Call for Proposals
BSU Student Peace Conference: A Better World, March 25, 2025
The 4th Annual campus-wide “A Better World Student Peace Conference” is scheduled for March 25 (9am – 5pm) in the BSU Student Center Ballroom from 1pm-5pm. All BSU students are welcome to submit a proposal for refereed review. Proposals (250 word maximum) are due February 21 at 5 pm EST.
Contributions from any field can expand our understanding of what a more peaceful world could look like and how we might go about realizing such a vision. For instance, art students might create pieces to reveal forms of violence or non-violence that have gone unnoticed or ignored. They might also create experiences that sensitize others to the pain caused by violence or that guide us to a deeper comprehension of what peace would feel like to those who are suffering. Economics students might submit proposals to combat income inequality, while education students might design programs to generate empathy in school aged individuals. Further, political science students might introduce new policies to address structural violence, and psychology and communication students might propose programs to confront cultural violence and promote healthy interpersonal behaviors or expand upon the role of inner peace in creating a more peaceful world. As yet another example, architectural students might create plans and models to enhance positive relationships of people living in the same locale.
The need for peace is multiplex, thus the possibilities for progressing toward it are endless. Our hope is that tapping the collective wisdom, vision, and talent of the diverse BSU student body will illuminate new paths to a more peaceful world and inspire others to begin or increase their commitment to the journey.
Acceptable formats for presentations include visual (e.g., posters), spoken (e.g., lightning rounds or recitations of short works), and performance (e.g., dance, music, or theatre). Presentation sessions will begin at the top of the hour and last for 50 minutes (e.g., 1:00pm-1:50pm). Spoken presentations and performances will be limited to a set duration; those sessions will include time for discussion between the audience and presenters.
Proposals will be blindly reviewed by at least two members of the conference review committee. Reviewers may choose to accept or reject a proposal on the bases of its academic merit or relation to the conference theme. There will be a separate review committee for proposals with an emphasis on the arts and other disciplines.
Further details about the conference including how to submit a proposal are available on the conference website. Questions can be directed to peacecenter@bsu.edu.