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Wilfrid Laurier University's Brantford Campus announces an interdisciplinary conference on September 28-30, 2000, that will examine the interplay between past, present and future in the 20th century from a variety of perspectives. In particular, it will explore the human propensity for miscontruing the past, for attempting to draw lessons from it and thereby chart a safer course.
Within these broad parameters the conference will delve into more specific issues germane to the 20th century, namely:
- the ways in which lessons from the past have been used to justify policies, sometimes with unexpected results;
- the role of the artist in revisiting the past and envisioning the future;
- the function of the teacher as both interpreter of past generations and guide to new ones;
- the impact of technology in opening up new vistas on both the past and the future, while also posing new challenges requiring our urgent attention;
- the re-configuration of valued knowledge including the re-evaluation of traditional modes of thought and ways of life.
Proposals for individual papers or complete three person panels are welcome on these and other related themes. It is the intention of the organizing committee to publish the proceedings of this conference. The deadline for abstracts of papers and/or panel proposals is Thursday June 1.
Brantford is a community of 90,000 located 110 kilometres west of Toronto. The Brantford Campus of Wilfrid Laurier University opened in September 1999 and offers a special liberal arts program in Contemporary Studies. This program features core courses such as "The World in the 20th Century", "Regional Ecosystems", "Indigenous People in the Contemporary World", "Science and Its Critics" and "Culture and Representation".
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