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Join the conversation! Send contributions to spiritcomnca@gmail.com.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Grant Opportunity

Communication in Dharmic Traditions -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism

Under the auspices of the Uberoi Foundation, we call for applications for awards for scholarly

presentations in regional, national, or international communication studies conferences, and

publications in regional, national or international communication studies journals.*

Award criteria:

Paper/essay/article should deal with and/or draw upon some/any aspect of Dharmic Traditions to shed

light on human communication. The paper/essay/article should be presented and/or published in

calendar year 2011.

Award committee:

Dr. Jeffery Long, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies, Elizabethtown College,
Elizabethtown, PA, 17022

Dr. Ramesh Rao, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Studies and Theatre, Longwood
University, Farmville, VA 23909

Dr. Ramdas Lamb, Professor, Department of Religion, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822

Send application and an electronic copy of the paper/essay/article to raorn@longwood.edu

Award amounts:

For undergraduate students: $200 for presentation of paper at a communication studies conference

For graduate students (MA/MS): $300 for presentation of paper at a communication studies conference

For graduate students (Ph.D.): $ 400 for presentation of paper at a communication studies conference

For faculty: $500 for presentation of paper at a communication studies conference

For faculty: $750 for publication of article in an established communication studies journal

For faculty: $1500 for publication of book

Lifetime achievement award: $2500**

*Not all submissions are guaranteed of an award. The award committee will evaluate/consider the
quality of the papers/articles/books to arrive at a decision.

** Nominations for lifetime achievement award should be submitted with a rationale, including relevant

evidence/bibliography

Application Form

Communication in Dharmic Traditions – 2011

1. Full Name: _______________________________________

2. College/University: _________________________________

3. Status (check box below):

a. Undergraduate student

b. Graduate student (MA/MS)

c. Graduate student (PhD)

d. Faculty

(BA/BS)

4. Category of submission:

a. Paper presented at a conference

i.

Date of presentation:___________________________

b. Article published in a journal

i.

Date of publication: ____________________________

c. Book published

Date of publication: ____________________________

i.

d. Lifetime achievement award

__________________________

___________________

Signature of Applicant

Date

Monday, February 14, 2011

Mindfulness

My name is Dan Huston. I am a member of NCA and the Spiritual Communication division. I have been planning to submit a proposal to this year’s conference, but I have not decided through which division yet.

I am writing, therefore, to get your opinion as to whether or not the following topic would be appropriate for the Spiritual Communication division and possibly the preconference.

Two colleagues and I recently submitted a paper to a special edition of an NCA journal focusing on spiritual practices in communication. We submitted a paper about our findings in a study done last year at my community college. For over ten years now, I have been using mindfulness meditation in the teaching of communications. It has been very popular among students and I have lots of anecdotal evidence of its success.

We finally conducted a controlled study using pre and post tests to measure mindfulness and positive reappraisal. Students taking the mindfulness version of the course improved significantly in mindfulness compared with controls and their form of positive reappraisal differed from that of the control group in significant ways, namely they got better at identifying and expressing emotions when faced with difficult situations, while the control group was simply more likely to shift blame on themselves or others. Also, there appeared to be a direct correlation between increases in mindfulness and increases in positive reappraisal.

I would love to present not only on the study but on the curriculum itself. Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for your time.

Dan
dhuston@ccsnh.edu

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Let the Collaboration Begin

As submissions for the NCA are a little over a month away, it is high time to kick off this year's Spiritual Communication Preconference Collaboration. There are a few ways you can use this site:

1.) Recruit panelists for a paper session
Have an idea for a panel, but need a couple more contributers? Email spiritcomnca@gmail.com the title of the possible session, a 75 word abstract, any additional info (theoretical underpinning or rationale) and the contact information for the person putting together the panel. We'll post it, and potential collaborators can contact you directly. This format also works if you are looking for a coauthor.

2.) Get feedback
Have a paper idea and want feedback? Email spiritcomnca@gmail.com the title, a 75 word abstract, and possibly a short sample (no more than 400 words). We'll post it, and people can respond to the posting with thoughts and suggestions.

3.) Looking for a reference?
Go to http://spiritcom.blogspot.com/p/literature-review.html, our new community citation library. Feel free to add what we are missing!

4.) Start a discussion
If you have a interesting topic, compelling paradox, or another form of discussion starter, feel free to send it in. We can also take video recordings, though do be in touch about the size and format.

Let the collaboration begin!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Spirit Com Online Pre-Conference Collaboration

Welcome!

Submissions for this year's annual convention opened January 10. They will close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. In two months until the deadline, the Spiritual Communication Division will offer opportunities for online collaboration on projects.

Have an idea?
- Preview it here and get feedback while still crafting the project.

Interested in putting together a panel?
- Recruit some contributers by posting your ideas.

Need a co-author?
- Find others working on similar projects with the expertise you need.

Have a question?
- Put it out to the community and see what they think.

Need inspiration?
- Read and watch the enlightening work of others.

Searching for a reference?
- Check out our community bibliography on spiritual matters.

If you are interested in participating in this online pre-conference collaboration, click here. If you are interested in helping coordinate this endeavor, email Tim Huffman at huffman2@gmail.com. More details on how to contribute in the week to come!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Spiritual Division Call for Papers 2011

This year’s convention theme, “Voice,” is especially cogent for scholars of spiritual communication. Mystics, prophets and seers of various religious traditions have given voice to their own transcendent encounters. Persons of prayer have voiced thoughts and feelings rising up from the depths of their being. Voice has been extended by various technologies and the arts so that writing, music, architecture, dance and many other expressions communicate spiritual meaning. In many cases various faith communities and individuals on the edges of such communities have experienced spiritually evocative voice coming from constituents of the natural world as well as marginalized humans.

The Spiritual Communication Division invites submission of individual papers, paper sessions, panel discussions that address the convention theme, “Voice,” and are consistent with the Division’s principles. We are committed to understanding spiritual communication through myriad experiences, practices, and belief systems. Our framework for spirituality is based upon the following principles: (a) spirituality represents a harmonious interconnectedness amongst self, other, and nature, and (b) spirituality is both embodied and transcendent, exemplifying an inner knowing (i.e., a source of inner strength), the potentiality of higher consciousness, and living in creative harmony with the divine. The Division will consider submissions that address spirituality within any religious / spiritual tradition and that employs any methodological approach or theoretical perspectives. We especially encourage work that is grounded in and advances the current state of theory and practice in spirituality and communication.

Submission Requirements:


Individual papers: 1) title of the paper; 2) name and contact information; 3) a 75 word abstract of the paper; 4) the paper itself to upload into the system.

Paper sessions: 1) title of the session; 2) name and contact information of each session participant; 3) a 75 word description of the session; 4) a session rationale; 5) a title and 50 word abstract of each panelist’s paper presentation.

Panel Discussions: 1) title of the panel; 2) name and contact information of each panel participant; 3) a 75 word panel description; 4) a panel rationale; 5) any supporting documents to be uploaded into the system

Please note that all audiovisual equipment must be made at the time of submission. No late requests can be accommodated.

Questions? Contact Program Planner Kip Redick, Christopher Newport University at kredick@cnu.edu

Welcome

Greetings, and welcome to the Spiritual Communication Division of the NCA! This blog will serve as the platform for pre-conference discussion and collaboration.