KACA-NCA 2024 Convention Report

 

The 2023 NCA Convention commenced from November 20 to November 24 in New Orleans, Louisiana. KACA hosted a KOFICE-sponsored research panel and organized a discussion panel, business meeting, dinner, and graduate student social.

 

The KOFICE-sponsored research presentation included a keynote speech and four presentations. It was chaired by Yeonsoo Kim (University of Texas). It was a well-attended talk with the presentation of cutting-edge research.

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Keynote: Jungmin Kwon (Portland State University). “Queer Visibility in Korean Popular Culture and Queer Communication Studies.”

 

Panels:

1. Benjamin Han (University of Georgia). “Korean creative laborers and the making of K-dramas in the global media market”

2. Chang Wan Woo et al (James Madison University). “ARMY vs. Swifties: Community construction and relationship cultivation of two successful fan communities.”

3. Jeonghyun Janice Lee (Louisiana State University). “A measurement for readiness of industry 4.0 in communication management.”

4. Jihoon Kim (University of Alabama). “Make Korean War veterans proud: How virtual reality can improve mental health and quality of life”

 

In addition, Lyounghee Kim (University of New Mexico) organized a roundtable session titled “(Im)possibilities of Studying Minorities in Korean Contexts and the Korean Diaspora for the Greater Regard.”

 

Chair: Stephanie L. Young (University of Southern Indiana)

 

Panelists:

1. Lyounghee Kim (University of New Mexico)

2. Jungmin Kwon (Portland State University)

3. Benjamin Han (University of Georgia)

4. Dasol Kim (State University of New York at New Paltz)

5. Scarlett Hester (Ball State University)

6. Jin R. Choi (University of Maryland)

 

The panelists provided important insights into the challenges of conducting critically centered communication research about various minority communities in Korea. The roundtable generated lively conversations among the audience.

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We also held a Business Meeting and Awards ceremony. Two emerging scholar awards were presented to:

1. Jin-A Choi (Montclair State University)

2. Yangsun Hong (University of New Mexico)

 

The business meeting was presented by the KACA NCA Vice President David Oh, the KACA President Yeonsoo Kim (University of Texas), and the KACA NCA Subcommittee members, including Jin-A Choi (Montclair State University), Scarlett Hester (Ball State University), Donggyu Kim (University of Southern California), and Lyounghee Kim (University of New Mexico).

 

With the support of KOFICE, two social events were funded and well-attended. The dinner, which was held on Thursday, November 21, at Iberville Cuisine hosted 28 participants, some of whom expressed welcome surprise at the openness and informality of the dinner. Graduate students had expected that it would have the usual hierarchy and formality of Korean gatherings. The dinner was primarily organized by Jin-A Choi (Montclair State University) with support from Scarlett Hester (Ball State University).

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The graduate social, which was an early 11 am lunch at Shake Shack, was organized by Lyounghee Kim (University of New Mexico) and Donggyu Kim (University of Southern California). Hosted by Donggyu Kim, he reported:

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A total of 6 people attended the NCA 2024 Grad Social (1 ABD student and 5 graduate students). The conversation was overall focused on topics relevant to graduate student life.

We talked about the ups and downs of grad school, sharing tips on managing coursework, research, and teaching. Advisor-advisee relationships were another key topic, with everyone chiming in on how to build effective communication and set realistic expectations with advisors. There were also some who were first-time attendees to NCA, so we discussed what to do and how to network effectively.

Overall, it was a great opportunity and a comfortable environment to support each other. Thank you for this opportunity!

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KACA NCA was also supported this year by various members of Promotions teams, including the subcommittee for KACA NCA, which included Jihyun Esther Paik (Yonsei University) and David Oh (Syracuse University). In addition, Rachel Son contributed to promotions efforts through her social media work, and Jihoon Kim sent email reminders.

 

In conclusion, the 2024 NCA Convention was quite successful. There is still room to improve attendance at the business meeting and some sessions, but, overall, the social events, with the support of KOFICE funding, were highly successful. The paper presentations, keynote, and discussion were generative and productive, and the socials were lively, friendly, and community-strengthening.