current conference

Forty-Ninth Annual Conference, Sept. 25–28 2025, Arlington, Virginia

#theGSA2025

General Information

Last update: April 23, 2025

Information for Submissions

Conference submission, presentation, and scheduling guidelines

Conference Registration

  • Conference and hotel registration
    • Conference registration will open in May 2025
  • Meals and registration costs
    • Information TBA

Conference Hotel

Crystal Gateway Marriott
1700 Richmond Highway
Arlington, VA 22202

Conference Program

  • TBA

Information for Presenters

  • The 49th Annual Conference is an in-person conference; participants may not attend virtually (e.g. Zoom, FaceTime, etc.), nor may they have their contributions read in absentia.
  • All presenters must email advance copies of their completed papers to the commentator, and a brief biographical paragraph to the moderator, three weeks in advance of the conference at the latest.
  • Presenters in 3-person panels are expected to limit their presentations to twenty minutes. Should four presenters be scheduled, the time limit is fifteen minutes.
  • Commentators should speak for no more than ten minutes. Please note that any commentator who does not receive a completed paper by the deadline is under no obligation to offer a response on that paper at the conference.
  • Moderators are urged to let speakers know when they have only a minute or two left and then to intervene if they exceed their allotted time.
  • Withdrawals: Should changes in your situation necessitate your withdrawal, even last-minute, please inform the Operations Director (operations[at]thegsa.org) as soon as possible before, or if necessary, after the conference so that we may keep accurate records. We also ask that you inform your fellow session participants. For more information, please see our submission guidelines.
  • Refunds: See below

Accommodation Requests and conference accessibility guidelines

Panel Moderators and Commentators

We encourage GSA members to volunteer as moderators and commentators in Arlington!

For the sake of independent and impartial peer review and effective oversight of session rules (such as time limits), presenters may not serve as commentator or moderator of the panel on which they are presenting; similarly, a commentator may not also serve as the moderator of the same panel and vice versa. Exceptions to this policy are only made in the case of late participant withdrawals at the discretion of the Executive Director/Program Director.

Panel Moderators (for roundtable moderator guidelines, click here) hold a crucial position in making the panel run smoothly. A panel moderator's duties consist of 

  • ensuring the session starts on time
  • introducing the various speakers
  • making sure presenters limit their presentations to the amount of time allotted to them: 20 (3-person panels) or 15 (4-person panels) minutes for presenters; 10 minutes for commentator, e.g. by letting speakers know when they have only a minute or two left and then intervening if they exceed their allotted time
  • serving as m.c. for the discussion that follows
  • making sure the session concludes on time

Moderators contact the panelists in advance to 1) ensure that each panelist sends a c.v./biographical blurb to the moderator for introducing them, and 2) remind presenters to send their papers to the panel's commentator far enough in advance of the conference such that the commentator can adequately prepare the commentary (this should be done no later than ca. 3 weeks prior to the conference.)

Panel Commentators: During a panel session, each paper presenter will present their paper (20 minutes each for 3-person panels; 15 minutes each for 4-person panels), followed by the commentator's prepared commentary (maximum 10 minutes). The floor will then be opened to discussion, moderated by the panel's moderator.  A commentator's duties include

  • preparing the commentary on the panel's papers, which aims above all to accentuate the common ground that the papers cover (i.e. the ways in which they intersect with each other; how they deal with common questions/issues/challenges and collectively raise common questions, etc.)
  • stimulating collective discussion

While commentators are free in their commentary to pose questions to individual paper authors, the overall emphasis should be more on bringing the papers into dialogue with one other rather than on discussing each of them in isolation. Presenters are responsible for sending their panel commentator copies of their papers no later than ca. 3 weeks prior to the conference so that commentators have sufficient time to prepare their comments. Please note that graduate students may not serve as commentators.

Certificate of Attendance

If you will need official confirmation of attendance (e.g. for travel reimbursement from your institution, for a tenure/promotion dossier, etc.), you must request it in person at the registration desk in Arlington.

Conference Travel Support

Please visit the following page for information about available financial support for travel to the GSA conference:

Withdrawal from the Conference

  • All individuals withdrawing from the conference must inform the GSA. Please contact the Operations Director to confirm your absence as soon as possible, even if that means after the conference, so that we can plan and also keep accurate records.
  • Individuals withdrawing from the conference after acceptance of their papers and/or panels will not have their GSA membership dues refunded.
  • Withdrawn participants may not present via video conference (Skype, Zoom, etc.) at in-person sessions, nor may they have their contributions read in absentia.
  • GSA Conference Fee & Meal Refund Policy:
    • If the refund request (via email to operations@thegsa.org) is received no later than 30 calendar days prior to the first day of the Annual Conference, the refund will be paid in full using the same method as the original payment (credit card, check, or wire transfer minus any associated fees), with the Thursday arrival day and general members meeting counting as the first day of the Annual Conference; 
    • If the refund request is received within fewer than 30 calendar days prior to the first day of the Annual Conference, refunds will be made only in extraordinary emergency situations and shall be subject to the review and approval of the Executive Director;
    • No refunds will be paid for meals for which the GSA has already paid the vendor and cannot itself obtain a refund.  

Conference App

TBA

AV Information

All rooms used for presentations are equipped with an LCD projector and a screen. Participants will need their own laptops. If you don’t have an adapter or accidentally forget yours, the GSA will have a limited number of adapters available at the Registration Desk. All breakout rooms are also equipped for sound (connection to your laptop or other device is with a standard headphone-style cable).

Publisher and Exhibitor Information

  • Advertising order form
    • GSA 2025 Conference Program Book (online only) - deadlines:
      • Early-bird reservations (receive 20% discount): June 13, 2025
      • Reservations & Artwork: June 30, 2025
    • German Studies Review 48.3 issue (October 2025) - deadline:
      • Reservations & Artwork: August 15, 2025
  • Exhibitor/package shipping instructions:
    • Shipping form (email notice to WASGWSECURITY@Marriott.com at least three dates prior to your function/arrival date)
    • Shipping address:
      • Attn: [Exhibitor Name] / German Studies Association 2025 Conference
      • Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel
      • 1700 Richmond Highway
      • Arlington, VA 22202
    • Please label all packages as follows:
      • Box [number] of [total number of boxes] [Example: "Box 3 of 10"]
      • Hold for: German Studies Association 2025 Conference, Event Manager (Rosa Quinones)
      • Arrival Date: Arrival Day and Date

For Attendees from outside the US

If attending the GSA conference from outside the United States, please note:

  • This is an exclusively in-person conference and virtual participation is unfortunately not possible.
  • However, we are aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has recently become more stringent and less predictable with travelers, regardless of citizenship, at United States entry ports. Please review any guidance provided by your university and country of citizenship for travel to the United States.
  • Although we sincerely hope all members will be able to attend the 2025 conference in Arlington, VA, if the international travel situation prevents you from traveling to the United States, please contact Program Director Daniel Riches, Executive Director Margaret Menninger, and Operations Director Josh Seale immediately. 

While the GSA can not advise on visa matters, international conference attendees may find the following US State Department resources helpful: