Call for Proposals

http://babusyatanya.blogspot.com/2012/02/call-for-proposals.html

Rouge Forum
June 22-24, 2012
Miami University
Oxford, OH

Conference Theme: Occupy Education! Class Conscious Pedagogies and Social Change

http://rougeforum2012.wordpress.com/

Proposals Due April 15, 2012

The Rouge Forum 2012 will be held at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The University’s picturesque
campus is located 50 minutes northwest of Cincinnati. The conference will be held June 22-24, 2012.

Proposals for papers, panels, performances, workshops, and other multimedia presentations should
include title(s) and names and contact information for presenter(s). The deadline for sending
proposals is April 15. The Steering Committee will email acceptance notices by May 1.

Bringing together academic presentations and performances (from some of the most prominent voices for
democratic, critical, and/or revolutionary pedagogy), panel discussions, community-building, and
cultural events, this action-oriented conference will center on questions such as:

• How are we bringing the principles and actions of the Occupy Wall Street movement into the
classroom and other venues such as unions and workplaces?

• In what ways are our classrooms, schools, universities, unions, etc. occupied by capitalism, the
military, racism, and inequality? And what do these occupations demand from us pedagogically?

• How do (or can) we occupy our classrooms, schools, universities, and unions in an effort to create
education that is in the public interest? How do we, as educators, resist imperialist wars, rising
inequalities, racism, capitalist greed? How do we support and foster students’ critical analysis of
the world and their agency to act and change the world?

• What can we learn from ongoing and past popular protest movements (e.g., OWS, Arab Spring,
Wisconsin 2011, Paris 1968; 1971 May Day Protests) that will strategically and tactically advance
efforts to create education for a more equitable and just world?

• How do we take the Occupy metaphor and actions to the next level? What would it mean to TAKE or
SEIZE rather than OCCUPY?

• Do we want to “save our schools” as they are now? Indeed: Are the current public schools “our”
schools? How can we transform so-called public schools into schools that serve the interests and needs
of the majority?

• What does teaching and learning for an equitable and democratic society look like? What are the
obstacles that must be overcome to achieve democratic education?

SUBMISSIONS

Proposal Formats:

Individual Proposal: (30 minutes)
The Rouge Forum welcomes individual paper proposals, with the understanding that those accepted will
be grouped together around common or overlapping themes, Presenters will have approximately 45 minutes
to present or summarize their individual papers. Individual paper submissions will be considered for
panels with the same topic/theme. If you would prefer to present your paper/research individually you
should consider the alternative format proposal. A 200-500 word abstract of the paper will be peer
reviewed for acceptance to the conference.

Symposium Proposal: (90 minutes)
Presenters are also welcomed to submit proposals for a symposium. A symposium is typically composed
of a chair and discussant and three to five participants who present or summarize their papers. Each
symposium is organized around a common theme. Each participant will have between 15 and 45 minutes to
present their papers, depending upon the number of participants involved in the symposium. A 200-500
word abstract of the symposium will be peer reviewed for acceptance to the conference

Panel Proposal: (90 minutes)
A panel discussion is another venue available presenters. A panel discussion is typically composed of
three to six participants who discuss their scholarly work within the context of a dialogue or
conversation on a topic or theme related to the conference theme. Typically, each panelist is given
10-15 minutes to discuss the topic, present theoretical ideas, and/or point to relevant research. A
chair should be identified who introduces the panel and frames the issues and questions being
addressed. In addition to the chair, we encourage (but do not require) organizers of panels to name a
discussant to the comments of the panelists. Individual proposal submissions will be combined into
panels with the same theme/topic. A 200-500 word abstract of the panel discussion will be peer
reviewed for acceptance to the conference.

Alternative Format and Special Interest Groups (90 minutes)
Alternative proposals that do not fit into the above categories, such as workshops, performances,
video and multimedia presentations, and round-table dialogues, are encouraged. We also welcome
proposals for the organization of special interest groups. A 150-250 word abstract of the panel
discussion will be peer reviewed for acceptance to the conference.

Email proposals to Joe Wegwert (Joe.Wegwert@nau.edu) by April 15, 2012.