Call for Proposals: Great Lakes History Conference--Education & Society. Due June 15

Call for Papers: Great Lakes History Conference:
“Education and Society” 
October 7 & 8, 2011

The 37th annual Great Lakes History Conference, sponsored by Grand Valley State University, will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 7-8, 2011. Professor William Reese, Carl F. Kaestle WARF Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin, will deliver the keynote address. 

We seek panels and papers on the history of education broadly considered, from national and transnational perspectives, with particular focus on providing a historical context to current “crises” in education, whether at the elementary and secondary level or in higher education. Papers may consider a range of topics, including the history of schooling, educational policy, educational reform, the history of colleges and universities, the “crisis in the humanities,” the costs and financing of education, questions of academic freedom, non-academic educational institutions, transnational educational projects, educational philosophy and pedagogy, the role of ethnic and racial difference in education, education and gender, or the intersection of religion and education. 

The Great Lakes History Conference is a general history conference with an interdisciplinary emphasis. Although we give priority to proposals addressing this year’s theme, we will consider papers and panels on other topics as well. Proposals from varied disciplines and in all fields of history are welcome. We encourage comparative work across regions and chronological boundaries. Please consult the Grand Valley State University History Department website (www.gvsu.edu/history) and its link to the conference for updated information. 

If you are interested in presenting a paper, please send an abstract of approximately 200 words and curriculum vitae by June 15, 2011, to Dr. Paul Murphy, murphyp@gvsu.edu or Dr. Doug Montagna, montagnd@gvsu.edu. Please include your address, e-mail and phone number. We encourage submission of complete panels; please forward a brief description of the panel and abstracts and curriculum vitae for each presenter. Papers must take no longer than 30 minutes in a 2-paper session and 20 minutes in a 3-paper session. Sessions will last 90 minutes. Those interested in commenting on a session should send a CV and indicate areas of expertise. 
Conference headquarters will be at the L.V. Eberhard Center of Grand Valley State University in downtown Grand Rapids. Hotel accommodations will be available at the Holiday Inn of Grand Rapids (formerly the Days Hotel), which is across from the Eberhard Center. Their telephone number is (616) 235-7611. The conference is within easy walking distance of museums and restaurants. Grand Rapids is served by most major and regional airlines. The conference weekend coincides with Grand Rapid’s ArtPrize contest (http://www.artprize.org/home), so we suggest conference hotel accommodations be made early. 

Please address all inquiries and abstracts to:

Dr. Paul Murphy or Dr. Doug Montagna
Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive
Department of History, MAK D-1-160
Allendale, MI 49401
Phone: (616) 331-3429, Fax: (616) 331-3285
Email: murphyp@gvsu.edu or montagnd@gvsu.edu
Registration and program information will be sent August 2011