Center for Ethics

President Obama and the Supreme Court -- A Conversation with Nadine Strossen

Public Talk by Nadine Strossen, Former President of the ACLU

Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law at New York Law School, is the
former President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a position she
held from 1991-2008. She was the first woman to head the ACLU, the
nation's largest and oldest civil liberties organization.

Strossen has written, lectured, and practiced extensively in the areas
of constitutional law, civil liberties, and international human rights.

Racial Borders: Law and Citizenship in the United States, 1787-2009

Lecture by Deborah Rosen, Lafayette College

Professor Rosen will discuss the changing racial borders of citizenship in American history. Specifically, she will analyze the evolution of constitutional law pertaining to African Americans' citizenship, the complex debate about American Indian citizenship, and the "whiteness" prerequisite for naturalization of immigrants.

Deborah Rosen holds a Ph.D from Columbia University. Her most recent book is American Indians and State Law: Sovereignty, Race, and Citizenship, 1790-1880 (Nebraska, 2007), and Courts and Commerce: Gender, Law, and the Market Economy in Colonial New York (Ohio State, 1997). She is also co-editor of Early American Indian Documents: Treaties and Laws, 1607-1789.

Race and Citizenship - A Viewing of the film "Banished" with talkback by students from the Living-Learning Community

Film Viewing with Talkback by students from the Center's Living-Learning Community
Co-Sponsored with the Department of Media and Communication

Through conversations with current residents and the descendants of those who were driven out, the film contemplates questions of privilege, responsibility, denial, healing, reparations and identity.  What can be done to redress past injustices? What is the ongoing impact of the expulsions on families and communities today? In the stories of black families whose land and livelihood were stolen, the film illustrates the limits of the American legal system and the need for creative forms of repair. By introducing these families and the white communities who forced them out, BANISHED raises the question of responsibility for past wrongs and what is involved in righting them.

What are Our Responsibilities as Global Citizens?  A Viewing of the Film "The Devil on Horseback" with Talkback by the RJ Fellows

Film Viewing with Talkback by students from the RJ Fellows Program.
Co-Sponsored with the Department of Media and Communication and the RJ Fellows Program.

"The Devil Came on Horseback" by Ricki Sterne

The tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness and who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it. Uses the photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle to take the viewer on a journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of its black African citizens. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed. We witness Steidle's transformation from soldier to observer to witness and, finally, to passionate activist and moral hero.

"Assessing Obama's Foreign Policy at One Hundred Days"

Lecture by John Hamre, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Sponsored with the Department of Political Science and Lectures & Forums

John Hamre was elected Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) president and CEO in January 2000. Before joining CSIS, he served as the 26th U.S. deputy secretary of defense. Prior to that, from 1993 to 1997, he served as under secretary of defense (comptroller). As comptroller, he was the principal assistant to the secretary of defense for the preparation, presentation, and execution of the defense budget and management improvement programs. In 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appointed Dr. Hamre to serve as chairman of the Defense Policy Board.

Panel Discussion -- "Change We Can Believe In?: Evaluating Obama's First 100 Days"

Panelists:
-Dr. Saladin M. Ambar, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Government & Law, Lafayette College
-Dr. Judith Lasker, NEW Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Lehigh University
-Dr. Jeremy Tobacman, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Related Programs:

Workshops, Lectures and Performance by The Anomalies.

Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Life, the Office of Student Activities, Women's Studies, Center for Ethics, and Theatre and Dance

Four Hip Hop (hour-long) Workshops

Reservations required!

Please email Ryan T. Acquaotta:  ra233755@muhlenberg.edu for further information and to reserve your space.

12-1pm, MC'ing Freestyling Workshop
1-2pm, DJ'ing
2-3pm, Beat Production with REASON (studio recording software)
3-4pm, Breakdancing

Concert by ANOMOLIES

ANOMOLIES is an all female collective with members spanning across the hiphop spectrum including emcees, deejays, b-girls, producers, visual artists, and beyond.

ANOMOLIES has performed extensively throughout New York, Philly, Cali, to as far as Paris, France. They have spoken on panels and facilitated workshops in various community organizations and schools, as well as numerous hiphop festivals at universities throughout the country. Opening for acts such as Talib Kweli, MC Lyte, Bahamadia, Medusa, Pharoah Monch, and Le Tigre, ANOMOLIES has earned the respect of its peers, and is currently working on their highly anticipated solo and collaborative projects.

The purpose of ANOMOLIES is to provide space for women to: *Develop themselves as artists *Make a living through their art while maintaining personal and professional integrity *Build a strong support and resource network of other committed and passionate artists -Our vision is to create a channel for overshadowed perspectives to come to light.