U of A Student Selected to Speak at University of Notre Dame Peace Conference

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Megan Rodgers

Megan Rodgers, a Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences student in the International and Global Studies Program, has been selected to present at the 2021 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, April 15-17, 2021.

This year's conference will take place virtually, in a fully online format, and focuses on the theme, "Beyond the Surface: Moving the Needle on Global Peace."

Rodgers will give a presentation entitled, "Educating Peace: the Rwandan strategy for teaching about the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi"  at 2:45 p.m. EST Friday, April 16.

Rodgers' paper will emphasize, "the strategy of the Rwandan government in addressing the task of educating a generation born into a post-genocide society through teaching guidelines found in the national curriculum and public events that seek to remember and inform about events of the past while also promoting peace and reconciliation."

Rodgers was selected to present from a pool of 56 proposals submitted by students or student teams. She is one of over 50 students from 19 colleges and universities around the world who are presenting their own research, practice and projects in the interdisciplinary field of peace studies during the conference.

The Notre Dame Student Peace Conference, endowed by Joan B. Kroc and sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, is an annual event organized by students and for students. Its mission is to provide space for students from all colleges and universities to dialogue about peacebuilding, social justice, and conflict transformation. Each year, the event draws hundreds of students from across North America and around the world.

"This year's Notre Dame Student Peace Conference presses forward exciting and innovative approaches to contemporary global challenges," said Laura Miller-Graff, associate professor of psychology and peace studies and director of undergraduate studies at the Kroc Institute, which is part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.

"It's an important opportunity to see the role of young scholars in shaping the future of peace studies," she added.

In describing this year's conference, the conference committee wrote, "Our world today is plagued by an overwhelming number of issues. In recent months, we have witnessed a great awakening of hearts and minds across the globe in response to many of these issues. This awakening has allowed people of all ages in all places to voice the injustices they see and do what they can to create change. As scholars of peace studies, we have a duty to take action and respond to the most pressing challenges of our time."

The conference will also include keynote sessions featuring Bridget Moix, U.S. Executive Director of Peace Direct, and John Paul Lederach, Professor Emeritus of International Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute.

For more information, please contact Grace Conroy at peacecon@nd.edu.