Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues: Public Lectures

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How Mentors Can Shape Your Future: A Conversation with a Global Leader

Margee Ensign, David McCormock, and John Jones III

Dickinson College President Margee Ensign and U.S. District Judge John E. Jones will converse with Bridgewater Associates CEO David McCormick (Bridgewater Associates manages approximately $160 billion in global investments). They will discuss the importance of mentorship and the role mentors can play in developing leadership skills.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the Office of the President. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
The Science of COVID-19: Aspects of Infection, Immunity, Treatment and Testing

John Henson

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has been called the “perfect pathogen” due to it being both highly infectious and virulent. This presentation will provide an overview of our current understanding of how the virus damages the lungs, the good – and bad – of the resulting immune response, the potential for treatments/vaccines, and the mechanisms underlying the various testing strategies.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Global Pandemic: What it Reveals About Prospects for a Sustainable World

Heather Bedi, Michael Beevers, and Neil Leary

The effects and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are making visible stark differences in who and what are vulnerable and resilient to its widespread disruptions and dislocations. In this panel discussion, we will explore what the pandemic is revealing about existing inequities and vulnerabilities and implications for pursuing sustainable development goals.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the Center for Sustainability Education and is part of Dickinson’s Earth Day Teach-in.
Carlisle Artists and Arts Organizations Respond to COVID-19

Becky Richeson, Erika Juran, Sarah Skaggs, and Zach King

The Coronavirus Pandemic and resulting closure of non-essential businesses, the practice of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders have had serious impacts the lives of artists and arts organizations all across the country. In this discussion we will hear from a local musician and several arts organizations and find out how they are adjusting to this new reality. Panelists include Erika Juran, Carlisle Regional Performing Arts Center; Zach King, Singer/Songwriter; Becky Richeson, Carlisle Arts Learning Center; and Sarah Skaggs, Dickinson College.

The virtual panel will take place via Zoom and will be available for live streaming on the Clarke Forum’s YouTube page or by visiting Clarke.dickinson.edu for the live stream link. Members of the public are invited to watch the discussion and submit questions for panelists in the comments section of the YouTube live stream.
Adapting to Challenging Times: Local Small Businesses Navigate the Coronavirus Response

Kirk Ream, Stephanie Gilbert, and Tanis Monroy

The Coronavirus Pandemic and resulting closure of non-essential businesses and shelter-in-place orders have had serious impacts on small businesses across the nation. In this discussion, small business owners in Carlisle will share the new realities local businesses are adjusting to and how businesses in the Carlisle area are responding to the challenges presented by the pandemic.

Members of the public are invited to watch the discussion and submit questions for panelists in the comments section of the YouTube live stream.

The event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Food in a Time of Crisis

Andrea Karns, Jenn Halpin, and Robert Weed

Access to quality food was already an issue for many families in Central Pennsylvania prior to the arrival of the coronavirus. Today, the question of access is more urgent for many more people. Supply chains are also threatened, as our efforts to respond to the health crisis creates all kinds of unforeseen challenges. A panel of experts will discuss food, food supply chains and food access during a time of crisis.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Why Are We Optimistically Biased About Our Risks_ Applications to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Marie Helweg-Larsen

The optimistic bias (thinking you are less at risk than other people) is well documented. This talk will explain why it is so pervasive and how it can help us understand complacency in following coronavirus precautionary behaviors.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Providing Safe Shelter when Home is Not a Haven from Crisis

Jason Brode, Sonya Browne, Colleen Kinney, and Scott Shewell

Around the world people are being told to stay home to help flatten the curve against the spread of Covid-19. But what happens if your home is not safe to shelter-in-place? According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 123 victims lost their lives to domestic violence last year in Pennsylvania. How is COVID-19 and government recommendations to stay at home, impacting members of our community who are at risk? Representatives from Domestic Violence Services for Cumberland and Perry County, Safe Harbour, YWCA and the AMEND Program will talk about what their organizations and programs are doing to support survivors in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and what resources are available for individuals and families who are not safe (or at risk) at home.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues at Dickinson College.
Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott & His Team Explain How They're Responding to Covid-19

Tim Scott, Sean Shultz, Susan Armstrong, and Jeffrey Snyder

Participants:

Tim Scott, Mayor
Sean Shultz, Deputy Mayor
Susan Armstrong, Borough Manager
Jeffrey Snyder, Carlisle Fire Chief

Please join us for our first live-streamed event with our local officials concerning Carlisle’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
From Community Engagement to the Good Society

Randy Stoecker

How do we go from “keeping things the same” through charity forms of service to “making things better” through social change forms of community engagement? This talk will argue for why we should make the switch and how we can do it.

The program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by The Center for Civic Learning & Action grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Department of Middle East studies. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Civic Engagement and the Liberal Arts.
While Reason Slept: Recapturing the Founders’ Vision of a Rational Republic

Tom Brier

How did we get to our current state of political acrimony? Brier, the author of While Reason Slept, will walk us through the beginning of our national politics to the present day before offering a solution for recapturing our Founding Fathers’ path to a rational Republic.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Protests Around the World

Heather Bedi, Angela DeLutis-Eichenberger, Nicoletta Marini-Maio, Mireille Rebeiz, and Ed Webb

Protests are breaking around the world, and people are demanding immediate action and calling for changes in governmental, political, and environmental policies. What sparked these protests, and what is next for many of the countries involved? Panelists will address world-wide environmental activism as well as political protests in Algeria, Chile, Iraq, Italy, and Lebanon.

