Sessions Seeking Papers

12. Student Poster Session! 

As you may recall, this year in Charlotte, we hosted a wonderfully successful student poster session, where over 60 students presented their research to conference attendees. We love it and plan to do it again in Jacksonville, FL! Students, please consider submitting a poster to present at our annual conference using the individual submissions link. If you are a faculty mentor, encourage your undergraduate and graduate students to submit their work by November 7th. There will be snacks, drinks, and prizes!

13. A Decolonial, Antiracist Reclaiming of Our Souls, Our Priorities, and Our Time, for Dialogue and Activism

DEADLINE: October 31

We seek submissions for our 5th consecutive Diasporic Womanist Sociology mini conference. Embracing a womanist epistemology, we welcome all mediums of knowledge (papers, essays, poetry, art, prose, spoken word etc.). We are interested in works that articulate decolonial, antiracist, and transnational womanist and/or feminist theory, method, praxis and/or pedagogy. For example, we are interested in critical scholarship on coloniality and neocolonialism, white supremacy, US hegemony, global racial capitalism, military occupation, cultural imperialism, or epistemic violence amongst other topics. We engage existing theories, politics and praxis of the Global South and Global North such as Audre Lorde, Chandra Mohanty, Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi, Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Joy James, Lila Abu-Lughod, and María Lugones. In recognizing the continued need for members of Global South diasporas and other thinkers who are committed to internationalist understandings, we continue to carve out an emancipatory space within Sociology where we can articulate collaborative struggles and prioritize whole communities inside and beyond US borders. 

All submissions should go to the co-organizers of this Special Session: Diasporic Womanist Sociology using this Google Form by October 31st. Submissions must include: (a) title of the presentation; (b) abstract; (c) 3 key words; (d) name, affiliation(s), email and your position. Abstracts should be roughly 300-450 words. We will notify you of your acceptance as we receive them. If you submit to the google form after our October 31st due date, also submit your paper to the SSS portal and ensure you write your title as “DWS mini conference: [your title].” Please also notify us via email that you have done so. This will be the only way that we can track and include your submission in our mini conference. Submit early to go through the more streamlined process and increase your chances of acceptance! Accepted submissions will be uploaded as full panels to the SSS portal on your behalf and you will receive an email confirmation from SSS. Contact Monisha Jackson (mjackson181@gsu.edu) with any questions.

14. Aging, Work and Disability

This session will explore the intersections of aging, labor, and disability. Topics may include (but not limited to) the aging workforce, workplace accessibility, disability rights and employment, policy implications, and the lived experiences of older and disabled workers. 

The deadline to submit is November 7, 2025, please send submissions to Mary Gatta (mary.gatta@gmail.com).

15. Aging and Care Work

This session is focused broadly on research on the dynamics of aging and care work, including formal and informal caregiving, gendered labor, intergenerational support, migration and care economies, and policy frameworks shaping carework. 

The deadline to submit is November 7, 2025, please send submissions to Mary Gatta (gatta.mary@gmail.com).

16. Sociologists Practicing Activism (Panel sponsored by the SSS Committee on Sociological Practice)

Share how you’ve combined your social science expertise with social justice activism and practice. We solicit submissions from sociologists or kindred social scientists who have used their expertise – either broadly or as scholars of race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, social movements, politics, work, human rights, peace, violence, crime, globalization, or other specialties – as activists and social practitioners. Note that this panel is not for presentation of empirical research or basic theorizing, unless it was integral to the activism or to serve the activism’s purpose directly. The panelist’s activism may have been undertaken either explicitly in their role as a social scientist or simply informed by their social science expertise. 

The session’s focus is on progressive activism, broadly conceived. Relevant activities include what commonly would be labeled social movement activism; or running for and holding elected office; or anywhere in between or proximate to those examples. We anticipate panel participants will have participated in local community or campus efforts, or regional-, national-, or international-scale activism in the U.S. or elsewhere – i.e., a wide range of settings are appropriate for this panel. Participants will share their experiences and how their expertise played a role in their activism/practice. Two or more participants engaged in directly related activism may submit a single proposal to co-present. Graduate and undergraduate students and social scientists in nonacademic positions are invited, as well as faculty, as long as they linked social science knowledge to activism. 

If you are interested in presenting in this panel, please submit the following information by Tuesday, October 28 to Sociological Practice committee member Dale Wimberley (dale.wimberley@vt.edu): (1) the title of the presentation; (2) each presenter’s contact information (name, affiliation, email address, phone number) and their position title; and (3) an extended abstract (no more than 450 words) describing the type of activism, group, or setting, and the presenter’s use of social scientific expertise in that context. Prior inquiries about possible submissions are welcome indeed! Including “SSS” in the subject line of your email is helpful.

