Dancing on the waves of change HELTASA conference

Dancing on the waves of change in higher education: the HELTASA conference 2018

The first call for abstracts is announced for the 2018 Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) conference that will be held at the South campus on Summerstrand at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth from 21 to 23 November. Pre-conference workshops will take place on 20 November. 

Although the web page for this years' conference is not fully functional yet (accommodation and maps and keynote speakers, etc. will be added soon hopefully), I am very excited about the awesome theme: Dancing on the waves of Change in Africa! Indeed, higher education is experiencing radical changes due to the 4 fourth revolutions that are shaping our society (and just in case you forgot them, they are the fourth communication revolution, the fourth industrial revolution, the fourth human identity revolution and the fourth Christian faith revolution - this last one is only slowly awakening). So, for a conference in the beautiful seaside city of Port Elizabeth, and in this changing higher education environment, what can be more fitting and challenging than to host a conference on how to stay on top of these changes and use them to our advantage?  I am sure we all will enjoy the opportunity to learn from each other and share our successes (and also maybe our failures in this uncertain and fast changing environment). 

Although the conference will host the usual presentations such as workshops, oral presentations, poster presentations, flipped paper sessions and critical dialogues, the organizers also encourages alternative and creative presentations such as music, dance, poetry, visual arts, drama and much more. The organizers also promise a range of social and cultural events for delegates to participate in and use and networking opportunities. 

The first call for abstracts will open 16 April and the due date is 16 June. 19 July is set as the closing date for early bird registration. So save the dates and ensure that you do not miss out on this promising conference.

Critical thinking conference

The 38th critical thinking conference will be held in California in July 2018

In a previous blog I already spoke about the venue and format of the next conference on critical thinking in July 2018 in the USA. The early bird registration is still open. 

Dr Linda Elder reminded us in a recent e mail about the crucial importance of the ability to really think about issues and the perceptions regarding technology: "We are reminded daily that there are many pressing problems facing humans. One of these is that technological advancement has given rise to the pedestrian belief that technology is the answer to all human ills. Technology seems now to be something akin to a holy grail we humans collectively worship, without entirely knowing why. For many, technology is treated as the whole, or nearly the whole, of human life. Digital reality has replaced actual reality, so that humans now frequently have difficulty differentiating the two. In the meantime, we are losing sense of family, of community, of connection to one another as human beings and sentient creatures. This can only lead us away from the principles embodied in fair-minded critical societies.

At this point in history, technology is treated in much the same way as early science and math were treated by the majority of Greek intellectuals more than 2,400 years ago - as the most important subjects to study for the advancement of human civilization. But neither math, nor science, nor any individual field or sub-specialty can be the whole of human thought or life. Each of these is merely a part of human experience. And it is clear that we do not always benefit from technological inventions and "improvements."

A rich conception of critical reasoning has seemingly little room in today's conversations; people are too buried in their cell phones (or other technology) to notice. The open exploration of ideas is not something most people feel comfortable with, because they have little experience with it."

She then conclude that the foundation of critical thinking is dedicated to advance human thought and understanding.  This conference is an opportunity to develop this crucial skill and is open to all levels of the community and academic world. 

SBL conference in Denver for theologians

The sun is setting and we are on our way to the next academic conference with SAA

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), in partnership with the American Academy of Religion (AAR), will co-host their 2018 annual conference from 17 to 20 November in Denver, Colorado, USA. This huge conference, large exhibition of books and other resources and gathering of theologians on global scale is not to be missed. The call for papers is open until the end of June and the large selection of topics make this a conference that will spark the interest of all theologians and lay enthusiasts.  

The three main segments of this conference are sections, seminars and consultations. The Sections category offers more than one hundred topics to link papers for presentation. Seminars have limited membership and papers are discussed, not read. The seminars are structured around twenty pre-defined topics and projects. Consultations are exploratory program units focused on new areas of interest. The five current focus areas that are, according to the SBL, ‘new’ are: Animal studies and the Bible; Biblical exegesis from Eastern Orthodox perspectives; the book of Samuel: narrative, theology and interpretation; Racism, pedagogy and Biblical studies and the Historical Paul. Just wondering are these really 'new'?

