The Iowa Network of Human Rights Academics is excited to announce its annual human rights research conference for 2025. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow students and faculty members from across Iowa, learn about human rights issues, and polish your presentation skills! Are you working on a paper, poster, or creative project that intersects with human rights issues? If so, submit a proposal and plan to join us for a day of invigorating discussion.  

Proposals will be due in 2025. If you are an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, we invite you to submit a proposal including a 1,000 character description of your paper, poster, or creative work. Notification of acceptance will be sent out by early March. Accepted projects will be presented at the conference and receive feedback and commentary from faculty members.  

Submission Details

  • We welcome proposals from students at any Iowa college on human rights topics (broadly defined).
  • Proposals are submitted using the link to the right and should include a description of up to 1,000 characters, which can be copied and pasted into the form. Please provide a brief explanation of your topic, proposed methodology, and – for creative works – form of presentation.
  • Include the name of your supervising faculty member who will receive a copy of the proposal.  
  • The submission deadline is February 19. Notification of acceptance will be given in early March.  
  • Final submissions are due March 22. For traditional papers, final papers of 3,000-6,000 words are preferred. For posters or creative works, we ask that you follow the standard academic presentation style for your discipline to the extent possible.  

Conference Details  

  • The conference is organized by the Iowa Network of Human Rights Academics with support from the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.  
  • Traditional research papers will be grouped into themed panels. Each panelist will have approximately 10 minutes to present an overview of their paper, followed by commentary from faculty discussants and Q&A. We will plan the presentation of posters and creative works, and the method for faculty feedback, based on the type and number of proposals accepted.  
  • There is no registration fee for accepted student presenters.  

Questions can be directed to Dr. Brian Farrell (brian-r-farrell@uiowa.edu). Please write “Human rights conference” in the subject line.  Persons with disabilities who may require accommodations in order to participate in this event are encouraged to attend.

For accommodation assistance, please contact Dr. Brian Farrell at brian-r-farrell@uiowa.edu.