City

Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association
San Francisco, California USA
June 2 - 5, 2011


Program Committee

Attendance Planning

Venues and labor situation

Hotel Reservation

Meeting Registration

Preliminary Program

Instructions for Submission of Paper and Session Proposals

Submit a Proposal for a Paper, Session, or to Volunteer as chair or discussant

Proposal Keyword List

Participation Limits

Volunteering as Chair and/or Discussant

Collaborative Research Networks

Meeting Hotel

Westin St. Francis

Message from LSA President about Labor Issues at the Meeting Hotel

LSA Discussion Boards

Exhibitor Information

Workshops Applications:

Graduate Student Workshop (due January 15, 2011)

Early Career Workshop (due January 21, 2011)

 

Call for Participation
Proposal Due Date: December 8, 2010

(after due date proposals accepted only on a space-available basis)

The 2011 Annual Meeting of Law and Society Association, Thursday, June 2, through Sunday, June 5,  in San Francisco, CA USA.

Theme: Oceans Apart? Narratives of (Il)Legality in Liminal Locations

Citizen/Undocumented...Poor/Privileged...Non-White/White...Regulated/Unregulated.

Law and Society scholars have consistently challenged both the fit and the applicability of these and other binaries, questioning what citizenship status, class, race, or politics really mean in myriad contexts. However, early in a new decade (and new century), many law and society scholars find ourselves in somewhat of a liminal space, facing whole new sets of border crossings, blurring boundaries, empirical challenges, and conceptual conundra. For example, in the U.S., the continued growth of mass incarceration coupled with the extended reach of criminal law and “civil” municipal regulations have destabilized entire communities, where categories of “incarcerated” and “free” are no longer clearly distinguishable. Around the world, political and legal responses to human migration have broken down lines between immigration law, economic regulation, and criminal justice in complex and often troubling ways.

As a result of these kinds of boundary dissolutions, notions about citizenship, sovereignty, illegality, and rights (to name a few) have all been complicated, challenging a number of longstanding assumptions underlying legal scholarship. How does the law in its many forms help or hurt the resulting conversations? The theme of the 2011 LSA Meeting–Oceans Apart? Narratives of (Il)legality in Liminal Locations–invites us to ponder the shifting and dissolving boundaries around us, empirical and conceptual, and also what they may tell us about law’s relevance, and limitations, in shaping our global future. It is fitting that we begin this exploration in San Francisco, one of the great transnational cities in the world. San Francisco, with its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, is located in a state that borders Mexico (and once was part of that nation), and which was once traversed only by native peoples. This locale is subject to tectonic forces, literal as well as environmental and social, which shape the human uses of law and responses to law. San Francisco constitutes an ideal setting for convening scholars who are concentrating their efforts on these issues.

 

Proposals for individual papers or fully formed panels will be considered.  As with every Annual Meeting, panels need not be centered on the conference theme.  Submissions on any law and society topic are welcome.

PLEASE NOTE:

Number of Participations:

The "number of participations allowed" policy is described in detail below, but please note that participants are generally limited to only ONE participation as a paper presenter OR a roundtable participant OR a Work-In-Progress paper presenter. Beginning this year, Author-Meets-Reader Book sessions will be subject to more stringent selection criteria, as detailed below. Consequently, participation in A-M-R sessions is exempt from the one-participation rule.

Disability Access Guidelines for Meeting Sessions:

LSA requests that all session organizers and presenters review these guidelines and take the steps necessary to make the sessions accessible to attendees with disabilities.

The Proposal Submission Site requires a new profile and log-in each year.   

The Member Services Site is used for meeting registration payments (and LSA membership dues payments) and does not require a new profile each year.  If you are a LSA member or have registered as a non-member for an LSA meeting in the past two years, you already have a profile in the Member Services system. If you've forgotten your log-in information or do not know how to access your profile, contact Judy Rose rose@lawandsociety.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENT EMAILS confirming your submission site log-in and each of your proposals will be emailed to the address you entered into the submission site system.  They contain important information about the meeting.  Please print them out, read, and save them.  If you do not receive these emails, check with Judy Rose rose@lawandsociety.org

SUBMISSION OF PAPER PROPOSALS: There are three ways to submit paper proposals for the conference.

Assigned Paper

 The first option is to collaborate with others before you submit your paper proposal to create a proposed session in which your paper is part. If you are successful in organizing a session then follow the submission instructions below for Session Proposals. If you are successful in becoming part of a panel organized by someone else, follow the instructions below for Individual “Assigned” Paper Proposals. 

