Co-sponsored Event Archive
Past Co-Sponsored Events
27th Annual BU Graduate Research Conference in African Studies
The African Studies Graduate Student Conference is a two-day interdisciplinary research forum, now in its 27th year. The 2019 iteration will be held at Boston University on March 29th and 30th. Invited graduate student participants from a variety of disciplines will share empirical and theoretical work drawn from their research in and about Africa and its diaspora. This year, we are excited to be organizing the conference around the theme “In and Out of Africa”—exploring the continent as a place of transits, circulations, mobilities, and flows of global consequence.
Thanks to a growing reputation, and the success of our travel grant program for African scholars, this year’s call for papers attracted over 250 submissions. We are eager to hear about the work of 19 invited participants who will be joining us from around the world, and who represent a wide range of disciplines. All conference events are of course open to the BU community and the public. We will be encouraging all students and researchers interested in the content of Africa to attend. In addition, this year’s conference will feature sessions on the topics of migration and diaspora, arts and aesthetics, religion and philosophy, knowledge production and the history of medical science, and China’s global reach—we hope these sessions might also be of interest to non-Africanists at BU and in the community.
The 2019 conference will also feature a screening of the film Liyana and a discussion with the filmmakers on Friday, March 29th (co-presented by the African Studies Library; open to the university community and to the public). On Saturday, March 30th, Prof. G. Ugo Nwokeji of the University of California, Berkeley will present a keynote address titled “African Landscapes of New Slavery.” Prof. Nwokeji is a luminary in the field of African history, and we hope that his talk on an issue of vital contemporary importance will attract strong interest across campus.
BU graduate students will be participating not only as presenters, discussants, and session chairs, but are also entirely responsible for the organizing and directing of the conference. We are especially proud of the interdisciplinary and inter-departmental nature of the conference and of our team.
2018 Graduate Student Conference on Religion and Technology
On September 29th, 2018 the BU Graduate Program in Religion Student Association hosted the annual Graduate Student Conference in Religion at the BU Photonics Center. This year’s theme was Religion and Technology, and nearly 75 people attended for all or part of the day. Over the course of 6 panels, 18 graduate students from a range of BU programs and non-BU institutions presented on everything from using digital technology to reconstruct archaeological sites to religion on Mars. Each panel featured a graduate student moderator and a faculty respondent.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Kathryn Lofton (Yale) gave thoughtful, moving, intellectually-rigorous, and creative talk, entitled “OMG: Religion and Communication Management in Social Networks.” With skill and socio-emotional acumen, Lofton reflected on the Kavanaugh hearings and the abuse of privilege and the damaging aspects of hierarchy that seep into all levels of society–including academia. The room gave her an energized standing ovation and spent the subsequent lunch break discussing and processing her words.
To conclude, the event featured a faculty roundtable, where faculty members reflected more generally on the themes and questions that arose over the course of the event. They were also asked to respond to questions and ideas that had emerged over social media in response to both the panels and the keynote talk.
The theme of the conference is “Power in Dystopia,” and we believe it will attract a variety of submissions from other Romance Language departments, as well as drawing interests from students in BU’s departments of African Studies, English, Women’s Studies, and History. The aim of this conference is to put into conversation various forms of representation from all centuries and genres where dystopia is either the result of oppression and abuse of power, or where dystopia has the potential of giving way to new forms of power struggles.
This year we are extremely excited to welcome our keynote speaker, Cuban dissident, journalist, poet, and scholar, Jorge Olivera Castillo. Jorge is the perfect speaker for demonstrating how oppressive circumstances can result in the creation of art that makes the world a better place. Formally imprisoned in Guantanamo for his work, Jorge continues defending human rights for Cubans. Currently serving a fellowship at Brown University under the Scholars at Risk program, Jorge is a member of PEN international dedicated to celebrating literature, preserving linguistic diversity, defending freedom of expression, and protecting writers at risk.
