Society for Animation Studies
Special Interest Groups: History and Activity
Following strong support during the SAS AGM at the 2017 annual conference (Padua, Italy), the SAS launched Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to help broaden and support the SAS membership.
SAS SIGs can be discipline-specific, thematic, organised by sector, area, or identity – but in each case the SIG should serve to promote focused engagement with the chosen subject.
Currently, the following SAS SIGs are active (click on the SIG names for more information):
Animation Practice as Research
Figurative Meaning and Metamorphosis in Animation
Non-human animals in animation
Participatory and Socially Engaged Animation
Science, Technology, and Animation
If you would like to propose a new SAS SIG, please read the Terms of Reference and complete a SIG Setup Form (below).
If you would like to join an existing SIG, please ensure that your SAS membership is current and then contact the SIG convener(s) to request SIG affiliation.
Special Interest Groups: Terms of Reference
(A) SIGs and the SAS Bylaws in brief:
1) SIGs will be treated as committees, as defined in section 3.14 of the Society’s Bylaws.
2) As such, SIGs will constitute publically-acknowledged sub-groupings of the SAS membership. Only currently paid members are at liberty to affiliate themselves with – and benefit from – the activities of one or more SAS SIGs.
3) All SIG Convenors will be required to report on the annual activity of their SIG at the SAS AGM. Annual SIG reports can be submitted in advance of the AGM if necessary.
(B) How to set up a SIG:
1) All new SIGs must have a minimum of 10 fully paid SAS members affiliated at launch, with the expectation that SIGs maintain this minimum number of paid SAS members through the life of the SIG.
2) Therefore, individuals who are interested in forming a new SIG should first reach out to the wider scholarly community to test interest and to build the SIGs quorum.
3) Once the individual has established the viability of the SIG, they should then complete the short ‘SIG Set Up Form’ and email this to the SAS President: president@animationstudies.org
(C) What happens next:
1) Once the ‘SIG Set Up Form’ has been submitted the SAS Board will approve the new SIG at the next scheduled Board Meeting (for reference, the SAS Board aims to meet at intervals of 3-4 months).
2) Once approved, the SAS website will be updated to reflect the new SIG’s status.
3) At this point the SIG’s membership will be free to apply for financial support to host SIG-organised, SAS-supported events (the amount and availability of SIG-specific funding will be announced annually during the AGM at the annual conference). All applications of this nature must be coordinated through the SIG Convenor (the named individual/s who submitted the ‘SIG Set Up Form’). For more details about applying see here.
4) SIGs are encouraged to participate fully at the annual conference. For example, SIG Convenors might consider coordinating – in agreement with the conference Convenor – an evening social event, the submission of a SIG preconstituted panel, or a SIG poster presentation.
5) Under the coordination of the SAS Board member responsible for SIG oversight, SIG members will also be able to negotiate (with the journal editor) opportunities to guest edit an issue of Animation Studies Online, as well as to contribute SIG news copy for the main SAS website, or guest curate a theme of the Animation Studies 2.0 blog.
6) No fixed-term is outlined for the role of SIG Convenor, but it is expected that succession planning and the rotation of Convenor duties will be fundamental to the healthy running of SIG activities.
7) The SIG, their numbers, and their related activities, will be reviewed annually (during the main SAS conference) so as to re-confirm their sustainability and qualification for financial support. SIGs recorded as falling below the 10 member threshold during annual review will be given 12 months to recover SIG membership, after which point the SIG will be considered dormant (and removed from the SAS website) if the membership has not risen above the 10 person threshold.
Click here for SAS SIG Setup Form