Unassigned Paper

The second option is to submit a proposal without having determined your fellow panelists.  You will be assigned to a panel after you submit your proposal—for this option, see the instructions on Individual “Unassigned” Paper Proposals. Keyword selection is important for all submissions but particularly so for unassigned paper proposals.

The third option is to submit a Work-in-Progress paper proposal.

The Importance of Keyword Selection:

For each submission, you will be asked to select two keywords.  Please note that your submission will be sent to a committee member based on the first keyword that you select.  The second keyword is used to suggest alternative placements if the fit with other papers appears better.

For example, if you are submitting a paper proposal on the court system, you will have several relevant keywords to choose from. If you want to be part of a panel with other scholars studying access to courts or legal services for the poor, choose the keyword “Access to Justice.” If instead you want to share your research with people studying court processes, choose the keyword “Courts and Trials.” If you would prefer to talk with people doing research on victims in the court system, choose the keyword “Crime and Victims.” A clear abstract and careful selection of keywords will help the Program Committee to create more effective panels.


Option One  Individual “Assigned” Paper Proposals:

If you are to be a presenter in a paper session organized by another, you still must submit your own paper.  The session organizer will supply the necessary session tracking number for completing the submission process.  Choose “assigned” on the paper submission form and enter the session tracking number, which will attach your paper to the session. The session organizer cannot enter your paper for you.

For the “assigned” paper submission form, you will need:

  • the session tracking number
  • a paper title
  • an abstract of 400-500 words
  • keyword selection(s) (in order of relevance)
  • co-author(s)’ contact information (if you have co-authors)
  • AV requirement, if any

For the detailed steps in submitting an "assigned" paper proposal, click here.
Option Two  Individual “Unassigned” Paper Proposals:

If you are unable to find other panelists, and decide to submit an individual “unassigned” proposal, your abstract will be sent to the Program Committee.  They will attempt to match your proposal with other topically-related individual submissions.

Keyword selection is particularly important for optimal placement of your paper (see above).

For the “unassigned” paper submission form, you will need:

  • a paper title
  • an abstract of 400-500 words
  • keyword selection(s) (in order of relevance)
  • co-author(s)’ contact information (if you have co-authors)
  • AV requirement, if any

 

For the detailed steps in submitting an "unassigned" paper proposal, click here.
For All Paper Presenters:  Once a paper is assigned to a session either by the Program Committee or Session Organizer the author is expected to:

  • have a written copy of the paper or detailed description of the presentation one month prior to the meeting

  • circulate the paper or relevant text among the other session participants as directed by the session Chair

  • prepare a public presentation of the paper (simply reading from the paper is not acceptable) or parallel text that conforms to the time constraints and the particular format or approach arranged by the session Chair

  • make a large print version of any material to be distributed in the session for attendees who may be visually impaired

  • in the event a paper author cannot attend, it is expected that they will contact the session chair and the LSA Executive Office to formally withdraw well in advance of the meeting and in time to be replaced.  A paper must be presented by its author(s); it may not be presented by another panelist.

  

Option Three   Work-in-Progress (WIP) Paper Proposals:

In addition to the standard panel and plenary sessions, this year’s conference will again include Work-in-Progress (WIP) sessions. These sessions were initiated in 2010 and are designed to allow authors to present and receive feedback on projects that are still in the process of taking shape. The WIP sessions will pair 2 or more projects with a discussant who will provide feedback and suggestions. WIP presenters and discussants will be listed in the program as participants in the Annual Meeting.

These sessions offer a more informal setting where the focus of the sessions goes entirely to the projects themselves. The expectation is for discussants to provide pointed feedback, offer suggestions for improvement, answer any questions the author might have, and to otherwise help engage authors about their work. For their part, authors are required to submit a detailed abstract in response to this call, then submit to their assigned discussant, one month in advance of the conference, a 1-2 page description of their work-in-progress which outlines the project and describes the intellectual grounding of the work that they plan to address.

In order to accommodate the largest possible number of WIPs, this year, the style of these sessions will follow a new format. Round tables seating 8-10 people each will be set up in a large room. Each table will hold the WIP project presenters and a discussant, and will have space for others to listen and participate in the discussion. The WIP presenters will each in turn provide a brief (5 minute) overview of their project, and then receive feedback from the discussant and any audience members seated around the table. This arrangement will allow for many more WIP participants to be accommodated. However, it also means there will be no opportunity to use power-point projection and therefore if presenters wish to display any information they must bring handouts for distribution. We again particularly encourage junior scholars to submit WIP proposals. Senior scholars are strongly encouraged to volunteer to serve as WIP discussants.

Submission of a WIP paper should be made through the submission site. Select Work in Progress Paper from the listing of submissions.

