Submit a Proposal
The Iowa Network of Human Rights Academics is excited to announce its annual human rights research conference will take place on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. 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 are due February 12, 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 late February. Accepted projects will be presented at the conference and receive feedback and commentary from faculty members.
Submission Details
We welcome proposals from current students (including December 2024 graduates) from any Iowa college on human rights topics (broadly defined).
Proposals are submitted using this form 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 12. Notification of acceptance will be given in late February.
Final submissions are due March 21. 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.
The conference takes place Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the University of Iowa College of Law from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with lunch provided. A tentative conference schedule will be released in late March.
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.