Contact:
Dr. Lisa Esposito
Chair of Philosophy & Religion Department
Associate Professor of Philosophy & Religion
Phone: (417) 873-7229
Fax: (417) 873-7435
lesposit@drury.edu


PLEASE NOTE: This page was submitted to Drury’s online archives on December 08, 2011. After this date, information within may be inaccurate or out of date. While this page is no longer being regularly updated or maintained, the information has been archived for its historical value to Drury University. Please contact web@drury.edu with concerns or questions.

Undergraduate/Faculty Interdisciplinary Research Conference

Call for Papers: Fourth Annual, 2001

Drury University
Springfield, Missouri

March 30 - March 31, 2001
SEE PROGRAM

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The fourth annual Undergraduate/Faculty Interdisciplinary Research Conference will be held on the campus of Drury University, March 30 - 31, 2001. Submissions from all disciplines and programs are welcome.

For the Undergraduate Conference: We seek papers which will evoke discussion among liberally educated undergraduates by establishing a thesis or claim regarding important issues (ethical, political, religious, etc.), and supporting that claim through appropriate research. These papers will also serve as models for subsequent undergraduate interdisciplinary research. See Goals, below

For the Faculty Conference: We seek papers which describe and critique faculty efforts to incorporate research in the undergraduate humanities - especially as those efforts focus on the intersection between liberal arts and pre/professional education. These papers will encourage faculty to develop and implement new approaches to incorporating interdisciplinary research in their teaching. See Guiding Questions, below.

For examples of student and faculty papers from last year's conference, see: www.drury.edu/faculty/ess/irconf/prevpapers/index.html

Submissions of abstracts or completed papers are due by 15 December 2000. Notification of acceptance is 31 January 2001. All submissions will be blind/peer reviewed; accepted papers will be posted on the conference website for participant review at least three weeks prior to the conference date. Hotel accomodations are available at a very favorable conference rate. The conference registration fee ($20.00 for faculty, $10.00 for students) includes the conference proceedings and banquet.

Previous conferences have attracted students and faculty from colleges and universities across the United States, including participants from Washington State University and ANAC members Quinnipiac College, North Central College, and Belmont University. Student presentations have explored the intersections between psychology, political science, economics, philosophy and history. Faculty presentations included both theoretical considerations and exemplary projects in the practice of interdisciplinary education. See www.drury.edu/faculty/ess/irconf/prevpapers/index.html

For further information, please contact: Dr. Lisa Marie Esposito, Philosophy and Religion Department, Drury University, Springfield, MO, 65802.

E-mail: lesposit@lib.drury.edu

Voice mail: 417-873-7229

Fax: 417-873-7435

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Additional Conference information

Hospitality:
Econo Lodge at 2611 North Glenstone Ave has set aside a block of rooms at a conference rate of $35.00/night. For more information, including reservation requirements, click here.

Following a reception Friday evening (March 30) at the President's house (on campus) from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m., the conference banquet will be held in the Ballroom of the Findlay Student Center. Participants will also be given a list of informal meeting places - local coffee houses, Barnes and Noble, etc., - for post-banquet relaxation and discussion.

A "Conference Cafe," will offer soft drinks, coffee and tea, and light snacks during the Conference breaks.

Preregistration/Registration:
Those planning to attend the conference are encouraged to register early: please send e-mail to lesposit@lib.drury.edu, indicating the number of persons planning to attend, institutional affiliation, and contact information (e-mail & postal addresses, phone & fax numbers, etc.)
A modest conference fee ($10.00 for students/ $20.00 for faculty) will be requested at registration on campus, to help offset some of the costs of printing, food, snacks, - and, of course, the ever-fashionable conference t-shirt!

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The undergraduate conference and presentations have as their goals:

  • to evoke a broad conversation among generally-educated undergraduates - by requiring that the central claims in each paper engage a topic which does not require specialized and/or disciplinary expertise (though supporting research may be specialized, i.e., undertaken within the student's major and/or minor areas of study). In this way, the conference will highlight the value of liberal arts education as a general education, one that prepares students for life-long challenges and learning, in conjunction with their professional preparation and careers.
  • to encourage a generally-shared, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary conversation among conference participants regarding important topics and questions, and thereby to encourage further interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research in the liberal arts and pre/professional programs at the undergraduate level.


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Guiding Questions - Faculty Conference
Papers are sought which address the intersections between undergraduate research and interdisciplinary approaches (especially between the liberal arts and pre/professional programs) - and we are especially interested in papers which address the following sorts of questions:

  • How do we create an interdisciplinary course in the humanities -- especially in light of competing pressures on our time and energy? What are some of the opportunities for creating such courses that we may be missing?
  • How do we use new technologies--especially the Internet and the Web --in teaching interdisciplinary courses?
  • How do we teach writing effectively in interdisciplinary humanities?
  • How do we need to change classroom teaching strategies them in order to teach interdisciplinary humanities? Does the traditional lecture have a place? How can we generate meaningful interaction between students in different areas of the humanities?

Additional Questions, Comments, etc. should be addressed to lesposit@lib.drury.edu

Related Links:

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