St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland, is hosting the second Interface: Being a Young Theologian in the World  conference on 4^th and 5^th March 2011. The conference is aimed at young theologians and has two objectives – to explore the role of the young theologian and to explore the role of theology in contemporary society. 

The Conference is the "brain-child" of a group of postgraduate students and recent alumni of the college . We thought that a forum specifically aimed at people who had an interest in theology to see how their studies may impact on the world around them would be both interesting and valuable. At the moment in Ireland there is no formal setting for this.

Some FAQs

What exactly is a "Young Theologian"?

We would be loathe to allocate any age group to a definition of what "young" might be! If you feel you are "young" in terms of your age or your experience with theology then you are more than welcome to propose a paper or a poster! There is no minimum or maximum age-think "neophyte"!

What else is going on at the Conference?

The Conference begins on Friday 4th March with registration at 18:30 and the keynote paper at 19:30. Our keynote speaker is Prof Janet Soskice(http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/contacts/fellows/profiles/soskice.html), Professor of Philosophical Theology at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Jayme Reaves, a postgrduate student from Trinity College, Dublin will be the respondent. Saturday 5th March has been scheduled for paper sessions, lasting from 09:30-18:00. The poster sessions will run throughout the conference.

Do you have a schedule yet?

As we have not scheduled the paper sessions we have not finalised the internal timings of the conference. Registration will begin at 18:30 on the 4^th March with the Conference beginning at 19:30. The conference will end at 18:00 on March 5th.

How much does the conference cost?

Registration for the entire conference is €20, €10 for students and FREE for students of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. This covers coffee breaks and a reception on Friday night.

We will be opening registration in early February 2011 and all participants will need to register.

Can you tell me more about St Patrick’s College, Maynooth?

Our college website is http://www.maynoothcollege.ie/

How do I get to Maynooth?

Details on our location are on the college website http://www.maynoothcollege.ie/location/index.shtml

Please send us an email if you need any specific information on your journey.

Do you have any information on Accommodation?

http://www.maynoothcampus.com/ offers excellent value accommodation on campus in rooms about 2 minutes walk from the Conference venue. Please contact the office by email front.desk@nuim.ie or by phone 00 353 1 708 6400

I’m not sure what a “Poster” entails?

The idea for the poster sessions was inspired by their success in the Society of Biblical Literature meetings that some of the organizers have attended. Posters emphasise dialogue and provide an effective vehicle for exchanging information and ideas with other scholars and for making some of the latest research available to a wider audience. For those students who might be too nervous to give a full paper or may only be at a stage in their work of proposing ideas, a poster gives a valuable opportunity to dialogue with other students and academics in a more relaxed environment.

If you have any questions, please drop us an email!

Some pics of Posters from the SBL Boston 2009