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NCA Doctoral Honors Seminar

June 17 - June 20

 

Deadline for applications: Friday, April 11, 2025. Apply here

 

General Information

The 2025 National Communication Association Doctoral Honors Seminar (DHS) will be hosted by the School of Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. The DHS will take place June 17-20 in Knoxville, Tennessee, with participants traveling to TYS on June 17 and departing on June 20. Primary seminar programming will happen on June 18 and 19. This year’s DHS theme is, “Hills, Hollers, and Rising Scholars: The Future of Communication Research.”

The seminar will offer mentors and students the exciting opportunity to engage in research development, discuss professional development, and have fun in the heart of the Smoky Mountains.

The Doctoral Honors Seminar brings together promising doctoral students and distinguished faculty members from across the discipline and around the nation to present work and discuss current topics in communication. For this year’s DHS, we have organized mentors and invite participants to apply to one of three theoretically oriented mentoring seminar areas: (1) communication theory and research, (2) media theory and research, and (3) rhetorical and performance theory and research. We encourage prospective applicants to choose the seminar area with mentors they are most interested in working with during the DHS. The outstanding mentors for this DHS include:

 

Communication Theory and Research

  • Andrew High, Pennsylvania State University
  • Tim Kuhn, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Charee Thompson, University of Illinois

 

Media Theory and Research

  • Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, University of Arizona
  • Julius Riles, University of Missouri
  • Erich Sommerfeldt, University of Minnesota

 

Rhetorical and Performance Theory and Research

  • Jeff Bennett, Vanderbilt University
  • Omedi Ochieng, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Kimberlee Pérez, University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Application Details

Applications are due Friday, April 11, and must include all materials as a SINGLE PDF file, which can be uploaded when applicants complete the online form:

  1. A three-page application narrative (single-spaced, size 12 type, 1” margins), that includes (a) a personal research statement, (b) an extended abstract for a research project (which could be your dissertation) for which you want to receive mentorship on during the DHS, and (c) what you hope to accomplish and take away from the DHS. Each of these components should be no longer than one single-spaced page. More specifically:
      • Personal research statement. This statement will be unique to you, but should discuss some or all of the following topics (but need not be limited to just these topics): (i) your research background, (ii) current research program/interests, (iii) future research plans/career goals, (iv) motivations for your research interests, (v) challenges you’ve faced as a researcher, etc. The goal of this statement is to provide mentors some background information on you and your interests.
      • Extended abstract. One of the central purposes of the DHS is to provide research mentoring to students. Students will have the opportunity to receive mentorship on any project of interest, which could include but is not limited to dissertation-related work. For this one-page section of the application narrative, please provide an extended abstract that provides sufficient project background and information about plans to engage with the project to provide a clear overview of the research you want to work with the mentors on during the DHS.
      • DHS expectations. For the final page of the application narrative, we ask applicants explain what they hope to get out of the DHS in terms of mentorship and professional development. This information allows mentors to better prepare for the DHS and allows the planning department to tweak activities based on the interests and expectations of applicants.
  2. A current CV.
  3. A brief, no more than one page, letter of support from your doctoral advisor.

 

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance near the end of April. Selected applicants will be asked to provide an additional 5-10 page document detailing more information about the project described in the extended abstract.

 

Information on travel, lodging, and meals

Mentors will work with members of the hosting department’s planning committee to select up to 10 applicants for each of the three seminar areas. Applicants accepted to the DHS will receive hotel accommodations and all meals covered during the DHS in Knoxville. Any transportation costs for events during the DHS will also be covered. Other incurred travel costs unrelated to housing accommodations and meals will not be reimbursed.

 

Questions regarding the DHS can be directed to the Knoxville planning chair, Dr. Jenny Crowley (jcrowle3@utk.edu).

Details

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