Engage Korea - Call for young people with committed interests in the DPRK to speak at a student-run conference on September 13, 2014

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Engage Korea
6 August 2014 ·


Call for young people with committed interests in the DPRK to speak at a student-run conference on September 13, 2014

The pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula necessitates the younger generation to be better informed about the historical, socio-political and economic aspects of the DPRK (North Korea). To take a step towards realizing this vision, students of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, with the educational consulting support of global student initiative, Engage Korea, are organizing a conference titled: 2014 Student Conference on the DPRK: How can the international community effectively engage the DPRK?

This conference will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at Harvard University in the USA and will feature former diplomats, eminent scholars and NGO practitioners who possess years of first-hand experience working inside the DPRK. Another highlight will be “discussion sessions” during which participants will present their works on the DPRK to a wider audience, identify their future collaborators and network with the speakers.

The organizers are looking for 6 – 8 speakers for discussion sessions. Interested applicants should send (1) an abstract (maximum 500 words) and (2) an email with answers to the four following questions to Robert Winstanley-Chesters (r.winstanley-chesters@leeds.ac.uk) and Stina Bae (stina.j.bae@gmail.com) by Monday, August 18, 2014.

1) What motivates you to share your work, and why should others be motivated to hear it?
2) What new perspectives/ideas does your work on North Korea bring?
3) Why is this particular forum the right platform for the dissemination of your work?
4) How does participating in this conference enable you to extend or continue your work?

Please refer to the following information to help guide your application. We are looking forward to your daring, enlightening and innovative submissions!

Format
Two rounds of discussion groups with 3 – 4 presenters in each round; conference participants will choose 1 of 3-4 presentations to attend in each round.
Each presenter will present for 20 minutes, with 20 minutes for Q&A.

Selection criteria for presentations
1) Author’s original work on topics relating to the DPRK, which includes:
- An academic research piece on the DPRK with its topic relevant to the conference theme
- A comparative study with another country case
- A creative and artistic work
- A presentation of a nonprofit project
- A published/recorded audio and/or visual piece

2) Preference afforded to those who did not participate in the 2013 Engage Korea conference

Merits
1) A chance to present his/her work before public attendees and renowned experts on the DPRK
2) A networking opportunity like no other (e.g. evening social with speakers)
3) A public release of the presentation paper (upon request)
4) Potential publication venues such a special issue to an academic journal or academic blog on the DPRK (pending exploration)

Financial support
Due to budget constraints, the organizers cannot support discussion group speakers. The speakers are encouraged to find their own travel and accommodation funding from their respective universities and organizations.

However, the organizers will try to provide supplementary supports including:
1) A letter of invitation/endorsement to assist fundraising from other sources
2) A short statement on the conference if the speaker fundraises via crowdfunding
3) Assistance in finding affordable accommodations such as homestays and vacant places on Airbnb

More information will soon be available on the upcoming conference website: 2014StudentConferenceDPRK.org.