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Upcoming Events

 * = Event coordinated by the Ethics Center

*Stages of Justice: the Transformative Theatre of John O'Neal

Monday, March 15, 2010
Time: 4:00-5:30 pm
Location: Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex (ASAC) Atrium

For John O’Neal, the only theatre that is relevant today is that which is part of the process of redressing injustice and improving the quality of people’s lives—in other words, part of the struggle for peace. In the Free Southern Theatre, created from the momentum of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s and 70’s, through 30 years of Junebug Productions, and in his new Free Southern Theatre Institute, O’Neal has drawn inspiration from African American  folk stories, songs, and culture to address the experience of oppressed people everywhere.  As an actor, writer, and director, he has won honors and acclaim for his work throughout the US and internationally.

In this public presentation and in classes and meetings with student clubs and faculty, O’Neal will reflect on the contributions of theatre to social justice, the techniques of story circles, the state of civil rights in America, and his work in environmental justice, especially in the post-Katrina Gulf.

For more information about Brandeis events and classes, and performances at other Boston-area venues, click here and go to News and Events. This event is hosted by the Alan B. Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence. For more information, email Barbara Epstein.

The Personal is Political: Feminist Activism Over Time

Thursday, March 18, 2010
Time: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
Location: Women's Studies Research Center (WSRC)

In three panels, speakers will discuss women's roles in international conflict resolution in Ireland, Liberia, and Iran; local and international efforts to combat violence against women; and four decades of Our Bodies, Ourselves, the book that launched a worldwide movement to give women control over their reproductive lives and health.  The symposium will conclude with a dance performance entitled “There’s a Dance in the Old Dame Yet.”

March is Women’s History Month and this second biannual WSRC symposium examines the impact feminist activists have had in local, national and global organizations and examines ways the future can be informed by the past.  The program also reflects the interdisciplinary work of the WSRC where “research, art and activism converge” and over seventy-five independent scholars focus on questions related to women’s lives and gender dynamics.

The symposium is free and open to the public.  It is cosponsored by Coexistence International. For a complete schedule or more information, contact Jessica Berns.

*Building Pathways to Sustainable Peace in Sudan: Why We Can't Wait

Monday, March 22, 2010
Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
Location: Heller, Room G2

Gloria White-Hammond, co-founder of My Sister's Keeper, will present this Social Justice Leadership Series lecture. My Sister’s Keeper is a faith-inspired, multiracial collective of women who lend humanitarian assistance to communities of women globally, with a focus on Sudan.

A light dinner will be served. For more information, visit the Social Justice Leadership Series page or contact Jessica Berns.

Sculpture and photo by Tory Fair

*Changing People in a Changing Climate? The Ethical Implications of Climate Disruption

Is it enough to recycle? Is it enough to drive a Prius?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm
Location: Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library

Who bears the responsibility for climate change? What would motivate and inspire people to make actual changes in their lives? Come hear a variety of disciplinary perspectives on climate change, its ethical and educational challenges, and strategies for reducing its causes and ameliorating its consequences.

Introduction by Saleem Ali, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont and Adjunct Professor at Brown, and author of Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future.

Original film of Brandeis community members discussing their thoughts, feelings, and dilemmas about climate change.

Responses by Michael Appell of the International Business School; Bernadette Brooten of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and Classics; Cristina Espinosa of the Sustainable International Development Program in the Heller School; and Tory Fair of Fine Arts. Brief essays by this panel sharing their perspectives on climate change will be available beginning March 15 on Brandeis' campus sustainability website.

Order of Events

• Welcome from the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life
• Treasures of the Earth: Opening Remarks by Saleem Ali, PhD, University of Vermont
• Student environmental installations presented by Tory Fair
• Original film by Charlie Radin and David Weinstein
• A conversation with Michael Appell, Bernadette Brooten, Cristina Espinosa, and Tory Fair
• Comments and questions
• Concluding remarks, Saleem Ali

This event is hosted by the Ethics Center with organizers Charlie Chester of Environmental Studies and Irving Epstein of the Chemistry Department. It is free and open to the public. For a parking pass, visit public safety in the Stoneman Building. For more information, email ethics@brandeis.edu.

Rising from the Ashes: Jewish Families and Children During and After the War

Sunday, April 11-Tuesday, April 13, 2010

From 1939 to 1945, Jewish families were devastated all over Nazi-occupied Europe, and children proved the most vulnerable victims of the violence.  This conference, hosted by the HBI Project on Families, Children, and the Holocaust, will explore the changing patterns of Jewish families and Jewish childhood in Europe during and after the Holocaust. International participants will address three questions: What happened to families and children during the war? How did the genocide impact Jewish families and childhood? What are the child survivors’ memories of their wartime and early postwar experiences?

Keynote Eva Fogelman: “Holocaust Child Survivors Sixty-Five Years After Liberation: From Mourning to Creativity.”

Sunday, April 11, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Brandeis University, Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library

Conference

Monday, April 12, 2010
Time: 8:30 am- 4:00 pm
Location: Waltham Doubletree Hotel, 550 Winter Street, Waltham MA

Film Screening: “My 100 Children” (Meah Yeladim Sheli)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Time: 4:30 pm-6:50 pm
Location: Brandeis University, Wasserman Cinematheque, Sachar Center, International Business School

This event is cosponsored by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the National Center for Jewish Film, the Psychology Department, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, and the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, and is made possible by the support of the Valya and Robert Shapiro Endowment. For more information and a complete conference schedule, click here.

*Sorensen Fellowship 2011 Info Session

Thursday, May 6, 2010
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex (ASAC) Atrium

Conserve the rainforest. Help fight AIDS. Spread literacy. Teach art to orphans.

Given the chance, how would you change the world?

Become a Sorensen Fellow and spend the summer of 2011 working on issues that matter to you in the organization of your choice. For eligibility and more information about the Sorensen Fellowship, click here. Questions? Email ethics@brandeis.edu.

*UnCommencement

Thursday, May 6, 2010
Time: 4:00-5:00 pm
Location: Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex (ASAC) Atrium

Join the Ethics Center in celebrating its graduating seniors. Refreshments will be served!
For more information, email ethics@brandeis.edu.