Professional Orgs

International Communication Association

The International Communication Association is an international association for scholars interested in the study, teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and has matured into a truly international association with more than 3,500 members in 65 countries.

The ICA is dedicated to promoting research in communication worldwide, utilizing our journals, conferences, awards and fellowships, and network of professional relationships. They are also committed to bringing our findings and perspectives to bear on problems and issues in society. Their members actively contribute to public debate on topics relative to our mission, whether the forum is regulatory or legislative bodies or various media venues.

National Communication Association

The National Communication Association is a scholarly society and as such works to enhance the research, teaching, and service produced by its members on topics of both intellectual and social significance. Staff at the NCA National Office follow trends in national research, teaching, and service priorities. It both relays those opportunities to its members and represents the academic discipline of communication in those national efforts.

NCA takes the lead in publicizing the discipline’s scholarship through press releases and regular contacts with policy makers. When appropriate, NCA offers scholarship to support the development of governmental policy. Where proposed laws are of interest or potential concern, the NCA National Office staff notifies members so that they can make their opinions known to their representatives on Capitol Hill.

NCA is a non-profit organization of approximately 7,100 educators, practitioners, and students who work and reside in every state and more than 20 foreign countries. The purpose of the Association is to promote study, criticism, research, teaching, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and scientific principles of communication.

The Velvet Light Trap

The Velvet Light Trap is a journal devoted to investigating historical questions that illuminate the understanding of film, televiison, and other media. It is edited entirely by graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at the University of Texas-Austin. Each group puts together one issue yearly, usually organized around a particular theme. It is published by the University of Texas Press. Articles by scholars at all levels and from around the world have appeared in its pages. Past issues have included:

  • “Children, Teens, and the Media”
  • “Diverse Audiences, Changing Genres”
  • “Ideologies”
  • “Religion and the Media”

Society for Cinema and Media Studies

Founded in 1959, the Society for Cinema and Media Studies is the leading professional organization concerned with the humanistic study of sound and screen media. It holds an annual conference and publishes a quarterly journal, Cinema Journal. Membership is open to all faculty and graduate students involved in the field of film, television, and new media, as well as to independent scholars.

Console-ing Passions Conference

Founded in 1989 by a group of feminist media scholars and artists, Console-ing Passions works to create collegial spaces for new work and scholarship on culture and identity in television and related media, with emphasis on gender and sexuality. It holds a conference every other year.

The Cultural Studies Association

Founded in 2003, the Cultural Studies Association (US) provides a forum for scholars of Cultural Studies, in all its diverse manifestations, to exchange their work and ideas across disciplinary lines and institutional locations.

The Popular Culture and American Culture Association

The Popular Culture Association was founded as a spin-off of the American Studies movement in the late 1960s. In 1979, the American Culture Association became a partner with the PCA and the two organizations have held joint conferences since that time. The PCA/ACA aims to support the study of popular and American culture and to support new and established scholars in both their research and teaching.