Call for Papers

Theme: The focus of this years conference is to explore educational theory and practice that contributes to the development of free, reflective, critical, compassionate, and community-building citizens in a democracy.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Philosophy, History, Anthropology, Law, Moral Theory, Public Policy, Global Studies, and Educational Theory and Foundations.

We invite open dialogue between students, teachers, academicians, public educators, school administrators, state policy makers, and community members. We seek papers, panel discussions, visual presentations, and other effective media to develop interactive discussions addressing a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives that examine pressing concerns involving democracy and education.

Topics and questions to consider include, but are not limited to:
-Do school systems support democratic classrooms?
-How do we educate students for participatory democracy?
-Do teacher educator programs prepare teachers for democratic classrooms?
-What can Philosophy tell us about teaching for democracy?
-Teaching for democracy in undemocratic times
-How do we conceptualize an education for democracy?
-Democracy and the future of postmodern education
-What are the purposes or aims of education consistent with developing democratic institutions?
-Is ethics an indispensable component of education in a democratic society?
-How can school environments be created that preserve and enhance the democratic life?
-Education as a public trust in a democratic society
-Corporatism, democracy, and public education
-Deliberative democracy, citizenship and education
-The interrelation of public education and the democratic life

A secondary theme explores using the Community of Inquiry model to introduce children to deliberative democracy.

Keynote Speaker: Jen Glaser, Ph.D.
Senior Faculty,
Mandel Leadership Institute
Israel Center for Philosophy in Education
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

(For information about the Community of Inquiry Model, go to p4c.com)

Guidelines for proposals: Proposals must be submitted electronically to fwpes@uvu.edu no later than November 10, 2009

The length of the proposal should not exceed two double-spaced pages.
Please include a cover sheet with each proposal to provide the following information: title or topic of the proposal; category of the proposal (paper, panel, alternative presentation); names, affiliations, relevant background of all participants, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the person submitting the proposal; and addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all other participants.

Far Western Philosophy of Education Society appreciates the support of :

The Center for the Study of Ethics at Utah Valley University
The Dept. of Philosophy and Humanities
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Utah Valley University Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence
and the
International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children


and the Utah Democracy Project