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, WSSA now draws on scholars and others in some 30 disciplines, or "sections," from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico; 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.