Loyola students and faculty are in the process of planning the university’s 15th annual Peace Conference, in which students will discuss and debate topics in order to expand their own understanding of global inequality, justice, and conflict.

This year’s theme is titled, “complexities of humanity, everyday life in an interconnected world,” according to Margot Bullock, a Loyola Latin American studies senior who is involved in organizing this year’s conference.

“We want to highlight the fact that there’s so many different pockets of struggles that are happening right now,” she said.

Bullock added that these different areas where people experience struggles are often connected, regardless of cultural or national borders.

The Peace Conference was first organized at Loyola in 2008 by Behrooz Moazami, the founder and director of the university’s Middle East Peace Studies program. Moazami is a distinguished professor at Loyola, journalist, political activist, and author.

Moazami said he started the conference a year after he began teaching at Loyola as a forum for young people to talk about the current problems of life.

2023 will be Moazomi’s last year teaching at Loyola, but he said he is optimistic the program will continue to grow and hopes to continue to be involved in Loyola’s Peace Conference after he leaves.

The conference will take place from March 27 through March 31. Students have the option to submit papers, projects, and designs.

Student submissions are divided into different groups based on their general topics and each group presents their work before a panel of critics, including one student and one professor, for review.

Of all the presentations, a panel of judges will choose three winners, Bullock said.

Bullock said the conference will feature several guest speakers, including Noam Chomsky, a well-known political activist and linguistic theorist. Other guest speakers will discuss topics such as the development of women’s rights and education.

The Peace Conference is an opportunity for students to engage with contemporary issues through meaningful and informed feedback, according to Karina Ceinos, a Loyola history senior also involved in planning this year’s event.

“We bring good people in,” Ceinos said. “People who are qualified to give meaningful and helpful feedback.”