The Second Cathy May Memorial Honors Conference
The conference was intended to provide students in the Winter Quarter Political Science Honors course a chance to present their work in a conference format. The conference also serves as a model for forging an intellectual connection between students and faculty members now and in the future.
This year’s class focused on the politics and history of sanctuary in its various iterations. This has included consideration of the medieval practice of sanctuary as well as the US 1980s sanctuary movement through the development of the New Sanctuary Movement in 2007. The class studied 3-4 types of sanctuary:
1.) sanctuary as a broad social and political coalition of movements that fight to change policing practices, intersecting forms of bias, and carceral conditions;
2.) city-based sanctuary;
3.) faith-based sanctuary; and
4.) asylum as sanctuary.
Class projects span a wide variety of topics and intellectual approaches, but/and the students have also worked together to form a campus group that will act on the ideas discussed in this class for this quarter and future quarters. A short presentation of this group’s formation and its goals will follow student presentations.
First Cathy May Memorial Honors Conference
This conference was first conceived by Prof. Cathy May in the Winter Quarter of 2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Prof. May—a political theorist with numerous intellectual interests, particularly food politics and homelessness—very suddenly and unexpectedly passed away several months later. May was known for her deep engagement with students, her spirited teaching, and lively intellectual curiosity.
This event was intended to provide students in the Winter Quarter Political Science Honors course a chance to present their work in a conference format, with professors serving as chairs and discussants. It also serves as a model for forging an intellectual connection between students and faculty members now and in the future. The inaugural conference will be a platform for the students in this class to present their work and discuss Prof. May's influence on these projects.
Conference Information:
When: Friday, December 4th at 3:30-5:00 PM
Where: Register in advance for this meeting:
https://depaul.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEuc-CvpjwjHtQMOSqYOgkerlVPN4s8d9WM ;
After registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting (password: cathymay).
Conference Schedule:
Students will give a 3-5 minute statement about their project and how Prof. Cathy May influenced them.
The conference would follow the order of the program below with discussion immediately after each set of presentations including questions and answers.
Brief Introductions by Host Katy Arnold
PANEL ONE
Liberalism and the Constitution, David Williams, Chair
PANEL TWO