What Makes a Nation? – Summer 2024
When: August 1 – 2, 2024
Where: Boise State University
Cost: $50
About the Conference
This conference, themed “What Makes a Nation?,” offers content-rich, teaching-centric sessions filled with cutting-edge approaches to learning. Presenters include Boise State faculty, award-winning master teachers in history, government, and other disciplines, as well as local and regional scholars with expertise on the conference theme.
The conference provides opportunities to explore questions of nation, national identity, nationhood, and nationalism in the modern world from various social studies and cultural perspectives. It also examines historical changes in the understanding of community and nationhood, as well as the impact of Human Rights and Globalization on the limits of nationhood.
Keynote Speaker
The keynote speaker is Dr. Shelley Rigger, a comparative political scientist and expert on East Asian politics. Dr. Rigger, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Davidson College in North Carolina, specializes in issues concerning China and Taiwan and offers valuable insights for educators addressing themes of nationhood in their classrooms.
Breakout Sessions
In addition to the keynote, Plenary sessions include presentations by Idaho Public Television and the U.S. Department of Justice. These sessions address topics like the relationship between federal and tribal governments and the role of shared history in reconciliation efforts.
Breakout sessions, led by Boise State faculty and experienced educators, cover a wide variety of topics. These include integrating games into the classroom, exploring the experiences of Japanese American internees at Minidoka, examining the history of Mexican immigrants in Idaho, and tracing Korean national identity from the Chose on period to modern-day K-pop. Sessions also address democracy in education, fostering student volunteerism, European nationalism before World War I, critical thinking in the era of AI, and patriotism versus nationalism. Other topics include local and regional histories, engaged citizenship in Idaho, and mentoring pre-service teachers.
Visitors to Boise
Once again this year, conference attendees will have privileged access to the Stein Luminary, and visitors to Boise may enjoy the nearby Wassmuth Center for Human Rights: Home of the Anne Frank Memorial, the Capitol Building, Idaho State Museum, the Basque Museum & Cultural Center, the Old Idaho Penitentiary, Preservation Idaho’s Walking Tours of historic sites and much more!
Professional Development Credit
Participants can register for professional development credit through Boise State University for an additional fee. Registration is simple, and support is available through the university’s Extended Studies Customer Service team. For more information about credit options, contact Extended Studies at (208) 426-1709 or email ExtendedStudies@boisestate.edu.