To be considered ready for Program Committee review, a WIP paper proposal must include:

For the detailed steps in submitting a "WIP" proposal, click here.

SUBMISSION OF SESSION PROPOSALS (for ORGANIZERS):

We encourage the submission of proposals for fully formed sessions. 

The Program Committee recognizes the importance of engaging the audience in a compelling manner, and we envision a conference that is dynamic, innovative, and interactive.  Session Proposals tend to follow three formats:

1) traditional scholarly paper panels organized around a common theme
2) discussion-centered roundtables
3) Author-Meets-Reader Book sessions, in which discussion is focused on 1 or more recent (published in 2010) scholarly books.

Those types of sessions are welcome, but we also encourage proposals that are not constrained by the usual categories. Participants might organize debates, visual and musical performances, workshops, films, and other innovative formats. (Sessions with alternate formats and no papers should use the Roundtable Session Submissions Form; see information below). We encourage scholars proposing creative formats to consult with program committee members and the LSA Executive Office (rose@lawandsociety.org) in advance.

In order to stimulate intellectual exchange, we also urge that panels be diverse in their composition by including, for example, participants from different countries, disciplines, and intellectual traditions as well as of different ages, career stages, gender, and race/ethnicity.

The Program Committee reserves the right to make changes in any panel in the interests of the general program.

There are three types of session proposals Paper Presentations, Roundtable Discussions, and Author-Meets-Readers Book Sessions

Paper Presentation Sessions**

Proposals with Paper Presentations must include:

  • a session title  (include CRN sponsorship in session title when relevant)
  • a 100-250 word description of the session
  • keyword selection(s)
  • a Chair
  • a Discussant (who may also serve as chair)
  • a minimum of four individual papers that are "assigned" by the Session Organizer.

For the detailed steps in submitting a Paper Session proposal, click here.

Roundtable Discussion Sessions

Proposals for Roundtables must include:


For the detailed steps in submitting a Roundtable Session proposal, click here.

 

 

**It is suggested that Paper Session Proposals be submitted early in order to allow time for the paper authors to submit their proposals before the deadline.

IMPORTANT: Papers in a session proposal must be submitted by the authors and cannot be submitted by the organizer.  Once the organizer submits a panel, the panel will be assigned a session tracking number.  The session organizer must provide the panelists with this session tracking number for them to register their papers properly.

Session Keywords are used to identify subject matter in program searches and to minimize overlapping scheduling as much as possible. Select the first keyword with care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Author-Meets-Reader (AMR) Book Sessions

We have experienced an enormous increase in Author-Meets-Reader session proposals in the past several years. Therefore, the LSA Board of Trustees has instituted new policies to ensure that such panels fit well within the Association's mission and scope, as follows: In 2011, we will be accepting only those session proposals for books that were published in 2010. In addition, proposals must clearly articulate the book's relevance to law and society as a field, and should demonstrate the likelihood to produce an interesting discussion for a community of law and society scholars. We especially encourage book session proposals that incorporate 2 or more related new titles.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept all Author- Meets-Reader sessions that are proposed, and there will only be a limited number of such sessions in the program. Proposed sessions must provide the book's publication date and must include a complete and detailed abstract that describes the book's contribution to law and society scholarship. Please note that because of the more restrictive selection criteria for author meets reader sessions, participation in these panels will NOT count against the 1 participation rule for the conference.
 

Proposals for Author-Meets-Reader Sessions must include:

  • a session title comprised of the title(s) of the book(s) and author(s)' name(s)
  • a 100-250 word description of the session
  • keyword selection(s)  
  • a Chair
  • the book Author(s)
  • at least four Readers
  • include CRN sponsorship (in session title) when relevant

For the detailed steps in submitting an AMR Session proposal, click here.
 

 

 

PARTICIPATION LIMITS: The Program Committee limits conference attendees to no more than three appearances in the program, which must conform to the rules below. It is expected that you will allow your name to be added to the program only in accordance with these limitations.

1) Participants are limited to ONE appearance in one of the following roles: Paper Presenter OR a Roundtable Participant OR a Work-In-Progress paper presenter.

2) Participants are limited to TWO additional appearances as a Chair and/or Discussant on a panel. Participation as a Session Chair and presenting a paper in the same session counts as one participation. Participating as a Chair/Discussant on a panel counts as one participation.

For “non-presenting” paper co-authors: it will not count as a participation if they do not sit on the session panel and present the paper (select “non-presenter” when the co-author is added to a paper).

