“Sustainability and Social Change”

 

2007 Walden University Conference on Social Change
July 19–20, 2007
Minneapolis, MN

 

 

Call for Papers and Proposals

 

Walden University seeks proposals from researchers, scholars, and practitioners for competitive papers, poster sessions, interactive workshops, multimedia presentations, panels, and artistic performances for the 2007 Conference on Social Change, “Sustainability and Social Change.” The conference will take place in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday and Friday, July 19 and 20, 2007.

 

Walden is dedicated to positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society. This annual conference highlights scholarship that informs actions which lead to positive social change. Conference submissions are welcome from any field, but primarily in the fields of psychology, management, public policy, education, engineering, or health services.

 

Conference Theme: Sustainability and Social Change
Our focus this year is on sustainability as driver, a process, and an outcome of social change. Often the term sustainability is construed narrowly as a focus on the environment. Instead, we rely on the widely accepted Brundtland Report definition of sustainability as that which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

The goal of this conference is to explore the human side of the sustainability equation: How does the social change work that we do achieve a healthy interdependence with the natural world in order to ensure a positive future for all? This was a guiding principle for the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy who believed that all major decisions must take into account their impact on the next seven generations. Increasingly, the efficacy of every social policy or practice around the globe will be measured by the extent to which it is sustainable or contributes to sustainability.

 

Through this conference on Sustainability and Social Change, we seek to highlight the ways in which scholars, practitioners, and community activists align their work to promote social justice and equality by relying on sustainability as a core principle. There are abundant examples of this, including

• The field of environmental psychology, which analyzes the relationship between human behavior and the natural environment
• Green economics and natural capital, avenues for considering the relationship between human beings and commerce
• Education for sustainability, including programs or curricula that help learners to understand systemic relationships, root causes, and the interactive effects of seemingly independent decisions
• Distributing access to fresh water, clean air, and open spaces in the context of urban development has led planners to focus on controlling sprawl
• Increased investment in science and math education in our schools prepares the next generation for lives of environmental stewardship
• Engineers and businesses are now working on the life cycle of engineered products, taking account of the costs of retiring obsolete materials
• Health and human services professionals link with community organizers to champion environmental justice because too often pollution, noise and other negative effects of density fall unevenly on those without power or privilege
• Efforts by systems theorists and change researchers to define and model sustainability in social movements or change efforts, and also to explore the relationships between ecological sustainability and sustainability of communities or cultures
• Partnerships among individuals, grass-roots organizations and/or social institutions in creating and facilitating sustainable social change

Conference sessions are scheduled for approximately 1.5 hours. Individuals selected to present will receive complimentary registration for the conference; an honorarium of $250 will be awarded to the lead presenter.

 

Submission Procedures

We invite conference submissions in three categories: (1) academic papers, (2) interactive poster sessions and (3) proposals for interactive workshops, multimedia presentations, panels or artistic performances. Submission procedures differ for each form of involvement, and are detailed below. Multiple submissions within or across the three categories will be considered.

 

Academic Papers
Academic papers must be submitted no later than April 2, 2007. Submissions will undergo a peer review process, and selection is competitive. Authors of accepted papers will be notified no later than May 15, 2007. Submissions must conform to the guidelines for the Journal of Social Change and be submitted using the Journal’s online submission process. When submitting your paper online, please indicate “Walden Conference - Paper” as the publication. Papers accepted for presentation may be invited for publication in a special issue of the Journal, tentatively scheduled for January 2008.

 

Interactive Poster Sessions
A new feature at the conference this year, poster sessions enable presentation of work in progress that is not yet developed into a full academic paper. Poster presenters gain access to many conference participants at once, yet can enjoy personal interaction and conversation with interested colleagues. Presenters will stand next to their visual presentation as attendees stroll around the meeting room searching for topics of interest. In order to attract attention, presenters need to have an exciting topic and a visually stimulating presentation where organization and clarity are critical. You will present your paper in LARGE TYPE format on display on a 4’x 8’ poster board.

 

Interactive poster submissions are due no later than April 2, 2007. Submission consists of a 500-word (max) abstract of the proposed presentation, including names and contact information for the presenter(s), and should provide sufficient detail on the paper topic, themes, method, results, and conclusions to enable peer review. Except for length and format, abstract submissions will follow Journal of Social Change guidelines (see above). Poster submissions undergo a streamlined peer review process, and while selection is competitive, the process is designed to identify promising research directions and ideas with a high probability of completion, even though the research work may be underdeveloped at the time of submission.

 

Poster submissions will also use the online submission process at the Journal of Social Change (see above). When submitting your poster abstract online, please indicate “Walden Conference - Poster” as the publication. Posters accepted for conference presentation may be invited for revision and resubmission to the Journal of Social Change as a full-length manuscript.

 

Workshops, Panels, Artistic Performances
Proposals for interactive workshops, multimedia presentations, panels, and artistic performances are due no later than March 12, 2007. Individuals who are selected to participate will be notified by May 1, 2007. Proposals should include

• Cover page, including the following information: Name(s) and title(s) of presenter(s) and designation of lead presenter, mailing and email contact information, title of presentation (15 words or fewer), type of presentation (workshop, multimedia presentation, panel discussion, artistic performance)
• Curriculum vitae of the presenter(s)
• A 50-word abstract and/or outline of the presentation
• A narrative not to exceed three pages that summarizes the topic, the goals of the presentation, the research or community practice on which the presentation is based, and the connection to sustainability and social change
• DVDs, videotapes, Web sites, support materials, or other means of accurately describing the presentation
• Audio-visual requirements, if any

 

Proposals (and questions) should be emailed to scconference@waldenu.edu.

DVDs and videotapes should be mailed to:

Rebecca Graetz
Walden University
155 Fifth Ave South
Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55401