Conferences & Symposia

Here, please find information on select local conferences related to the humanities.  Although the Center for the Humanities does not necessarily sponsor or coordinate the conferences listed below, the Center is pleased to promote these events.

Documenting Diversity & Democracy in Brazil

Monday, April 12th and Tuesday, April 13th, 2021 

The University of Miami is proud to present this virtual symposium established to highlight the unique and richly-textured Leila Míccolis Brazilian Alternative Press Collection. The event will feature keynote presentations by João Silvério Trevisan (Brazilian LGBT activist, journalist, and novelist), Sonia Guajajara (Brazilian environmental and indigenous activist and politician), and Leila Míccolis (Brazilian attorney, writer, and creator of the Collection), alongside invited papers of scholars who have worked with the Collection to showcase intersectionalities and (dis)connections between burgeoning social and political movements in Brazil from the military dictatorship (1964–1985) to the present day, as well as works focusing on human rights, social justice, and cross-fertilization of historical and sociopolitical trajectories that shed more light on recovering the voices of marginalized Brazilians.

Led by Professor Steven Butterman (Modern Languages and Literatures) and doctoral candidate Lidiana de Moraes (Modern Languages and Literatures), along with support by faculty members (Professors Tracy Devine Guzmán and Will Pestle served on the Steering Committee), graduate students in various departments, UM Libraries colleagues (Christina Larson, Shatha Baydoun, Béatrice Skokan on the Steering Committee with support from UM Libraries Events, Web and Design, and Creative teams), and presenters from Brazil and the United States, this is the first truly international CREATE-sponsored project. 

See full edtails and register here at http://createbrazil.library.miami.edu/index.html.

This event is sponsored by CREATE and several other funding sources from the University of Miami—including The UM Libraries, The Lowe Art Museum, The Provost’s Office, The College of Arts and Sciences, The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, The Department of History, The Department of Anthropology,  The Department of English, The Department of Political Science, The Latin American Studies Program, The Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, The American Studies Program, The Institute for the Advanced Study of the Americas (UMIA), The Office of Hemispheric and Global Affairs, The Native American and Global Indigenous Studies (NAGIS), and The National US Network for Democracy in Brazil (USNDB).

Students of Color Symposium: Good Trouble

Friday, March 5th - Saturday, March 6th, 2021

The Students of Color Symposium (SOCS) is an educational initiative developed to support the ongoing diversity efforts of the University of Miami. The Symposium provides members of the UM community with an opportunity to engage in dialogue on issues that affect the educational, personal and professional growth of students. The Symposium seeks to enhance students’ understanding of diversity, multiculturalism, ethical leadership, and social responsibility associated with living in our global society. 

In the spirit of Congressman and Civil Rights leader, John Lewis, the theme for SOCS is “Good Trouble.” Good Trouble reminds us that standing up for a socially just society is standing up to systematic injustice through action. Good Trouble is being brave to go against the ease of idleness and engage actively in justice. Good Trouble is displaying boldness for difference. Good Trouble is speaking out against injustice, until justice just is. 

During SOCS 2021, we hope to shed light on how we can be champions for social justice through education, action, and service.

Learn more, see the full schedule, and register HERE. 

"Crossroads" Humanities Student Conference

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Presented by the Center for the Humanities at Nova Southwestern University, The Crossroads Humanities Student Conference, provides a friendly venue to showcase student scholarship in the humanities and related disciplines.  This virtual conference will take place on Saturday, April 10, 2021.

The Crossroads Humanities Student Conference strives to incorporate diverse perspectives and topics from a range of humanities fields including history, philosophy, literature, languages, cultural theory, and the arts. We also invite papers in legal studies, anthropology, sociology, political science, national security, family therapy, communication, conflict resolution studies, and international relations when approached with a humanities lens. 

Undergraduate and graduate students wishing to present at the conference must submit an abstract of 150 words or less to Dr. Aileen Miyuki Farrar, Director of NSU’s Center for the Humanities, by January 15^th, 2021: humaniites@nova.edu.  Details and guidelines, including possible topics, information on speakers, the conference schedule and how to register can be found on their website.  All registrants also have access to a series of workshops to help them prepare for a conference, which will be especially helpful to novice participants. 

Available Funding:

Our Center for the Humanities is pleased to offer funding to a select group of UM undergradaute and gradaute students who are accepted to the Crossroads conference.  If accepted to the conference, students seeking funding from the UM Center for the Humanities must forward their acceptance notification to Dr. Meg Homer within 2 business days of receipt: mkh81@miami.edu.  Emails should include the following:

• Your classification
• Your major/field of study
• A copy of the abstract submitted to Nova

Students requesting funding will be notified about available funds ASAP (generally at least one week prior to the conference registration deadline).  Accepted students who receive funding will also be asked to meet as a group via Zoom to discuss logistics.

Science and Humanisim Workshop

November 6-7, 2020

The workshop, designed primarily for academics in the field of philosophy, will explore connections between science and humanism, through a discussion of a number of overlapping issues concerning the viability of naturalism and the comparative status of scientific and other knowledge, the capacity or potential of scientism for setting limits on humanist self-understanding, the interplay between traditions or views of science and agendas of positive social change, promoting the common good through directions of research and/or institutional structures, managing the value-ladenness of science in ways that advance collective welfare, enhancing the public understanding of science and combatting science denialism, and increasing the uptake of scientific knowledge in government, the law, and public policy. 

This event is hosted by the Department of Philosophy. Questions may be addressed to Anjan Chakravartty at chakravartty@miami.edu.