Summer Conference 2008
The Society for Values in Higher Education Annual Conference
Keeping it Civil: Religion in an Election Year
July 23 to 27, 2008
The
The Society for Values in Higher
Education announces a conference designed to address some of our most vexing
questions as a religiously pluralistic society:
· What is the role of education in
promoting civil discourse and religious tolerance?
· How does our political process promote
or hinder religious freedom, tolerance, diversity, and literacy?
· As a country, how do we benefit from
religious diversity? How do we avoid the kind of conflict that has led to
tragedy in many parts of the world?
· What does it mean to be religiously
pluralistic? In particular, what does it mean for public and private organizations,
including educational institutions and government agencies?
Attendees will participate in two sets
of intellectually stimulating events: 1) a series of ongoing seminar
conversations focusing on a variety of topics, some closely related to the
conference theme and others dealing with a range of intellectual pursuits or
interests, including writing personal narratives, historical fiction,
environmental concerns, and popular culture, and 2) plenary sessions in which
panelists and key note presenters address the challenges of engaging in civil
discourse and the democratic process in a religiously pluralistic
o Michael
J. Perry, the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at
Emory University, and author of numerous essays and books on religion and
politics including Under God? Religious
Faith and Liberal Democracy and Love
and Power: The Role of Religion and Morality in American Politics.
o Melissa Rogers, Visiting Professor of
Religion and Public Policy and founder and director of the Wake Forest
University Center for Religious and Public Affairs. Previously Dr. Rogers served as director of
the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in
o Yvonne Haddad from
the Prince Alwaleed bin
o A panel of
instructors from this summer’s SVHE Institute/Workshop on Religion and Public
Life.
This gathering provides the benefits of
an academic conference but distinguishes itself from other academic and
professional meetings by the following:
· The conference offers numerous
opportunities for participants to share work-in-progress, either as formal
presentations to seminar groups or informally during seminar conversations or
interest groups.
· Interest and activity groups can be
formed on-site. Last year a film group spontaneously emerged to watch and
discuss films suggested by participants. Poetry sharing, gender-related
discussions, music making gatherings, and sessions on other topics of interest
may also be initiated by participants.
· The conference is family friendly.
A full program of activities for children is provided during times when
adults are engaged in conference work; moreover, meals and evenings lend
themselves to family and community interaction.
· The conference is designed to build
community among participants through daily structured conversation groups, informal
receptions, opportunities for music making or listening, meals at congenial
tables, worship services, optional group outings, and other casual settings.
The Society for
Values in Higher Education is uniquely well-prepared to offer this conference. In
2005 the organization joined the Johnson Foundation in hosting a meeting of
scholars from diverse colleges and universities to discuss the role of higher
education in addressing the intersection of religion and public life. The
Wingspread Declaration, a document that summarizes concerns identified at that
meeting, defines three areas for further conversation: religious literacy,
standards of intellectual inquiry, and growing student concern for
purpose and spiritual meaning. Work with the
Wingspread Document will continue in June, 2008, when the Society for Values in
Higher Education, with the support of the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, will host a
weeklong workshop for teams of educators and administrators from colleges and
universities across the country to develop strategies and curricular programs
for addressing issues related to religion, public life, and higher education. Faculty from the institute will speak at the
opening plenary session of this year’s conference.
Click here for conference schedule
Click here for list of daily seminars
Click here to download a printable registration form
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| seminars.pdf | 79.08 KB |
| Registration Form 2008 (2).pdf | 299.12 KB |
| Schedule 2008.pdf | 112.32 KB |