The SBL as a society that is devoted to the critical investigation of the Bible was established in 1880. The AAR is a society and association of teachers and research scholars that has about 9000 members. 

The conference fee is $200 and the venue is not yet announced. Both associations have options on their web pages to keep you updated and informed, if needed. 

Unfortunately I cannot speak from personal experience as this is one of the conferences that is always on my wish-list but the date at the end of November is again during the exam marking time for our universities in South Africa, but a large number of my colleagues do manage to go annually and they say that this conference in definitely not to be missed. 

A South African History conference on miracles and mirages

The Historical Association of South Africa's 2018 conference will be held in Thaba Nchu

The call is open for abstracts to present at the biennial conference of the Historical Association of South Africa (HASA). This conference is not to be missed, even if you are not a full-blooded historian. The conference theme of Miracles and Mirages: 'The fall of the oldest and rise of the newest South Africa... and beyond' should spark interest from all South Africans and even people beyond our borders. And if this is not enough, look at the list of sub themes that the conference participants will address during cold winter days of 20-22 June at the Black Mountain Leisure & Conference hotel in Thaba Nchu. Although it is summer now and South Africa is sizzling, this part of the country can get extremely cold in winter time - just what is asked for to keep all indoors and glued to their seats while listening to these:

Themes  for this years' conference include:
Free falling education on the South African education systems;
The bang-bang club on defence, security and crime;
In all fairness on identity, equality, reconciliation;
Law, order and anarchy on Justice and ethics;
Talking (none)cents on economics and industry;
Drizzles, deserts and diamonds on water, ecology, poaching, pollution and preservation;
In a heartbeat on healthcare;
Food for thought on agriculture and farming;
Count your words on freedom of speech, media and communication;
From a different angle on art music, sport, literature and social history;
Politics and other tricks on just that;
Preserving history on museums, statues, parks and places, heritage tourism and the 'platteland'; Scripture, saints and sinners on religion, theology and belief systems;
Just a though on methodology, philosophy, oral history and mind-shifts.

Documentary films will also be accepted as presentations at the conference. The final date for abstracts (including those on films) is 22 February 2018.  Early bird conference fee is R2800 and the University of the Free State will be hosting this years' event.

International conference on Critical thinking

We love Hilton and we enjoy Double Tree because we are addicted to the cookies! This is the Double Tree in Seattle. 

All academics need to be critical thinkers. We also try to develop critical thinking skills in our students, build it in to our courses and assessment tasks and for me the most difficult part, to incorporate critical and active thinking into my daily life in order to counter emotional or instinctive reactions to life. 

The 38th annual International Conference on Critical thinking will take place between 16 and 20 July 2018 at the Double Tree Hotel in Rohnert Park, California, USA. The conference theme is Critical thinking throughout education and across the professions - in every classroom, every boardroom, every business, every government, in every country around the world. The call for proposals is open until 26 February and early registration discount is available until 16 June 2018.  There are four types of conference sessions available: focus sessions, plenary sessions, concurrent sessions and round-table discussions.  The focal session presenters include well known critical thinkers Linda Elder, Gerald Nosich, Brian Barnes and Paul Bankes. 

The conference venue is northern California, in the Sonoma wine district, home to more than 400 wineries. The hotel situated between two golf courses  and within easy reach of a night out to a musical performance at the Green Music Center. You can also see the Redwoods from a zip line or visit the rugged Bodega Coastline. Or you can go hiking, biking or boating. And for those of us from outside the USA, other local attractions include the Golden Gate Bridge and the Sonoma State University.  So do make sure that your booking includes a few extra days before or after the conference. 

Although accommodation is not included in the registration fee, the block is good and available until 15 June. I always like to stay in the conference hotel where the buzz is and you can network over a cup of coffee or dinner or in the garden.