17. Connecting the Individual to the Global: Strategies that Connect Students’ Classroom Learning to Societal and Global Issues

This session is seeking panelists who have developed innovative techniques to broaden the discussion of and exposure to contemporary social challenges in conjunction with classroom curriculum. Ideas can be from any area of Sociology and focus on ether the undergraduate or graduate level of study. Possibilities can include introducing students to community experts, directors of non-profit organizations, local advocates. Program ideas may extend across the Sociology department, be joint departmental efforts that illustrate a multidisciplinary approach to complicated issues, or in conjunction with university/college initiatives such as guest speakers or scholars in residence. Submissions can describe active learning activities that connect students to populations impacted by social policies, institutional imperatives, or resource allocations. 

Discussion will center on learning outcomes and scaling activities for various sized classrooms. Ideas for use in on-line instruction are also welcome. The goal of the session is to share creative strategies for enhancing students learning of social forces and consequences to the people who are directly impacted as help as helping them increase agency and take action. Topics such as immigration, climate change and natural disasters, health care policy, housing availability and zoning, and technology creation and implementation are just a sampling of those that are examined within course content and can be explored in applied and co-curricular ways. Submissions should describe multi-faceted and multi-level experiences, that go beyond a “one and done” or isolated experience. Incorporating exposure and experience throughout the semester or academic year will be most valuable to the discussion. 

If you are interested in presenting in this session, please send the following to Diane Zablotsky (dlzablot@charlotte.edu) or Vaughn Schmutz (Vaughn.schmutz@charlotte.edu) by October 30th and include the short abstract (150 – 250 words) describing the teaching innovation, learning outcomes, and application to the conference theme of enhancing students’ agency and action.

18. Strategies for Designing and Teaching Gender/Sex/Sexualities Curricula

In this session, workshop leaders will lead brainstorming and problem-solving discussions focused on how to adapt gender/sex/sexualities curricula and pedagogical approaches in the context of current political pressures and scrutiny of our work. Topics may include syllabi, organizing course content, bolstering support for faculty, advocating for specific courses, and pedagogical techniques. Workshop leaders will lead Q&A sessions at topic-focused tables. The goal of the workshop is for participants to leave with strategies for teaching and/or adapting existing curricula. 

If you are interested in participating in this session as a workshop leader, please indicate your name, affiliation, contact information, and a brief description of the topic you would like to focus on. Please submit materials by October 31, 2025 to Sarah Pollock (spollock@tamusa.edu). Please include “SSS 2026” in the subject line. I will reach out to you to confirm participation and coordinate the session.

19. Forbidden Fruit: Debating what is Teachable (Author Meets Curious Readers)

This session will consist of a discussion between readers and the author of the book Sex, Risk, and Society: When is Sex Dangerous? about debates in Texas public school districts over sex education curricula. This session is relevant to those would are interested in the controversies and decision-making processes regarding what is teachable when it comes to sexuality, gender, and sex. The discussion has implications for research and teaching about sexuality and gender, education policy development, school and community partnerships, and advocacy work. If you are interested in reading the book and participating in this session as a discussant, please indicate your name, affiliation, contact information, and a brief description of your interest in the session topic. 

Students are particularly encouraged to participate. Please submit materials by November 1, 2025 to Sarah Pollock (spollock@tamusa.edu). Please include “SSS 2026” in the subject line. Prior inquiries are welcome. I will reach out to you to confirm participation and coordinate the session.

20. On the Job: Ask Me Anything

The Committee on Professions is seeking sociologists who can answer questions from students and early career professionals. This session will provide a space for individuals to ask sociologically oriented questions about careers, grants, professionalization etc. The session would ideally have 4-5 professionals with varying expertise and backgrounds to answer a wide array of questions. 

Please email Jasmine Whiteside (jasmine.whiteside@louisville.edu) by Tuesday, November 4 with some information on what aspect of the academic journey you are able to speak to and your contact information.

21. Sociology at Work: Exploring Applied Career Paths

The Committee on Professions and Committee on Sociological Practice is seeking sociologists who can serve on a panel that explore careers in applied sociology, featuring professionals working in diverse sectors such as public policy, healthcare, education, and nonprofit organizations. Panelists will share insights into how they transitioned from academic training to applied roles, the challenges and rewards of their work, and the skills most valuable in their fields. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about job searches, workplace dynamics, and the real-world impact of sociological expertise. The session would ideally have 4-5 professionals with varying expertise and backgrounds. 

Please email Margaret Ralston (mr1636@msstate.edu) by Tuesday, November 4 with some information on what aspect you can speak to and your contact information. Contact: Margaret Ralston (mr1636@msstate.edu)

22. Making it work. Evidence-based solutions to current challenges in work and occupations

Sociological research has identified a multitude of mechanisms causing today’s challenges in the world of work. This diversity in theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches uniquely enables us to identify evidence-based policy solutions. We invite papers that ask what kinds of policies and practices work best to overcome today’s challenges in work and occupations. These papers can be qualitative or quantitative in nature, and we explicitly invite research from community-engaged projects. 

