Diverse Speakers Highlight Arts & Sciences Lecture Series
The Arts & Sciences Lecture Series will feature four distinguished speakers lecturing on genocide, earthquake and tsunami danger, international politics and national security. The program is free and open to the public.
“The Division of Arts and Sciences aspires to provide unique opportunities for students to gain a broader understanding of human culture and global societies from a multi-disciplinary perspective,” said Timothy Hack, chair of History and Social Sciences. “Co-curricular events provide students the opportunity to incorporate the ideas presented in the talks with the theories, methodologies and content they have encountered in their studies at MCC.”
The first program, on Thursday, March 30, is on “The Long Shadow of Genocide: From WWI to the Rise of ISIS.” Khatchig Mouradian of Columbia University will speak on genocide over the past century. This assault on humanity has a long history. Drawing parallels with the Armenian Genocide in 1915, Dr. Mouradian will discuss mass violence and its aftermath as well as the connection between refugee crises and genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is at 2 p.m. in the Parkview Room in West Hall. The event is in cooperation with the MCC Holocaust and Human Rights Center.
Alexander Gates of Rutgers University will lecture on “Earthquake and Tsunami Dangers in New Jersey” on Thursday, April 13 at 2 p.m. in the Parkview Room. Dr. Gates’s research area is fault zones, tectonics and their processes. Dr. Gates has published four books, including “Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes,” and extensively in scholarly journals. The Discovery Channel has twice featured Dr. Gates in televised documentaries. His talk will focus on the dangers posed by natural disasters in New Jersey.
The keynote speech will be Monday, April 17 at 11:15 a.m. in West Hall, Parkview Room by Wafaa Bilal of New York University. He will talk on “Performing Change.” He is known internationally for his on-line performances and interactive works provoking dialogue about international politics and internal dynamics. He will discuss his most recent work as well as other aspects of his life and career.
The series wraps up with Michael Barany, who will talk about “Resilience Mindset in National Security,” which will include discussion of current and emerging threats from within the United States and throughout the world. Dr. Barany has extensive knowledge of security and risk management, and he is currently working with U.N. Women in Security Access Strategy in Fragile States. He focuses primarily on developing organizational strategy and response to expansion of operations into fragile states and humanitarian spaces. It will be Monday, April 24 at 11 a.m. in the Brunswick Room in Crabiel Hall.