UNG to host Conference on the Americas

The Conference on the Americas is returning to the University of North Georgia (UNG) from Feb. 20-21, and submissions of abstracts are due by Nov. 18. Information on abstract submission and registration is available on the conference webpage.

Dr. Alvaro Torres-Calderon, conference co-chair and UNG associate department head of Modern Languages, is excited to welcome students and faculty from across the state to UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

"This conference continues to serve as an important space for faculty, students and researchers from across the University System of Georgia and beyond to share their work and exchange ideas on the social, cultural, political, and economic issues shaping the Americas," Torres-Calderon said.

UNG's College of Arts & Letters and Mike Cottrell College of Business are hosting the conference. The Americas Council of the University System of Georgia sponsors the event, and it includes UNG, the University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia State University Perimeter College, Georgia Southern University (Armstrong Campus), Georgia Gwinnett College, and the University of West Georgia.

Dr. Kristi Hislope, also a conference co-chair and UNG department head of Modern Languages, appreciates the warm and welcoming environment of the conference, along with its interdisciplinary nature.

"You can learn so much about areas that are not your own," Hislope said. "That's the beauty of this conference."

T.J. Hageli, a senior from Dawsonville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in political science with a pre-law concentration, presented at the 2025 Conference on the Americas at UGA. His research was "A comparison of the party systems in Uruguay and Peru and their effects." He was grateful for the growth the conference allowed him to experience.

"I enjoyed seeing professionals who live in this world be genuinely interested in what we had to say and our thoughts on the topics," Hageli said. "You get to see what's expected of you at a conference. You also have opportunities to make connections with students and faculty members from other schools."

Topics and categories of presentations on Latin America, Caribbean, Canada, and the U.S. include: regional politics; regional economics, trade and business issues; migration and immigrants; ecology and the environment; cultural studies, anthropology, arts, and language and literature; sociological issues and social problems; gender; Indigenous populations; regional, global and other geographical issues; education; health in the Americas; science and technology; history, ethnographic and archaeological science; Latin American studies and philosophy; teaching paradigms; and study abroad programs and outcomes.