If interested, please submit your abstract through the SSS 2026 Online Submission Portal by October 30, 2025. When prompted, select the session title “Making it work” from the list of available sessions. Abstracts should be 450 words and address the following questions: 1) Title of the paper 2) Contact information (name, affiliation, position, email address) for each presenter 3) What social problem does the paper address? 4) What methods and data do you use to evaluate solutions? 5) What are your key findings, and what are the practical and theoretical implications of your findings?

23. Innovative Methods to Study Work and Workplaces

The world of work is quickly evolving. These changes present challenges for researchers but also new opportunities for studying work and workplaces. This paper session invites papers – both qualitative and quantitative – that have found new ways of studying the world of work. Your paper might draw on innovative data sources or use new ways of analyzing data. We welcome work-in-progress and published manuscripts. The session will showcase new methodologies so that audience members may gain inspiration from your work. 

If interested, please submit your abstract through the SSS 2026 Online Submission Portal by October 30, 2025. When prompted, select the session title “Innovative Methods to Study Work and Workplaces” from the list of available sessions. Abstracts should be 450 words and address the following questions: 1) Title of the paper 2) Contact information (name, affiliation, position, email address) for each presenter 3) What is the research question of your paper? 4) Why are current methods insufficient or limited in answering these questions? 5) How are you approaching this problem differently, and how does this solve previous issues or shed new light on a phenomenon?

24. Gender and Sexuality in Online Spaces

This paper session invites work on gender and sexuality in online spaces. We seek papers that demonstrate how online spaces are used to combat social inequality and oppression as well as to enact social change. Submissions do not have to be about both gender and sexuality but papers must highlight at least one of the two. 

Abstract submissions for this paper session must include 1) the title of the paper, 2) names, affiliations, and contact information for each author, and 3) an abstract. The abstract should be approximately 250-350 words and must include the following information: major research question(s)/goals of the study, methodology, and findings. All of this information should be submitted as you want it to appear in the conference program. 

Please submit materials by November 2, 2025 to Madeline Raine Williams (MRWilliams@uga.edu).

25. Gender, Disaster, and Climate Change

This paper session invites work on gender, disaster, and climate change. We seek papers that explore how gender shapes how individuals and communities navigate and resist inequalities and enact social change in the face of environmental crises. This session is also looking for papers on how gendered power dynamics influence disaster preparedness, policy, and recovery efforts. 

Abstract submissions for this paper session must include 1) the title of the paper, 2) names, affiliations, and contact information for each author, and 3) an abstract. The abstract should be approximately 250–350 words and must include the following information: major research question(s)/goals of the study, methodology, and findings. All of this information should be submitted as you want it to appear in the conference program. 

Please submit materials by November 2, 2025, to Madeline Raine Williams (MRWilliams@uga.edu).

26. Bodies, Pleasure, and Sexuality

This paper session invites work on bodies, pleasure, and sexuality as sites of meaning-making, resistance, and power. We welcome papers that explore how social inequalities shape expressions of sexuality. We are especially interested in work that examines how acts of pleasure, intimacy, and expression can challenge stigma and promote bodily autonomy. 

Abstract submissions for this paper session must include 1) the title of the paper, 2) names, affiliations, and contact information for each author, and 3) an abstract. The abstract should be approximately 250–450 words and must include the following information: major research question(s) or goals of the study, methodology, and findings. All of this information should be submitted as you want it to appear in the conference program. 

Please submit materials by November 2, 2025 to Madeline Raine Williams (MRWilliams@uga.edu).

27. Sociological Perspectives in Policy Work

The Committee on Sociological Practice is looking for sociologists or other social scientists who have used sociological perspectives or theories when doing policy work. Also known as policy sociology, we are seeking to understand how you apply sociological research to solve concrete social problems. We encourage presenters to share how they have applied sociological knowledge to solve problems defined by clients such as firms, local/state/national governments, or organizations (non or for profit). We would also encourage potential presenters to apply their expertise to garner discussion on issues of public policy. 

If you are interested in presenting in this session, please submit the following information by October 28, 2025, to the session organizer, Jamekia Collins (jcollins@hsri.org) : (1) the title of the presentation; (2) contact information (name, affiliation, position, email address, phone number) for each presenter; and (3) an extended abstract of no more than 450 words.

