Liberty and Law Center Opens New Round of Paper Proposals

Following a successful first round, the Liberty & Law Center at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School is requesting a new round of paper proposals for its initiative: Voices for Liberty: Free Speech, Civil Rights & Social Progress. The Initiative is focused on examining the role of freedom of speech in numerous civil rights movements, and exploring its potential in future movements. The initiative supports scholarship, public events, and a nationwide speakers’ bureau. Please read on to learn more.

Interested authors: please read the Request for Proposals for a fuller program description and submission requirements.

Paper Information:

The Initiative seeks to cultivate a new round of original thinking that will ultimately appear in academic journals. We are particularly interested in the relationship between social progress for minority and underrepresented groups and freedom of speech, the role free speech plays in advancing contemporary social movements, and the impact of speech regulation, social media, and technology on past, present, and future civil rights movements.

Selected authors will enjoy a substantial support process including an honorarium and research roundtable featuring expert feedback on drafts. Authors will also participate in a panel discussion and develop op/eds in order to publicize their work, with placement support from the Initiative. Authors are expected to complete papers by September 2024.

Submission and Selection:

Please read the RFP for full application details.

August 15, 2023 — 5 p.m. EST Priority Deadline

Full consideration is guaranteed for proposals received by August 15, 2023, with review on a rolling basis after that. The Liberty & Law Center will offer an honorarium to paper authors during the writing process and once papers are placed for publication. Precise amount will depend on selection and final funding, at a minimum of $5,000.

All proposals should include a summary of issues to be addressed, the proposed methodology, and the feasibility of a completed draft by June 2024 for the roundtable, with final submission by September 2024.

Successful proposals will address issues described in the RFP; stem from the author’s expertise; relay a rigorous, knowledgeable, and manageable approach suitable for a law review or academic journal article; and follow the stated submission process.

Questions? Email VFLI@gmu.edu.