Call for Submissions
Media Ecology (Affiliate Organization)
118th Eastern Communication Association Convention
Full Circle
Hyatt Regency, Reston, VA
March 30 – April 4, 2027
Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026, 11:59 pm PST
For the first time in 16 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia will host the ECA Annual Convention. The 2027 convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Fairfax County — an area where discourse shapes national dialogue, diverse communities converge, and history unfolds. The theme, "Full Circle”, invites reflection on cyclical ideas, relationships, and professional journeys.
As an Affiliate Organization to ECA, the Media Ecology Association seeks individual paper, panel, roundtable, and works-in-progress submissions to the Annual Convention that focus on the study of media as environments and attend the study of media as media. While we encourage any and all submissions related to media ecology, we especially welcome submissions tied to the convention theme, “Full Circle”.
In describing the convention theme, ECA states, “As scholars, we return — to foundational theories, to formative mentors, to the first questions that drew us to the discipline. As a profession, we cycle through waves of innovation and consolidation, of challenge and recommitment to core values. As an organization, ECA itself comes full circle to Virginia — renewing its connections to the region and communities where communication scholarship meets democratic life.” As a theme, “Full Circle” speaks directly to media ecology. Media ecology scholarship inherently relies on the ideas of foundational scholars such as Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong, and Neil Postman. In addition, seminal texts in media ecology have a primary concern with the ways in which media shape democratic practices. Ultimately, the theme “Full Circle” speaks to media ecology’s adherence to circularity rather than linearity. In Media Ecology: An Approach to Understanding the Human Condition, Lance Strate notes that media ecology “is not simply a linear progression of ideas, but better conceptualized as circular in form, or better yet as a distributed network in which each item is linked to every other item to form a conceptual web.” The invocation of circularity for this convention connects directly to what media ecology is and what media ecology does.
Some guiding questions for papers, panels, and roundtables may include, but are not limited to:
-How can the study of media as environments improve our understanding of democratic life?
-What ideas articulated by media ecology scholarship need to come full circle?
-What are the challenges in returning to the foundational concepts of media ecology?
-How might we engage in new collaborations with one another in media ecology and with other fields of communication studies?
ECA uses Attendee Interactive to manage submissions and reviews. If you have not used it before, you will be prompted to create a new User ID and Password to submit your work. Please find the Attendee Interactive link here:
Media Ecology invites four types of submission. The specific requirements for each type are as follows. Also, please indicate any audio-video needs, when necessary, in your submission for accommodation.
Competitive Papers
-Maximum 25 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins (Times New Roman preferred)
-Main document MUST be blind — remove all author/institution/contact information, including from document properties and file names
-A one-page abstract
-Include Statement of Professional Responsibility at bottom of cover page
-Complete all Attendee Interactive fields: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Categories (student/debut), Scheduling requests
Panel Proposals
-A thematic title for the program.
-Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as respondents.
-Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants.
-Titles and abstracts for each paper or presentation.
-A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.
-A detailed rationale for the program/panel.
-A statement of professional responsibility.
Roundtable Proposals
-Roundtable Title
-Name of the chair
-Participants (Featured Experts): Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants.
-Description: A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear
in the final program.
-Rationale for Roundtable
-Target Audience (10,000 Character max)
-A statement of professional responsibility.
Works-In-Progress/Extended Abstracts
-Main document MUST be blind — remove all author/institution/contact information, including from document properties and file names
-A one-page abstract
-Include Statement of Professional Responsibility at bottom of abstract
-Complete all Attendee Interactive fields: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Categories (student/debut), Scheduling requests
Statement of Professional Responsibility
In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.
Convention Acceptance Notifications: January 2026
Please note that you can also request special scheduling due to special circumstances and needs (cultural or religious, etc.) when submitting papers, panel proposals, etc. The special requests will then be forwarded to the primary program planner.
For additional information about the upcoming convention, please visit ECA’s website http://www.ecasite.org/. For additional information about the Media Ecology Association, please visit MEA’s website: https://media-ecology.org/
All questions or concerns related to the Media Ecology Affiliate Organization and submissions can be directed to:
Ryan McCullough, Ph.D.
West Liberty University
West Liberty, WV
rmccullough@westliberty.edu