The Western Social Science Association is an international, multi-disciplinary organization based in the American West. The WSSA advances scholarship, teaching, service, and professional exchange across the social science disciplines. The association's mission is to foster professional study, to advance research, and to promote the teaching of social science. Founded in 1958 as the Rocky Mountain Social Science Association, the WSSA draws on scholars and others in some 30 disciplines, or "sections," from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the world; convenes an annual conference; conducts research competitions for faculty and students; and publishes the Social Science Journal, a juried, quarterly research journal, and WSSA News, the association's newsletter, three times a year.