(Partial List, Missing Years 2013-2017)
20th Annual BU Graduate Research Conference in African Studies
When: 2:00pm – 7:30pm on March 30th and 9:00am – 4:00pm on the 31st
Where: Friday panels and Keynote: Conference Room, 9th Floor, Photonics Center, Saturday panels: African Studies Center, 232 Bay State Rd, 5th floor
Co-sponsored with: Boston University African Studies Center
The African Studies Graduate Research Conference in African Studies is a 1.5 day interdisciplinary research forum. Graduate students at all levels and from a variety ofdisciplines share original research relevant to the African continent. The conference provides asetting in which students can exchange ideas, share research, and expand collegial networks.
2nd Annual Graduate Research conference in International Relations (GRCIR)
When: Feb 24-25, 2012
Where: The Castle, 225 Bay State Road and International Relations Building, 154 Bay State Road
Theme: “Shifting World Order: The Reallocation of Power in the International System”
10th Biennial Graduate Student Open Forum (Archaeology)
When: Feb 17-19, 2012
Where: 675 and 725 Commonwealth Ave
Featuring a keynote address by Dr. Carl Knappett, University of Toronto.
5th Annual BU Graduate Musicology Conference (Boston University Music Society)
When: Feb 18, 2012
Where: Faculty Dining Room, George Sherman Union, Boston University
Featuring a keynote address by Dr. Ellen Koskoff, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
2nd Annual BU Conference on East Asia
When: February 13 – February 14, 2009
Where: Center for International Studies, 154 Bay State Road
Co-sponsored with: The Committee of the Boston University Conference on East Asia
The BU Conference on East Asia aims to provide an interactive and open forum for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels from various institutions and diverse disciplines to share ideas and to discuss their works in progress with peers.
As an interdisciplinary conference, the BU Conference on East Asia includes topics focusing on East Asian history, international history as pertains to the evolution of the East Asian region. In addition, topics for presentation and discussion will include the current East Asian political, socio-economic, and cultural climates. .
An Insider’s Account of the CIA: Separating Fact from Fiction
When: Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 6:30pm
Where: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 224
Co-sponsored with: Graduate International Relations Council
Distinguished International Relations professors, Arthur Hulnick, a veteran of over 35 years in intelligence, including seven years as an intelligence officer in the US Air Force and 28 years in the CIA, and Joseph Wippl, a former CIA officer with over 30 years as an operations officer in the National Clandestine Service, will present a behind-the-scenes account of life within the CIA.
Following the lecture and discussion, a reception will be held in the BU Pub, located at 225 Bay State Road in the Castle. Free drink tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels
When: April 11 – April 13, 2008
Where: Judaic Studies Center
Co-sponsored with: Division of Religious and Theological Studies
From the performance of religion in comics, to religious or mythic traditions among the elements of various works, to the use of comics by religious practitioners themselves, the relationship between comics and religion is dynamic and evolving. Given the increasing seriousness with which the public has come to view comics as an art form and Americans’ fraught but passionate relationship with religion, “Graven Images” will provide an opportunity for discussion of cutting- edge artistic and social issues by exploring the roles of religion in comic books and graphic novels. This event is free and open to the public.
Featuring Keynote Speaker James Sturm,
Xeric Award and Eisner Award-winning author of The Golem’s Mighty Swing and James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems Co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies and the National Association of Comic Arts Educators (NACAE).
Graduate Student Art History Symposium “Damage”
When: March 28 – March 29, 2008
Co-sponsored with: Department of Art History
An annual interdisciplinary symposium on the theme of damage, creativity, destruction, and vandalism in art, architecture, conservation, and visual culture by hosting a keynote speaker and panel discussions.
A Graduate Student Parental Leave Policy for Boston University
When: March 19, 2008, 1 – 2 PM
Where: PRB 595
Speaker: Elizabeth Ewen
Co-sponsored with: Women in Physics
A fellow graduate student, Elizabeth Ewen, has been working diligently to get a parental leave policy for BU graduate students implemented. Other universities in Boston have one, but BU does not! Liz is a graduate student in the Department of Biology, a founding member of the Women in Biology.
An Academic Career Track at a Four Year College: Balancing Teaching and Research
When: February 15, 2008, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Where: LSEB 103 (24 Cummington St.)
Speaker: Dr. Amy Voller
Co-sponsored with: Women in Biology
Please join us for career seminar with Dr. Amy Cheng Vollmer from Swarthmore College to tell us her experiences in an academic career track and how she chose her career path.