For nineteen years, BYU’s International Inquiry Conference has served as a forum for students of all disciplines to present their cross-cultural research and an opportunity for the university community to participate in discussions reaching beyond our campus to the international world.
Many past Inquiry Conference presenters have lived and researched for three or more months overseas under the direction of skilled faculty mentors. However, overseas experience or research is not necessarily required for participation in the conference.
Presentations by students cover a variety of topics, such as international development, health, gender, and religion. The conference’s continued success is rooted in its commitment to featuring cross-cultural research, engaging discussion, and reflective analysis by presenters and attendees alike.
Interested students, university faculty, and the public are invited to participate in the 19th annual Inquiry Conference, which is scheduled Thursday, 9–Friday, 10 November 2017.
The conference will consist of up to two full days of student research presentations, grouped thematically into conference sessions each about two hours long. Each session will include both presentations and discussion.
19th Annual Inquiry Conference
Thursday, 9–Friday, 10 November 2017
238 HRCB
THU | 9 NOV
Panel 1
10:00 a.m.–noon
Merging Cultures: Navigating Cross-Border Relationships
“Why Mergers and Acquisitions Fail: A Look into HP’s Acquisition of Autonomy”
Amanda Bonney (panel organizer) and Dillon Papenfuss
“Merger and Acquisitions Synergies Framework”
Amanda Bonney and Claire Jefferson
“Mergers and Acquisitions Synergies Framework Case Study: Insights from Lenovo’s 2005 Acquisition of IBM PC”
Claire Jefferson
“Case Study of Failed M&A between the United States and Finland: Nokia-Microsoft”
Dillon Papenfuss and Felicity Cribbs
Panel 2
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Religious Shift in Past European Societies
“A Chain of Encounters: The First Japanese Embassy in Siena”
Lydia Breska
“Josef Danhauser’s Rich Glutton: Social Criticism in 19th Century Austria”
Amanda Buessecker (panel organizer)
“Russia’s ‘Come to Jesus’: An Expository Essay on the History of Religion and Religious Oppression in Russia”
Morgan Farnsworth
“Gender and Religion in a Shifting Social Landscape: Final Phase Anglo-Saxon Mortuary Practices, A.D. 600–700”
Caroline Palmer
FRI | 10 NOV
Panel 3
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Global Innovation and Things that Get in the Way
“An Extensive Review of International Research into the Viability of Wave Power as a Source of Clean and Reliable Energy”
Blake Piling
“When Facts No Longer Cut It: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Scientific Opinion”
Matthew Walden
Panel 4
11:00 a.m.–noon
Women and Refugees in Central America
“The Migrant-Refugee: Salvadoran Migrants Need and Deserve Asylum”
Jacob Newman
“On How Gioconda Belli’s Life is a Microcosm for Women in Nicaragua”
Mary Ann Richardson Pratt
Panel 5
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Developmental Issues in Africa
“Alcohol and Development in Malawi”
Brian Allen
“A School Called Good: The Effects of School Farming Education on Malawian Farmers’ Self-Reliance”
Stephen Hunsaker and Anne Nollet
“The Use of Traditional Medicine to Induce Labor in Malawi”
Tara Neuffer
“Eradicating FGM—Is It Our Place?”
Julianna Woodland (panel organizer)
Refreshments will be served.
Submissions
Topic Requirements
The Inquiry Conference welcomes submissions from all disciplines. Papers that utilize cross-cultural research or are otherwise based on experience abroad are especially welcome. However, any academic paper that is international in scope or content will be considered.
Participant Eligibility
Submission to the Inquiry Conference is open to all students at BYU or other universities regardless of major or field work. Submissions will be accepted prior to either of the two deadlines for submission (see Submission Deadlines below). All pending submissions will be reviewed for acceptance to the conference after each deadline; early submissions, therefore, will have an increased chance of being accepted. Submissions not accepted following the first call will automatically be considered again during the final call selection process.
Prospective participants will receive e-mail notification on receipt of their accurately completed submission forms. All final acceptance decisions will be communicated via e-mail by Friday, 6 October 2017.
Accepted participants will be required to attend an orientation meeting and conference workshop on Saturday, 12 October in order to participate in the Inquiry Conference.
Expectations of Presenters
Presentations will be grouped into thematic conference sessions that last approximately two to two-and-a-half hours. Individual presentations will last for fifteen minutes with ten minutes for questions from the audience. Presenters will have access to standard slide presentation equipment with audio/video capabilities.
Submission Deadlines
Final call: Friday, 22 September 2017
Submission Guidelines
The submission form may be accessed by clicking “Submit Now” at the bottom of this page or in the top right. Information may be typed or pasted into the form. In addition to personal contact information and basic details regarding academic background and field experience, prospective presenters should be prepared to provide the following with their submissions.
Papers
The ideal submission is of a completed academic research paper. As such, papers should carefully follow relevant disciplinary standards for format, grammar, syntax, and source citation.
Proposals
Presenters will be accepted based on the academic quality and promise of their papers.
Please direct questions about the submission requirements or submission form to inquiry.byu@gmail.com or (801) 422-3445.
Inquiry Journal
Published by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, Inquiry: The Journal of Student Cross-Cultural Field Research highlights outstanding student international research that has been presented at the annual Inquiry Conference. Papers cover a variety of topics such as development, health, gender, and religion. See Related Content on the right column for examples of past issues of Inquiry.
Submissions to Volume 11 of Inquiry are due on Tuesday, 30 January 2018.