Argumentation & Forensics Interest Group
118th Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention
Full Circle
Hyatt Regency, Reston, VA | March 30–April 4, 2027
Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026, 11:59 PM PST
Acceptance Notifications: January 2027
The Argumentation & Forensics Interest Group of ECA invites you to submit completed papers, extended abstracts/works-in-progress, panel, roundtable, and debate proposals for the 118th Annual ECA Convention, to be held March 30 – April 14, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, VA. The submission deadline is October 9, 2026, 11:59 pm PST.
We welcome submissions covering all topics relevant not only to the scholarship, teaching, and practice of argumentation, debate, and forensics, but also including the political and social role of argument, broadly defined. The interest group encourages an expansive view of topics relevant to the study of the rational, dialectical, and/or rhetorical dynamics of arguments in relation to their contexts of use. All methodologies, philosophies, modalities, and theoretical perspectives are welcome. In addition to subjects relevant to teaching and coaching in competitive debate and forensics, we also welcome submissions which address the role of arguments in the contemporary political landscape, including but not limited to activism, protest, advocacy, campaigns, and debates.
We also welcome submissions that engage creatively and rigorously with this year’s conference theme, “Full Circle,” which invites reflection on cyclical ideas, relationships, and professional journeys. The argumentation and forensics community has long been concerned with blending the traditions of argumentation with contemporary perspectives, forms of acting and interacting, and with ways of being. We challenge scholars and practitioners to investigate how the theory, practice, and pedagogy of argumentation operate within and across subfields of communication and rhetoric as well as other fields and disciplines entirely.
All submissions should be uploaded to and processed through Attendee Interactive, https://ww4.aievolution.com/eca2701/, and include a statement of professional responsibility. For additional information about the upcoming convention, including full submission guidelines, please visit ECA’s website http://www.ecacomm.org.
Questions? Contact your Interest Group Planner:
Robert J. Green
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg
rgreen2@commonwealthu.edu