The Center for Middletown Studies at Ball State University and the Minnetrista Cultural Center invite paper and panel proposals for their third annual Small Cities Conference. The purpose of the conference is to explore the distinctive challenges that have confronted and still confront small cities, municipalities with a population between 40,000 to 100,000 people. Professor Alan Wolfe of Boston College, author of One Nation, After All (New York: Viking Press, 1998), will be the keynote speaker at the conference.

Proposals for papers and sessions dealing with the historical, economic, political, social, educational, and cultural aspects of the small city experience will be considered. Preference will be given to proposals that focus on small cities in North America, but proposals from scholars who are studying topics in European cities will also be considered. The conference organizers encourage submissions from social scientists, humanists, urban planners, public officials, journalists, and educators in the elementary and secondary schools. Submissions from graduate students are also encouraged. Proposals for complete panels, including two or three papers, a chair, and a commentator, are requested. We will also consider proposals for single papers and for roundtable sessions.

All proposals should include a one-page description of each paper and a brief c.v. for each participant. Proposals for complete sessions should also include a brief (no more than 500 words) discussion of the common issues raised in the panel. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2003. Send proposals to the address below. The conference will be held September 12-13, 2003 at the Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie, IN. Accepted papers must be completed and received by August 1, 2003.