Welcome to the Education, Teaching, History & Popular Culture community! We’re so happy you’re here and we want you take full advantage of the opportunities our new platform provides. Please read over the code of conduct so we can continue to ensure a safe and supportive space for all. Thank you for your dedication to the Popular Culture Association!

Call for Papers

The Area of Education, Teaching, History and Popular Culture is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Popular Culture Association National Conference to be held April 8-11, 2026 in Atlanta, GA.

Educators, librarians, archivists, scholars, independent researchers and students are encouraged to apply. 

SCOPE OF TOPICS ACCEPTED UNDER THIS AREA

Submissions that explore, connect, contrast, or otherwise address area themes of schooling and education on all levels (PreK-12, community college/technical college, or university), teaching throughout history (including preparing teachers/preservice teacher education), history, archival studies and/or their linkages to popular culture from all periods are desired.  Sample topics for papers include, but are not limited to:

-- Successful use(s) of popular culture, technology and/or sport(s) in teaching at all levels in all
contents;

-- The use of popular culture as an educational tool in addressing systemic discriminations or
improving teaching for social justice;

-- Successful use of popular culture and/or technologies when working with students with
special needs;

-- How schooling/education has impacted/has been impacted by popular culture;

-- Representation(s) of teaching and/or schooling in popular culture;

-- Examining popular culture/popular perception of schooling and/or teaching through
international/multinational/cross-border lenses;

-- The intersection of schooling, politics, and the media;

-- The role of history/importance of historical foundations in education, teaching, or preservice
teacher education;

-- Linkages between archival research and education, schooling, and/or popular culture;

-- How LGBTQ+ studies has impacted/been impacted by schooling/education, particularly
problematizing “Don’t Say Gay” education laws;

-- The role of education in opposing tyranny;

-- Queering classrooms/queering education;

-- Using technology in the classroom, particularly AI/ChatGPT and the recent spate of cell
phone bans in public schools;

-- Problematizing technology in education by way of surveillance capitalism, digital
colonialism, etc.; and/or

-- Explorations in the impact of social media/corporate America on children.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2025.  To be considered, interested individuals should please prepare an abstract of between 100-250 words. Individuals must submit electronically by visiting the Submission Guidelines page and following the directions therein.  Please be sure to complete/ensure the accuracy of all presenter information. 

People submitting full panels are encouraged.  Please have a minimum of four presenters in your panel.  Each presenter should submit the abstract of their paper individually.  It is recommended that presenters use a common identifier followed by their paper/presentation title in their submission title to alert the area chair of the panel and/or email the area chair of panel submission.

Decisions will be communicated within approximately two weeks of this deadline.  All presenters must be members of the Popular Culture Association and fully registered for the conference. 

Graduate students are STRONGLY encouraged to submit their completed papers for consideration for conference award on the PCA Awards site .

Any further inquiries can be directed to:

Dr. Edward Janak

Chair, Department of Educational Studies, University of Toledo

Email: Edward.janak@utoledo.edu

Phone: (419) 530-4114

Important Dates to Remember:

• Database opens for Submissions - Sept. 1, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Begins - Sept. 1, 2025
• Deadline for Paper Proposals - Nov. 30, 2025
• Travel Grant Applications Due - Dec. 15, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Ends for Presenters - Dec. 31, 2025
• Regular Registration Begins for Presenters - Jan. 1, 2026 
• Travel Grant Decisions / Notifications - Jan. 31, 2026
• Regular Registration Ends for Presenters - Jan. 31, 2026
• Late Registration Starts for Presenters - Feb. 1, 2026
• Preliminary Program draft available - Feb. 6, 2026

Those Presenters Not Registered by Feb. 15 Will be Dropped from the Program

CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, GA - April 8-11, 2026