Commonwealth Speakers:Values and Public Life


President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama. From Bush, Obama, Energy and You. Photo courtesy Executive Office of the President.

Ideas are at the core of the humanities. Addressing these ideas from a philosophical perspective allows us to make logical judgments and decisions about the world and how we should navigate it. This category includes a wide range of topics, some controversial, that are vital to understanding who we are and where we are going.

America the Philosophical L
This lecture, based on Carlin Romano's book of the same name, argues that contemporary America is to philosophy as Norway is to skiing: a perfectly designed environment for the activity. While telling a story that includes many figures (including Franklin, Emerson, Richard Rorty and Martha Nussbaum), Romano reaches beyond standard tales of American philosophy by also assessing such usually-excluded thinkers as feminists, preachers, journalists, social scientists, broadcasters and pop psychologists. Audiences examine them in the course of identifying a form of philosophy that's distinctly American and true to America's diverse texture.

Carlin Romano, Philadelphia
Literary Critic, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Bush, Obama, Energy and You L
Most Americans have felt the impact of energy price spikes and have heard about the threat of global warming. This interactive presentation explores energy and environmental policies of the Bush and Obama administrations, including proposals for offshore drilling and alternative energy projects such as wind farms. In a balanced presentation, Rob McMonagle integrates his teaching and political experiences to help citizens better understand the political and social forces driving those decisions. Further, audiences are empowered to continue educating themselves and to contact lawmakers, exercising their voices and hopefully bolstering American democracy.

Equipment: Podium (with microphone, if space is large), laptop computer with Internet access & USB/flash drive port, screen, chair and table.

Robert McMonagle, Aston
Political Science Assistant Professor, Neumann College

Chimeras & Frankenpets: Ethics Issues in Animal Biotechnology F L
What in 1996 was considered a remarkable feat—the cloning of Dolly the Sheep in Scotland—is today almost commonplace. To date, scientists successfully have cloned many other species including cats, horses, deer, chickens, cows, rats and, most recently, dogs. But, despite all of this research (and polling data showing that 64% of Americans believe that animal cloning is morally wrong), there has been little public discussion of the ethics of this science. To advance the discussion, we examine the ethical issues raised by this novel research, so that an informed public can help shape the direction this science takes as it advances.

Equipment: Laptop computer, LCD projector, microphone, podium and screen.

Autumn Fiester, Philadelphia
Graduate Studies Director, Medical Ethics Department, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Paradox of Leadership L
In this presentation, Roger Lane examines how Franklin Delano Roosevelt, despite his undistinguished background as a student and as a lawyer, rose to international prominence. The talk focuses on how Roosevelt conquered his handicaps, learned to play the political game and surprised both friends and foes by seizing leadership at a time of national need.

Equipment: Microphone and podium.

Roger Lane, Haverford
Social Sciences Research Professor, Haverford College

The Little Red Schoolhouse: An American Icon F L
This presentation asks how, and why, the "little red schoolhouse" became an American icon. Amid the industrial boom of the late 1800s, poets began to celebrate the one-room school as the locus of America's lost rural simplicity. Critiques of single-teacher schools from the Progressive and Depression eras melted away in the '40s and '50s. From the 1960s onwards, conservatives would celebrate the one-room school for its rigid discipline and instruction. Meanwhile on the left, Americans praised it as the precursor to group learning and other pedagogical innovations. Across the political and ideological spectrum, everyone envisioned the schoolhouse that they needed to see. Utilizing projected images and discussion, this presentation encourages diverse audiences to share their own views and impressions.

Equipment: Overhead projector (that displays plastic transparencies) and screen.

Jonathan Zimmerman, Narberth
Education & History Professor, New York University

Pennsylvania Environmental History: From Earth Day 1970 to Global Warming F L
This interactive lecture provides Pennsylvanians with an overview of important historical and contemporary environmental issues that have affected Pennsylvania—from the first Earth Day in 1970 to the current problem of global warming. Along with highlighting the contributions of Pennsylvania's own Rachel Carson and the impact of Silent Spring, we also explore topics such as the Three Mile Island nuclear crisis, the Centralia coal fire, the problem of invasive species, suburban expansion into farmland and the contamination and cleanup of Philadelphia's rivers. The PowerPoint® presentation concludes with a review of why Pennsylvania produces 1% of the world's greenhouse emissions and what Pennsylvanians can do about it.

Equipment: LCD project. Speaker will bring his laptop.

Paul Rosier, Villanova
History Associate Professor, Villanova University

The Supreme Court in Times of Crisis L
What role has the United States Supreme Court played during times of crisis? Whether during 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 the national interest against individual rights. The results have varied, but the Court has the final word and its decisions often are controversial. Robert Langran examines the history of these decisions. He also places an emphasis on the current Court and its decisions involving the Bush administration and its treatment of detainees.

Equipment: Podium and microphone.

Robert Langran, Rosemont
Political Science Professor, Villanova University

Key to Presentations
F Family/Younger Audiences
H Hands-on/Active Participation
L Lectures
P Performances
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