Issues of Race, Ethnicity Focus of Six-Part Lawrence University Lecture Series
APPLETON, WIS. -- The critical role racial and ethnic differences play in problems ranging from crime in America to international disputes will be examined by leading scholars in a six-part Lawrence University lecture series beginning Jan. 8.All six installments of the series, "Race, Ethnicity and Nationality in Changing Societies," will be held at 7 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102 on the Lawrence campus and are free and open to the public.
Mark Beissinger, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, opens the series Monday, Jan. 8 with the address, "Ethnic Conflict and Democracy in Russia and Its Neighbors." Beissinger, a founding director of the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia at the UW, is the author of four books on the former Soviet Union, including his most recent, "Nationalist Mobilization and the Collapse of the Soviet State: A Tidal Approach to the Study of Nationalism."
Robert Lieberman presents, "Politics of Equality and Welfare in Western Democracies," Wednesday, Jan. 10. An associate professor of political science and public affairs at Columbia University, Lieberman is the author of the 1998 book, "Shifting the Color Line: Race and the American Welfare State."
Manning Marable, professor of history and political science and the founding director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University, delivers the address, "Race, Crime and American Justice," Tuesday, Jan. 23. The author of 13 books, including 1998's "Black Leadership," Marable founded and serves as editor of "Souls," a quarterly journal that examines key theoretical issues within black America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
M. Crawford Young, professor of political science and a specialist in African Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presents, "Nationalism and Ethnicity in Africa," Thursday, Jan. 25. He has written more than 80 published articles and is the author of seven books on issues related to the political and cultural development of Africa.
Michael Jones-Correa, associate professor of government at Harvard University, discusses current American political affairs in the address "All Politics is Local: Latinos and the 2000 Election" on Tuesday, Jan. 30. A leading expert on inter-ethnic conflict and coalition-building in U.S. urban areas, Jones-Correa is the author of the 1998 book, "Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City."
Ted Robert Gurr, distinguished university professor at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland, concludes the series Wednesday, Feb. 21 with the address, "The Ethnic Challenge to World Peace." Gurr is a senior member of the White House-initiated State Failure Task Force, which conducts global studies on the risks of internal wars, humanitarian crises and regime collapse.
The lecture series is sponsored by the Lt. William Kellogg Harkins Jr. Values Program and the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies, which promote interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.