Call for Papers
CALL FOR PAPERS
Policy Conference 2.0
Social Work as Action: Confronting Injustice
Wyndham Garden Hotel
Austin, TX
May 28-30, 2015
The Policy Conference, held annually between 1998 and 2005, was revived last spring as Policy Conference 2.0. This special conference was designed to provide a collective space for social work students, faculty, and practitioners with a passion for social policy and policy practice.
- “I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to each of you for organizing what was probably the best academic conference of my career”
- “I can’t tell you how many times I heard the participants say, ‘It’s so nice to be with people who speak the same language!’”
- “I felt empowered and became more passionate about teaching policy practice.”
These comments reflect feedback from the nearly 90 participants from 25 states and the District of Columbia who attended Policy Conference 2.0. In response to the enthusiastic response, planning has begun for another policy conference to be held May 28-30, 2015, once again in Austin, TX. Conference presentations reflecting research excellence will be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the Journal of Policy Practice!
The following key questions will be explored during the conference:
- What are the key challenges and opportunities in social work policy practice in today’s political climate?
- What are the ramifications of current human rights and injustice issues for social work and its clients, both in the United States and worldwide? What evidence do we have of impact?
- What are the social justice implications of current and pending legislation?
- What knowledge and skills do our students need to be effective policy practitioners and advocates for social justice? Do we have evidence from the field of effectiveness?
- What innovative teaching methods are resulting in demonstrated competency in policy practice?
- How are programs assessing the competencies and practice behaviors achieved through policy curricula?
- What current efforts to influence social policy can we learn from, nationally, in the states, and in local communities? What strategies work in what policy practice situations?
- How can we better evaluate social work policy practice, and what new directions do we need to take in policy research?
- How can we re-energize the profession around issues of social/economic justice and policy practice?
Proposal Submission Deadline: January 15, 2015
In two separate documents, please submit the following:
1. Name, title, affliliation, mailing address, email address, phone number, and the title of your proposed session
2. Session Title, 50 word abstract (for the conference program), session format, session description (max of 2 double-spaced typed pages, not including references), and list of learning objectives.
Formats: (please select only ONE)
Presentation: 30-minute presentation focused on scholarly research, or analysis of a pending or recent policy initiative
Workshop: 60-minute interactive skill-building session focused on teaching, advocacy, or policy analysis using a method supported by evaluation data
Roundtable: 60-minute facilitated discussion on a specific policy topic, teaching challenge, or policy practice effort.
Poster presentation: Specifically for BSW, MSW, or PhD students. Share the results of a research project or policy practice effort. Great venue for students who have submitted their projects to the Influencing State Policy contest!
Email proposals to: Sunny Harris Rome, srome@gmu.edu
Policy Conference Planning Committee
Kathy Byers, Indiana University
Jessica Ritter, Pacific University Oregon
Sunny Harris Rome, George Mason University
Stacey Borasky, St. Edwards University