadcast nationally on PBS’s POV series and made by political scientist turned filmmaker Paul Stekler (Sundance award winner GEORGE WALLACE: SETTIN’ THE WOODS ON FIRE, EYES ON THE PRIZE) and his longtime New Orleans partners Louis Alvarez and Andy Kolker (VOTE FOR ME: POLITICS IN AMERICA, POSTCARDS FROM THE GREAT DIVIDE), is an intimate look at race, politics, and culture in post-Katrina New Orleans. It’s also a reminder of how little has changed since Lafcadio Hearn wrote in 1883: “the city is buried under fraud and maladministration, but it is better to live here under sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio.”

The Los Angeles Times called it “poetry, every frame full of life,” the Boston Globe said “it embodies all the drama of living in post-racial America,” the Washington Post called it “a fabulous introduction to N’awlins-style politics,” and the National Journal called it “a film unlike any you have ever since.”

/F1111ilmmaker Paul Stekler, who previously taught Southern politics at Tulane, will be at the screening, which will take place on Friday, January 12th, at 2:00pm.

Inability to Attend Insurance

The Southern Political Science Association will provide No Refunds if you are unable to attend. Instead, we now provide a refund insurance policy (please see below).

Attendee Registration Insurance is now included in your registration fees. This coverage is underwritten by Lloyds of London.

You will receive a 100% refund if you are unable to attend the event for a reason outside of your control that is covered under the policy. This coverage starts on the date you pay for registration and ends on the first date of the conference.

Click Here which takes you to our claims website and then click on the tab Policy Terms & Conditions to see what is covered under the policy.

Click Here for the Attendee Refund Policy.

Please refer to this web page for updated information about the 2024 SPSA Annual Conference!