Commonwealth Speakers:Debates and Controversies
William Jennings Bryan, known as America's "Great Commoner" played a significant role as a lawyer in the famed Scopes Trial.
The Return of the Scopes Trial? Thinking Intelligently About Intelligent Design and Science Education
In 1925 the famous Tennessee Scopes Trial excited and challenged nearly all Americans. What, we found ourselves asking, is our best understanding of the origins and diversity of life on earth? Can religious and scientific approaches to this question be reconciled? Need they be? And perhaps most importantly, what should our children be taught about these matters in the public schools? Today, Pennsylvanians are facing these questions again as legislators, school boards, scientists, and parents square off over the legitimacy of the new contender in the debate, intelligent design. Gary Hardcastle looks at the history of the Scopes Trial, explains the controversy over intelligent design, and discusses how to think constructively about science and religion. Requirements: Screen and overhead projector.
Gary L. Hardcastle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg
The Supreme Court in Times of Crisis
How has the Supreme Court of the United States handled crisis situations? Whether it be the Civil War, World War I, the Depression, World War II, the Cold War, or the current war against terrorism, the Supreme Court has had to weigh national interest against individual rights. The results have varied, but the Court has the final word—and its decisions are almost always controversial. Robert Langran will examine the history of these decisions and discuss their contemporary manifestations and ramifications for civil liberties. Microphone preferred.
Robert Langran, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Villanova University, Villanova
Social Security: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
There are many approaches to understanding Social Security, from the economics of the program to the needs it fills for recipients. Today, approximately 47 million people receive regular checks from Social Security, the cornerstone of our social welfare system. Not just retirees receive benefits - about 15 million Americans receive disability and survivors benefits as well. George Haskett will discuss Social Security in terms of social insurance, the role the program plays in the lives of Americans, and the future of the program.
George Haskett, D.S.W., Associate Professor of Social Work, Marywood University, Scranton
Crisis Game: The United Nations Security Council During a World Crisis
Crisis games were created at the height of the Cold War, to help the U.S. government learn how to avoid false steps in showdowns with the Soviet Union that might result in thermonuclear annihilation. Today, the world's more imminent dangers are in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula. Participants in Craig Eisendrath's presentation will be assigned a role as Security Council representatives from countries around the world, the Secretary General, or the news media. Eisendrath will present a crisis scenario and ongoing developments from either Iraq or Korea to the players, who in turn will respond with speeches and resolutions in their roles. Through the crisis game, audiences will learn about the complex nature of international relations, and gain a better understanding of the role the United States plays in the world community and in shaping international policy.
Craig Eisendrath, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, Washington, D.C. (resides in Philadelphia)
The Constitution and Citizen Participation
Kimberly Adams details the various ways that average citizens can use the Constitution to make American government work for them, challenging the idea that Americans are somehow not sovereign. Through both historical and contemporary examples, participants will learn about how citizen activists use the political participation ensured by the Constitution to successfully advocate changes in policy and/or fundamental government reforms. Requirements: Microphone and podium.
Kimberly Adams, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven
The Colors of the American Political Spectrum
Since the 2000 Presidential election, political reporters and commentators have neatly and conveniently divided American states and voters into red and blue - but the reality of political life and interests in the United States is much more complex. Thomas Baldino explores the core concepts and values at the heart of the American political system, and traces their evolution from the 18th Century through today. Dr. Baldino will explain how many of our arguments and disagreements about public policy are not about Democrats and Republicans, but are instead a result of how our two most cherished principles - liberalism and democracy - actually compete with one another. Screen, overhead projector and LCD projector preferred but not required.
Thomas J. Baldino, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre
Ageism Explored: Serious, Funny, Mean or All of the Above?
In recent years, scholars have begun examining age bias as a cultural phenomenon in America. What constitutes "ageism," i.e. unreasonable bias against the elderly, is still a matter of debate. Do greeting card companies purvey ageism in joke cards about late-life birthdays? Are age limitations or compulsory retirement for airline pilots or police officers age discrimination? And there is a growing body of law about age discrimination as well. What does the law require and permit? What do older people think about ageism? Elias Cohen will explore the nuances of age bias in an open discussion of age and American culture.
Elias S. Cohen, Attorney and Aging and Disability Scholar, Wynnewood
The Arab-Israeli Conflict in American Cinema
Film representations of the Arab-Israeli conflict both reflect and exploit the situation, often reducing it to Good vs. Evil Hollywood conventions. Early films like Exodus and Cast a Giant Shadow portrayed super-heroic Israelis in combat with villainous Arabs. The wave of Palestinian terrorism in the 1970s unleashed an American fear of terrorism that found expression in the films Rosebud and Black Sunday. Later films, such as The Little Drummer Girl and Hanna K., see filmmakers redrawing the conflict in terms of competing rights, rather than propagandizing for one side or the other. Using excerpts from these films, Amiram Amitai will explore the emerging and contentious American perspective on the conflict through its on-screen life. Requirements: TV/VCR and microphone. For larger audiences, video projector preferred.
Amiram Amitai, Filmmaker and Adjunct Professor, Gratz College, Bryn Mawr College, Temple and Drexel Universities, Philadelphia