About the Conference

The year 2020, although certainly not the beginning, exacerbated already existing feelings of social, political, and racial unrest. In the years since, there has been little that has eased these feelings for us as educators and scholars but also for our students.

Registration Opens March 1, 2026

Our “...students play a huge role in society at large … Student unrest is complex and necessitates management action based on experience with a determination to address genuine issues that lead to complaints by students and subsequent unrests” (Omodan 2).

The ways in which we choose to help students express their discontent varies and the ways we teach and how we teach them helps open the dialogue. As we blaze a path forward for students to express themselves, we aim to understand how we can best facilitate these conversations through inquiry-based research, curriculum design, units of study, and creative expression.

This year’s Hood College Conference on Interdisciplinary Dialogues in Education aims to bring together colleagues in education to foster discussion and collaboration on topics related to social unrest that affect our students and our teaching. Social unrest happens when our normal channels to promote change are not working. Today, we make our voices heard.

Omodan, Bunmi Isaiah. “Virtual Management of Students’ Unrest During the COVID-19 New Normal: The Need for an Innovative Approach.” Journal of Culture and Values in Education, vol. 5, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-12.

Contact Information

Kathleen Kempert
Conference Co-Chair

Marina Ellis, Ph.D.
Conference Co-Chair


8-9 a.m.	Registration/Light breakfast
9-9:30 a.m.	Opening remarks
9:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.	Sessions
12:45-1:45 p.m.	Lunch
2-3 p.m.	Keynote: Cheryl North, Ph.D. Clinical Associate Professor, Literacy-Secondary Education UMBC
3-4 p.m.	Closing remarks/Social-Happy Hour

About the Conference

Department of English & Communication Arts

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