Proposals for individual papers, conference panels (usually 3 papers, a commentator and a chair), roundtables (4-5 participants max), field trips, and other special sessions (films, performances) are welcome. CASA has a tradition of inclusiveness in representing American studies as practiced at all levels and in all venues; therefore the program will feature one or more panels highlighting American Studies as practiced at the K-12 and undergraduate levels.

Rather than announce a specific theme this year, the program committee welcomes panels and individual papers addressing all major aspects of the critical study of U.S. cultures. Submissions are not limited to papers or panels focused on California, but might explore such topics as colonialism and post-colonial societies in the Americas; ecological or environmental concerns; hemispheric American Studies; the phenomenon of crossing or transcending borders; material culture; forms of oral or public history; academic and community-oriented collaborations; re-conceptualizations of key theoretical and methodological terms in American Studies; and the state of American Studies as a discipline in the context of the nation’s crisis in higher education.

Proposals should include: The organizer's name, contact information (including email), and a session title; a 250 word abstract for EACH paper or proposed contribution, and a brief (1-2 page) CV for EACH participant. These materials should be forwarded electronically or in hard copy, no later than JANUARY 15, 2010