28. Teaching and Learning in the Embodied Classroom

This panel session is designed to explore the concept and practice of embodied teaching in the sociology classroom. Panelists will share an embodiment technique they use in the classroom by first grounding the technique in a literature or pedagogy, and then demonstrating the technique with the audience. Whereas traditional teaching views teaching and learning as an activity solely of the mind, embodied teaching views teaching and learning as involving the mind and the body. The embodied classroom challenges the mind/body dualism, which is the belief that the mind and body are distinct in form and nature. In conventional classrooms, students learn by “knowing” things, but in the embodied classroom, students engage in deeper kinds of learning by “feeling,” “doing,” and “being.” Research on embodied teaching has gained popularity in recent years as broader cultural shifts urge us to pay attention to how somatic (sensory) experiences shape behaviors and performance at work, such as leadership, stress management, and team dynamics (Palmer 2020). This work is inspired by bell hooks’ revolutionary book Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, in which she cautioned those teaching in Higher Ed against “enter[ing] the classroom to teach as though only the mind is present, and not the body” (1994:191). Empowering students through practices of embodiment is a direct application of hooks’ call to action—to cultivate spaces of radical analysis and resistance. We invite panelists who practice embodied teaching to share their techniques and strategies, and to engage in scholarly discourse about the embodied sociology classroom.

Please submit materials by November 7, 2025 to Kris Macomber (kcmacomber@meredith.edu).

29. Bodies in Families

This session broadly focuses on Bodies in Families. More specifically, we seek presentations analyzing how bodies shape (and are shaped by) family dynamics and familial roles. We are particularly interested in bodies that push or are restricted by boundaries, such as fat bodies, bodies outside the gender binary, incarcerated bodies (or family members who support incarcerated bodies), etc. How do family members navigate family systems and processes when their bodies are perceived by themselves and others as out of bounds? 

Please send submissions to Heidi Williams (hmwill07@vt.edu) by November 1, 2025. Include 1) the name(s) and contact information for all presenters, 2) title of presentation, and 3) a 250-word abstract. Email subject line: SSS Bodies in Families.

30. Gendered Power in Child Welfare: What’s Care Got to Do with It? (Author Meets Curious Readers)

This Author Meets Curious Readers will focus on the child welfare system in Kentucky and other states—which the author argues is “based on masculine values that were institutionalized long before women had the right to vote, hold public office, or have a voice in public law and policy.” This session will be of most interest to those who are interested in a mixed-methods investigation of how care workers in the welfare system are regulated by bureaucratic rules. Further, this session will be of interest to those who seek to reform the welfare system using feminist theories and a community-centered care framework. 

If you are interested in reading the book and serving as a Curious Reader, please submit your name, affiliation, contact information, and a brief statement as to why you are interested in this session to Heidi Williams (hmwill07@vt.edu). Submission deadline: November 1, 2025. Please include “Curious Reader SSS” in the subject line.

31. Exploring ways social networks use leisure to cope

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the ways in which social networks—families, fictive kin, friends—employ leisure as a tool to cope with the current political climate in the United States. Participants may brainstorm strategies to capitalize on important social relationships in times of distress, discuss their own experiences creating diversions in their social networks, and/or discuss current research projects focused on this topic. The goals of the workshop are to 1) engage in dialogue focused on coping and fun in stressful times; and 2) forge collaborations to empirically test the associations between social networks, leisure, and coping with politics. 

If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please express your interest to Heidi Williams (hmwill07@vt.edu) by November 1st. In your email, please indicate your name, institutional affiliation, and your level of participation (brainstorm, share research results, seek collaborations, learn ways to have fun/cope). Please include SSS: Families and Leisure in the subject line.

32. Identity, Ideology & Extremism

Recent high profile cases have reignited debates on the role of identity and ideology in extremist acts of violence. This panel explores patterns, motives, and generic social processes that connect acts of individual and mass violence. Experts will discuss how gender, race, gamer and internet subcultures, and religion, specifically Christian nationalism, shape and influence acts of violence. Having panelists focusing on issues and groups in the South and/or prevention strategies is especially desired. 

Send submissions to Kylie Parrotta (kylie.parrotta@gmail.com) by November 5th.

33. Disasters, environmental crises, and society: taking stock, moving forward

The future of disaster relief in the United States is uncertain. The federal administration has indicated that the current role of FEMA in providing disaster relief is untenable. The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the President have announced intentions to substantially reduce Federal support after the 2025 hurricane season, instead shifting the financial, organizational, and material burden to state governments. These changes are set to take place in a context of increasingly frequent, severe, and expensive environmental events. Moreover, reforms to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency seem poised to increase risk of technological hazard events and toxic exposure. We invite scholars and practitioners to submit papers that address these macro-issues while also seeking to highlight localized, community driven efforts that will become increasingly important for how society prepares for, responds to, recovers from, and mitigates disasters and environmental crises in the United States.

Please email submissions to Adam Straub (strauba@rowan.edu) and Afsana Kona (Afsanakona@vt.edu) with the following information by November 7th.

150-200 Word abstract, Working Title, and names/affiliations of all authors