This conference considers the state of knowledge in the area of longitudinal studies of the life course and its future. The presentations will serve as the basis of thought and discussion regarding the adequacy of current longitudinal designs to inform elements of the life course paradigm. Our conception of the life course, shaped by Glen Elder’s pioneering work, includes the well-known elements: human development across the entire life-span, human agency in the construction of lives, social networks and the linked nature of lives, the importance of time (both biographical and historical), considerations of social stratification and inequality, and the timing and sequence of influential events, exposures and transitions, as well as their consequences. This conference addresses the extent to which longitudinal research designs help answer these questions. The presentations will cover a wide range of issues spanning the diversity of methodological strategies and the nature of longitudinal designs.

Results of the conference will be disseminated widely in traditional academic outlets, as well as in press releases at the time of the conference. An ultimate goal of the conference is the potential publication of an edited book of collected papers on this topic.