So one of the cool things about being a PCJ student is that you can get involved with the society and the program outside of class work. In my case I’ve joined this year’s PCJ conference team. The team works on a fully STUDENT-run academic conference at the Munk school every year.
This year it will be the 9th annual conference, titled Protest in Progress: Resistance in the 21st Century. The PCJ conference team has been working all year to prepare everything for the conference.
What makes being part of the team so interesting is that, it’s truly student-run. This means that we are fully aware of the kind of academic situation which will allow students to benefit most. The way this conference is set up allows for dialogue between students and professionals. There’s also a debate being held during the conference, something rather new to the structure but exciting nonetheless!
This is a chance for PCJ students to interact with interesting academics in our similar field, obviously an opportunity to not be missed! Also the topic of this year’s conference focuses on protests in both rural and urban settings. If you glance at any media outlet these days; you see lots of talk on social movements in many different forms, happening all around the world. There is so much proof that social movements create a great impact on state policies and affect everything in global affairs. So it’s going to be a crucial conversation to have in this current climate. We can look at everything from the Ferguson protests to even current movements happening on campus.
I mean the internet has brought on a whole new dimension to social movements or protests altogether. Twitter, Facebook and other outlets give everyone a microphone, our voices are amplified. But then again, is the internet helpful or harmful to social movements? Does it delegitimize them? As sometimes keyboard clicking, is not enough for real change to occur. This is type of interesting conversation pieces we will have at the coming conference.
Get engaged with PCJ outside of the classroom; start to apply your knowledge in setting that allows dialogue. Get going PCJ-ers, this conference will be well worth your time.
Follow the Facebook page, to get a look at all the speakers and registration information. https://www.facebook.com/ProtestinProgress
A full review of the conference and all its happenings, will be up for those who couldn’t attend so watch out for that entry!