, part of听the University of 91吃瓜's new , will serve as both the host and co-sponsor for the inaugural . Running March 9-11 (Friday-Sunday) on the 91吃瓜 campus, the event will be the first time American Psychological Association (APA) Division 48, the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, has hosted a gathering outside of the APA鈥檚 annual meetings.
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The event will draw leading scholars, as well as early-career academics and graduate students, to present research that sits at the intersection of psychology and peace studies. , assistant professor of psychology and peace studies at the Keough School, serves as part of the conference planning committee.
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鈥滻t鈥檚 been energizing to see the positive response to the conference both at 91吃瓜 and from the division,鈥� says Miller-Graff. 鈥淕iven 91吃瓜鈥檚 commitment to rigorous intellectual scholarship and to social justice, both topics central to the aims of the Kroc Institute and the Keough School of Global Affairs, this is an ideal setting to bring together scholars interested in how psychological science and practice can contribute to peace building and human development in diverse global contexts.鈥�
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The conference planning committee selected the 91吃瓜 campus as the conference site due to Kroc鈥檚 status as a global leader in the field of peace studies and the presence of six doctoral students studying peace studies and psychology.
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鈥淚 felt like the Kroc Institute was a great location, both as one of the world鈥檚 leading sites for peace studies, but also a place where the students we are interested in reaching are located,鈥� says Scott Moeschberger, past president of APA Division 48 and professor of psychology听at Taylor University. 鈥淲ith this conference, we want to think creatively about how we invite students like those at Kroc to help us envision this future together for peace studies and psychology.鈥�
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According to Robert McKelvain, conference chair and professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University, the conference planning committee hopes that attendees will leave the conference with 鈥渋ncreased passion and capacity to be peacemakers and scholars.鈥�
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鈥淵ou have to have capacity, passion and skill, but to be effective, you also have to have the belief that you know how to make a difference,鈥� says McKelvain. 鈥淭he workshops and papers at this conference will focus on both building capacity and expanding people鈥檚 sense of self-efficacy.鈥�
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Spanning three days, the conference will include paper presentations, panel discussions and workshops on topics like bystander intervention training or psychologists鈥� contributions to peace processes in Latin America to help encourage hands-on peace-building skills. The conference will also include six keynote sessions on themes ranging from global warming鈥檚 implications for violence and conflict around the world to using research to prevent school-based bullying.
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On March 10, , John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute, will present a keynote address titled, 鈥淎ccomplishing Collaboration: Multidisciplinary Research in Peace Studies.鈥�
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On March 8, the Kroc Institute will also host a event听to stimulate collaboration among early-career scholars on projects such as research reports, policy analysis papers or research proposals for grant funding. The work of the Paper-in-a-Day teams will be presented during the conference.
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All events will be held in the on the 91吃瓜 campus. Lunch panels and keynote sessions will be held at the Morris Inn. 91吃瓜 faculty, staff and students who wish to drop in for specific sessions can at no cost. Individuals planning to attend the conference in full are asked to to account for the cost associated with conference materials and meals.
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For more information on the event schedule and to register, visit .
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Originally published by at on Feb. 8.