The 1997 annual meeting of the Association will be held in New York City, January 2-5. The Program Committee welcomes proposals by all members of the Association (academic and nonacademic), by scholars in related disciplines, and by affiliated societies. The program for the annual meeting seeks to promote excellence in research and teaching and discussion of significant professional issues, rights, and responsibilities. The Program Committee seeks presentations that address the entire community of historians and provide opportunities to examine the larger concerns of the profession. For help in preparing your proposal consult the Program Committee Guidelines on page 13 of the September 1995 issue of Perspectives and the article, "Preparing Your Proposal," on page 12 of the same issue. These items are also available from the AHA headquarters office; call (202) 544-2422 to receive copies.

The Program Committee encourages proposals on the theme "Human Rights," proposals that explore the interaction between research and teaching, and proposals that fill gaps. These gaps include Africa, Asia, Russia, the Middle East, the American West, American Indians, and ancient, intellectual, military, narrative, and public history.

For the final deadline, the Program Committee will only accept proposals for entire sessions, panels, or workshops; no single papers can be accommodated. However, the 1997 meeting will pilot a “poster session.” In this format, an individual is provided with a listing in the program, space, and a period of time, during which he or she is available (armed with a poster that includes appropriate graphic illustrations and an abstract of the presentation). Common in the sciences and some social sciences, this format allows individual scholars to discuss their work with interested colleagues. It is also suitable for computer demonstrations, CD-ROM projects, and videos.

Proposers of panels or poster presentations must use the checklist and cover sheet on page 6 of this issue of Perspectives. All persons appearing in the program must be members of the AHA, the exception being foreign scholars and scholars from other disciplines. Only in exceptional circumstances will individuals be allowed to appear consecutively in the 1996 and 1997 programs.

The deadline for proposals is February 23, 1996. Send four copies of the complete proposal (including the cover sheet and a two-page vita for participants that indicates recent papers read and works published) to the chair or cochair of the Program Committee. Comparative proposals and sessions related to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East should be sent to Margaret Strobel, Women's Studies Program, c/o Office of Social Science Research, University of Illinois, B-110 BSB, 1007 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60607-7136. Proposals that deal with Europe or North America and all poster projects should be sent to Michael J. Galgano, Dept. of History, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.