Special Forum for Communication, Culture and Critique

Deadline: March 1, 2021

June 2021: Volume 14, Issue 2

Length: 1000-1500 words, inclusive of notes and references

The forum section in Communication, Culture & Critique publishes short, timely commentary pieces exploring contemporary issues in communication, media, and cultural studies for an international readership. COVID-19 is the focus of this forum, which is designed to gather narratives and commentaries from around the world, sharing situated and personal accounts of the pandemic’s many impacts on academic life. The forum’s essays will provide a critical perspective on academic life during the pandemic, with a focus on themes of power, inequality, and injustice. What opportunities and challenges have emerged from our amended work lives? How have existing inequalities been exacerbated or improved by the adaptations we have made to the ways we work? How have remote work practices affected the power dynamics in classrooms and academic departments? From reconciling homelife pressures while teaching/learning from home to adapting research projects and methods to accommodate the necessity of working remotely, these essays will explore how academics responded to COVID-19 in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Submissions should be narratives and commentaries, not research reports. Authors are encouraged to write in creative and/or experimental formats. While burnout and frustration are likely to shape some perspectives, we also seek submissions focused on humor and positive outcomes. Co-authored (or multi-authored) submissions are welcome. Forum topics may include:

• Precarious employment
• Work/life balance
• Connection and solidarity
• Inequality and injustice
• Travel and citizenship
• Coping habits and strategies
• Promotion and tenure
• Online teaching
• Childcare
• Enrollment and budgeting
• Graduate life
• Research and methods
• Digital pedagogy
• Service commitments
• Online conferences
• Advising
• Job searches
• Faculty meetings
• Mental health
• University schedules, policies, and practices
• Grants and funding

Publishing

Submission procedures: Submissions should be received by March 1, 2021 in Word format (.doc extension), following the 6th edition (2nd printing) APA style. Please submit your entry to Melissa Click at click@gonzaga.edu. Turnaround time will be swift to publish this forum section in a timely manner.

Inquiries and questions are welcome; please address them to Melissa Click at click@gonzaga.edu.