ULAB, GSDS organize conference on non-violent communication

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)'s Media Studies and Journalism Department organised an online conference on "Integrating Non-Violent Communication in Curriculum" in collaboration with Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), India. The conference was held on the Zoom platform on 16 October 2021.

The conference aimed to bring together academicians from the disciplines of communication, media and peace studies to discuss and reflect on the deepening of globalization, rise of hate speech and the advent of a post-truth era, and featured speakers from Bangladesh, India, Thailand, the Philippines and Sweden.

The speakers at the conference discussed different aspects of non-violent communication and its importance in today’s society, and showcased their experiences of integrating the concept in the curricula of different disciplines including communication, journalism and media studies, peace studies, development communication, etc.

In the opening session, the welcome speech was delivered by GSDS Director Sh. Dipanker Shri Gyan while ULAB MSJ Department Head Prof. Jude William Genilo presented the concept note of the conference. GSDS Programme Officer Dr. Vedabhyas Kundu delivered the keynote speech. Dr Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal, Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator moderated the opening session.

In Plenary Session 1, chaired by Dr Vedabhyas Kundu, the speakers included Nandita Tabassum Khan (Media Studies and Journalism Department, ULAB), and Dr. Ruchita Chowdhury (Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, India). Nandita Tabassum Khan showcased how the MSJ department integrated the concept of non-violence in its curriculum while Dr Ruchita presented the experience of Department of Mass Communication and Journalism in Khwaja Mainuddin Chisti Language University, India.

In Plenary Session 2, chaired by Prof. Jude William Genilo, the speakers included Dr. Maria Margarita Alvina-Acosta (Miriam College, the Philippines), Dr. Kamolrat Intaratat (Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand) and Dr. Greg Simons (Uppsala University, Sweden). Dr. Maria Margarita Alvina-Acosta reflected on the experience of Miriam College to hold a holistic approach on peace education.

Dr Kamolrat brought experiences from Thai institutions while Dr Greg Simons reflected on non-violence communication in tackling violent communication at personal and community level.

Dr Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal delivered the vote of thanks with concluding remarks.