
What
is a “caucus”?
The
premise of a caucus is primarily to provide an opportunity for scholars to
innovate, share and discuss emergent ideas that are still in the incubatory
stage. Caucuses are designed to provide a convenient, informal way for AOM
members with shared interests to find one another and to develop a sense of
community within the larger AOM structure as well as to explore potential
collaborations in a forum open to all interested AOM members.
How
does a caucus differ from a Professional Development Workshop (PDW)?
PDWs
offer a wide variety of session formats and learning experiences led by experts
in the topic being presented with intended takeaways for the participants. PDWs
take place Friday and Saturday and must be a minimum of 2 hours in
length. Caucuses’ deliberations are more of an informal exchange with
facilitators rather than a designated presenter(s). Caucuses are scheduled on
Mondays and Tuesdays together with the refereed scholarly program. They are
scheduled in a 90 minute scholarly time block in a room that is configured
theatre style.
How
does a caucus differ from a symposium?
A
caucus session differs from a symposium in a few ways. First, there is no
requirement for authored papers for a caucus as is typically the case with a
presenter symposium. The submissions for a caucus should detail the ideas for
discussion and the format planned by the organizers and is typically no more
than two pages in length. Second, while a panel symposium consists of a group
of panelists in a formal interactive discussion, a caucus is more informal
where AOM members with shared interests can discuss common issues and explore
potential research collaborations. It is essentially designed to provide
conference participants with opportunities to network with colleagues who share
similar interests and develop new ideas, emerging topics, and expansion of the
conference theme. The organizers typically serve as discussion leaders but do
not make a formal presentation. Finally, a symposium requires sponsorship by
the All-Academy Theme committee, a division, or interest group. A caucus
requires documented interest from 5 AOM members with affiliations and contact
information.
Caucus Session Information
Room set up: The meeting rooms are set up with a maximum of three
round tables that seat 10 people each. Additional chairs are set up on the
perimeter of the room, if possible.
Equipment set up: A flipchart and markers will be available.