Catholic Theological
Society of America

Selected Sessions are “one time” program units offered at a particular convention. The CTSA membership is invited to make proposals for the six to nine slots available for Selected Sessions,and these proposals are evaluated by the Program Committee of the Board.

2019 Call for Selection Session Proposals

Convention Theme: Another World is Possible: Violence, Resistance and Transformation

Session Description: 

The purpose of the Selected Session is to allow CTSA members to define, organize, and propose an ad hoc session for offering at the annual convention and the topic of their choosing. This can include a topic devoted to the convention theme. The statement of the theme on the CTSA website includes a list of possible topics. Here are specific examples:

• Why the practices of the global justice movement are relevant to our theological endeavors today.
  
• How the motivating vision encapsulated in the expression “another world is possible” influences or enriches our understanding of God, creation, and eschatology.
  
• What the global mobilization of social and religious actors for constructive change brings to our study of ethics and spirituality.
  
• Why the current struggles for integral liberation are significant to our study and understanding of the human in relation to the world and to other religious traditions.
  
• In what ways our articulations of Catholicity and Catholic Social Thought are altered, updated, or improved by the resurgence of civil society today.
  
• How faith-based intervention in the contemporary social dynamics is giving shape to theological method and to the historical development of theology.
  
• What hermeneutical keys are entailed in the transformative practices of social and religious actors for the evolving Christological and ecclesiological articulations.
  
• Why and how the experiences of violence elimination, resistance, and transformation continue to provide the grounds for building spaces of constructive liturgy and rituals.
  
• How the global justice movement increases opportunities for collaboration and facilitates a shared spirituality of solidarity between the global South and the global North.
  
• In what ways the global feminist movement continues to provide visions, knowledge, and motivation for the transformation of kyriarchal society, culture, church, and theology.
  
• How the positive interaction of global religious actors sharing together interests, values, and motivation for change affects relationships within our U.S. theological community.
  
• What philosophical, theological, and ethical traditions are more useful to encourage intervention for ending destructive violence and the weapons industry today.
  
• How the contemporary global justice movement alters constructively theological understandings and approaches to pluralism and diversity in relation to shared practices for hospitality and the common good.
  
• What lessons can we appropriate from the commitment and messages of Pope Francis to the World Meeting of Popular Movements.
  

Members are also encouraged to submit proposals on other topics that will be of interest to the members or on disputed questions that promote discussions reflecting the diversity of the CTSA membership.

Submission Guidelines:

• Proposal should be not more than 250 words.
  
• Also include a 100 words précis that will be posted on the CTSA website if the proposal is accepted.
• Include full name and contact information of all participants, including e-mail.
  
• Indicate whether your presenters will be requiring A/V equipment.
  
• CTSA guidelines require that those making proposals ordinarily be associate or full members in good standing with their dues paid up. Anyone with an associate or full membership application on file can also submit a proposal if they expect to be accepted for membership in the upcoming June convention.
• No member may present a paper/respond to a paper/participate on a panel more than once at a given convention, with the exception of members of under-represented groups.

Deadline: October 1st. Please submit proposals to the President-Elect via this email address: convention.ctsa@gmail.com. Please indicate that the proposal is for a Selected Session. You will be notified by e-mail whether your proposal has been accepted by November 1st.