This program in sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Psychedelics: Science, Medicine and Politics

Rick Doblin

This lecture will discuss the politics of psychedelic research from the 1960s to today. Doblin will explore the history of MDMA, mechanisms of actions of psychedelics, and efforts to medicalize psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, depression and other indications.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of philosophy and psychology, the anthropology club, the neuroscience club, the Health Studies Program and the Program in Policy Studies. This program was initiated by the Clarke Forum student project managers and is also part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
An Anticipatory Memoir: Aging on the Diagonal

Bill Durden

Advanced age – or what is commonly called “The Third Chapter” – arguably remains without operative definition, although so many citizens globally are entering that phase of life. Based upon personal reflection, a definition is proposed for debate – a definition that could lead to a “Good Life.”

The program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and is part of our The Good Life series. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
Educating for Democracy in a Post-Truth Era

Lynn Pasquerella

This talk will address how reclaiming the civic mission of colleges and universities as a central component of a 21st-century liberal education is essential for preparing students to thrive in a globally interdependent world.

The program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of educational studies and Spanish & Portuguese. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Civic Engagement and the Liberal Arts. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
Rwanda at 25

Margee Ensign, Mathilde Mukantabana, Jean-Pierre Karegeye, and Nelly Teta Ntwali

In 1994 more than a million people were murdered in Rwanda over the course of about 100 days in one of the century’s most brutal and shocking instances of genocide. Since that time, Rwanda has not only recovered but has become a beacon in Africa for thoughtful and equitable development. In the words of President Paul Kagame: “In 1994 there was no hope, only darkness. Today, light radiates from this place. How did it happen? Rwanda became a family again.” This panel discussion will address the nature of the new Rwandan “family,” how Rwanda has achieved its remarkable recovery, and what we can all learn from its truly remarkable successes.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Deepfake

Tim Hwang, Amy McKiernan, and James Sias

Deepfake, a term coined in 2017, is an artificial intelligence technique which uses generative adversarial networks to create fake videos. Deepfakes have been used in pornography (both to fake the presence of public figures in pornographic videos, typically well known actresses, and in “revenge porn”). Those examples illustrate clearly the threat posed by deepfakes to privacy and human rights. To date their use in politics has been very limited, but the threat to democratic institutions is quite real.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of mathematics & computer science, political science, the Program in Policy Studies and the Order of Scroll and Key. It was initiated by the Clarke Forum’s student project managers.
Fallout from the American Military Withdrawal from Northern Syria

Chris Bolan, David Commins, Larry Goodson, and Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob

The recent abrupt withdrawal of United States military forces from the Syrian side of the border with Turkey immediately and drastically altered the balance of power in that volatile region. The panel will explore the ramifications of the U.S. withdrawal: Turkey’s military intervention, the dismantling of the Syrian Kurds’ autonomous zone, Russia’s ascent as the main powerbroker in Syria, the decline of American influence, and the prospect of a revival of the Islamic State.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Cultural Politics of Taste: Mobility and Food Culture

Krishnendu Ray

This talk is about a minor culinary culture in North America, which goes by the moniker “Indian.” It will address its popularity and location in a hierarchy of taste. A book sale and signing will follow the presentation.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of environmental studies and American studies, the Food Studies Program, First Year Seminar Program, and the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity.
Just Run

Gene Dykes

Gene Dykes, Record-Holding Master Marathoner, will explore the many ways running is made overly complicated and how both running and your life can be made so much more enjoyable by employing his “Just Run” philosophy.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Department of Athletics and the Office of Student Leadership & Campus Engagement.
Perspectives on Impeachment

Susan Feldman, David O'Connell, Kathryn Heard, and Gregory Steirer

A panel discussion on the general topic of impeachment in the context of the ongoing impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump from legal, political, ethical, and media perspectives.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Queer Intersectionalities: The Communicative Dimensions of Race, Masculinity and Sexuality

Bryant Keith Alexander

This lecture will use critical autoethnography as a mode of examining the queer intersectionalities of race, masculinity and sexuality as a positionality of power. A book sale and signing will follow the presentation.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and a Civic Learning and Engagement Initiative Grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and co-sponsored by the Division of Student Life, the departments of English, American studies, psychology, and women’s, gender & sexuality studies, the Women’s & Gender Resource Center, the Office of LGBTQ Services, the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity, and the Office of the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusivity. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Masculinities.
Am I a Real Man? Questioning Masculinity with a Beginner’s Mind

Thomas Page McBee

Author of Man Alive and Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man, as well as the first trans man to box in Madison Square Garden, McBee shares what masculinity means, and what it definitely does not mean. A book sale and signing will follow the presentation.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and a Civic Learning and Engagement Initiative Grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and co-sponsored by the Women’s & Gender Resource Center and the departments of English and philosophy. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Masculinities.
Brexit: Where it Stands, What it Means

Mark Duckenfield, Oya Dursun-Özkanca, and Ed Webb

It has been over three years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, yet a negotiated agreement to enable an orderly exit is still not in place. Many describe this situation as the worst political crisis faced by the UK in several decades. The final deadline is fast approaching. Our panelists will address several questions concerning the present moment and what to expect moving forward.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues.
Storytelling, Emotion Culture, and Performative Citizenship in the Undocumented Immigrants Movement

Kathryn Abrams

How have a group of immigrants who lack formal legal status, and have been targeted by anti-immigrant enforcement in their state, developed the sense of authorization necessary to become outspoken and effective activists? This lecture, which draws on four years of observation and interviews with undocumented activists in Phoenix, Arizona, will explore three practices that have helped to form this new social movement. This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Women’s & Gender Resource Center, the departments of philosophy and political science, the Program in Policy Studies and the Churchill Fund. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.