Building Bridges

 Iowa Communication Association       54th Annual Conference

September 21-22, 2018    

Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, IA

We face significant challenges today in our educational institutions, as well as our local, national, and global communities. Differences in perspectives, experiences, values, and power have lead us to a place of tightened boundaries and heightened conflict. Yet if we are to help create positive and sustainable communities, we must find a way to bridge these differences so that we may find a path to understanding. Suggested topics of inquiry:

• What bridges of understanding are needed in our institutional, local, global, and national communities?

• How do we build bridges of understanding across differences of race, religion, political perspectives, and so on?

• How do we understand and bridge differences of power?

• What role might/does/should our discipline play in helping to build bridges?

• How do we prepare our students to build bridges in their personal, professional, and community lives?

• How do we bridge to other disciplines in our teaching, research, and other work?

• What is our responsibility in this endeavor -- as educators, scholars, practitioners, and community members?

• With whom do/should we partner in this work?

We invite proposals for individual papers, panels, and GIFTS.  Please send submissions to Linda Laine at lainel@central.edu or submit a proposal through this page before June 1, 2018.