Call for Proposals

Rouge Forum 2012
OCCUPY EDUCATION! Class Conscious Pedagogies for Social Change
June  22-24, 2012
Miami University
Oxford, OH

Proposals Due April 15, 2012 DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 1

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 15.

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.

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