LAS Hosts Faculty Research Symposium | Declarations of Independence: Who Are The People?
LAS Faculty Research Symposium
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) hosted Declarations of Independence: Who Are The People?, a day-long interdisciplinary symposium that brought together faculty, graduate students, visiting scholars, and community members to explore the evolving meanings of freedom, citizenship, and democracy. Held in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the event featured dynamic conversations, faculty research panels, and interactive activities that examined who has been included in — and excluded from — the promise of “We the People” from the eighteenth century to the present.
Highlights included conversations with leading historians and political theorists, UIC faculty panels on law, sovereignty, land, and revolution, and a keynote address by journalist and scholar Jelani Cobb, Dean of the Columbia Journalism School. Part of Illinois America 250, the symposium emphasized inclusive storytelling and local perspectives, inviting participants to reflect on how the ideals of independence continue to be debated, taught, and lived today. View the photo gallery below to see moments from this engaging day of dialogue and discovery.