Exemptions: Participants will be allowed ONE exempted additional appearance on a Program Committee sanctioned Author-Meets-Reader session or on a plenary panel, service panel [session], or other special event solicited and/or authorized by the Program Committee Chairs. For all other requests, there will be no exceptions to the rule.

 

 

VOLUNTEERS FOR CHAIR AND/OR DISCUSSANT ROLES: We strongly encourage people to volunteer as chairs and discussants. When serving as a chair or a discussant, you make an invaluable contribution to the program. Please note that participants are allowed to serve as a Chair and/or Discussant on two panels. Presenting a paper and serving as Chair on the same panel does not count toward the two. A specific form for volunteers is available on the Submission Site. The Program Committee will later contact volunteers directly to serve in these roles in sessions organized by the Committee.

Individuals selected to act as Session Chairs on paper panels are expected to inform paper presenters of the format of the session and their obligations as presenters, including:

SERVICE SESSIONS will be organized by relevant standing committees.


 COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH NETWORKS (CRNs):


Collaborative Research Networks (CRNs) have been formed under the auspices of the Law and Society Association to facilitate ongoing dialogue and research collaboration, often with an international dimension. The Association seeks to support the existing CRNs and encourages the formation of additional CRNs for research areas not currently addressed. CRNs are open to all interested scholars. Information about joining and procedures for establishing new CRNs is available on this website. Session Proposals from existing CRNs or new CRNs are most welcome. CRN Principals are encouraged to organize and submit a series of panels formed from papers written by members of their CRN. The CRN panel organizer should follow the instructions for submitting session proposals. CRN sponsored panels should include reference to the CRN name and number in the Session Title so that it will be noted in the Program.
 


OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

 

Meeting Registration: All participants are required to register for the conference.  The meeting registration form will be available on this site in early winter, 2011. Registration will be acknowledged by email receipt.

Registration rates (in U.S. dollars) are:

Registration Rate until
April 8, 2011		 April 9 - May 6 after May 6,
on-site only
Member  LSA $190 $220 $260
Non-Member $230 $260 $300
Student $90 $95 $100

Withdrawal: When the Program Committee accepts proposals, it expects that people will follow through with production of their papers or sessions. Should circumstances require withdrawal prior to the meeting, the Law and Society Association Executive Office must be notified immediately. Registration fees will be refunded on a proportional schedule based on date of withdrawal.  Refund Policy -- By written request only: until April 8th, 100%; April 9th until May 6th, 50%; May 7th until May 20th, 25%. No refunds after May 20th.

 
Letters of Invitation for Funding Purposes: Participants requiring a letter of invitation for the purpose of securing funding from their own institution or granting agency should contact Judy Rose in the LSA Executive Office.

 


Identity and Citizenship Documents for Travel from Outside the U.S.

Scholars attending from outside the United States and who require a visa are encouraged to submit their requests early in order to facilitate attendance at the meeting. The Law and Society Association is committed to having broad representation of scholars from outside the U.S. at the meeting, and will provide the required documentation in order to facilitate this process as soon as possible after the request. Please provide a clear statement of your exact requirements to obtain a Visa. Email this information along with a Fax number and/or mailing address where the letter should be sent to Judy Rose at the Executive Office.

Those in the Visa Waiver Program (countries listed here) should be aware of the new U.S. ESTA requirement:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA is a new fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and VWP travelers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States. ESTA is now mandatory for VWP travelers.

Information on getting a visa and the ESTA program is available here.

Disability Access: The meeting organizers are committed to ensuring that all events at the meeting are accessible to persons with disabilities.  For general accessibility information, please visit the Association's Accessibility website. The organizers will endeavor to provide specific information well in advance of the meeting about the location’s accessibility and practical arrangements. Transportation information will be available on this site in December. Meeting attendees with special needs or disabilities should indicate their requirements in the "special requests" section of the proposal form and are encouraged to get in touch with Mary McClintock at the LSA office with any questions.


Updates, and the Preliminary Program: Updates and meeting information will be posted on this website and sent in group mailings to participants by email, using the email address you enter into the submission site. Please be sure your email address is correct and will be current through the time of the meeting.


Acknowledgments: You will receive an automated email when you log into the submission site the first time, directly from the submission site, and a second email acknowledging receipt of your proposal, each within a day or less. If you do not receive these acknowledgment emails, get in touch with Judy Rose in the LSA office. Copies of your emailed proposal acknowledgments will be available on the submission site in your Message Center.

The Preliminary Program will be available on the web in March, 2011. Participants will be allowed to update information until April 4, 2011. The Preliminary Program will permit easy searching by topic and presenter, viewing paper abstracts, and assembling a "mini-schedule" of events.

 

We look forward to your participation in the 2011 LSA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

 

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