January 24, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Alfred Mele: “Do We Have Moral Autonomy: The Power of Situations, People, and Education”
Alfred Mele, a leading researcher and philosopher of conscious decision making and moral autonomy, will discuss the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy.
February 27, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Chris Marr: “A Long, Strange Trip: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in WA State”
One of the State’s three top marijuana regulators, former State Senator Chris Marr, of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, will discuss the challenges of balancing direct democracy with good public policy.
February 21, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Anara Tabyshalieva: “The New ‘Great Game’ in Central Asia”
Anara Tabyshalieva, Professor of History at Marshall University, presents the critical junction of east and west.
February 21, 2014 – Olympia Symposium
“Disengaged Youth: Encouraging Millennials to Vote”
Studies have found that Millennials – those born between 1982 and 2000 – are less civically and politically involved than preceding generations. This demographic group is socially connected but disengaged from political and civic processes, with the lowest voter turnout of any age group. Can this trend be reversed? How can Millennials be re-engaged and enabled to participate?
Co-Sponsored with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation
March 11, 2014 – Business Symposium
“Post-Crisis Financial Reform: Is it Working and Should More be Done?”
In 2008, our economy faced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Has post-reform regulation helped or hindered economic recovery in the United States? What else should be done? Join our panel of experts who will discuss the successes and limits of financial reform over the past few years.
Co-Sponsored with the WSU College of Business
March 13, 2014 – Science, Ethics, & Public Policy Series
“The Moral Status of Animals: The ethics of animal experimentation”
What is the moral status of animals? Should they be used in scientific experimentation and under what constraints? Our panel of experts discussed animal experimentation, with specific consideration of animal cognition, ethical principles and current practices.
March 24, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Jim Elliott: “Remaking Urban Nature: How Industrial Hazards Become Systemic Risks”
Jim Elliott, Professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, “socio- environmental succession” – how hazardous waste accumulates in urban areas in ways that produce cumulatively significant changes in local environments.
March 25, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Mark Stephan: “Is Transparency Good for Democracy?”
Associate Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, Mark Stephan examined the role of transparency in public policy implementation; arguing for a rethinking of democratic accountability in the 21st century.
March 28, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Chief Justice Barbara Madsen: “The Role of an Independent Judiciary in Washington”
From same-sex marriage, to the level of legislative funding of public education, to the power of citizens to impose limits on the legislature’s ability to tax, Chief Justice Barbara Madsen explains that the Court has navigated a fine line between its role guarding constitutionally protected rights and its obligation to defer to the policy preferences of democratically elected majorities.
April 3, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Bob Ferguson: “Following the Money: Accountability in Campaign Finance”
WA Attorney General Ferguson addressed campaign finance disclosure laws and transparency and their importance in both Washington state and Washington, D.C.
April 16, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
David Parker: “Money in Elections: What Montana can tell us about Citizens United”
Associate Professor of Political Science at Montana State University, David Parker discussed how massive spending of outside groups under the Citizens United decision has altered campaigning in the United States.
April 23, 2014 – Media & Politics Symposium
Panel discussion: “The Media and Political Transformation in the Arab World”
Our distinguished panel of experts discussed the power of social media to impact political change. In 2011, civil uprisings that begun in Tunisia and Egypt developed into a wave of protests throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Social media spread dialogue like wildfire; bringing citizens together, giving a voice to the discontent, and disrupting political powers that had long been seen as stagnant.
Co-Sponsored with the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
April 28, 2014 – Coffee & Politics Series
Mary Beth Tinker: “Confessions of a Young Radical”
Free-speech activist Mary Beth Tinker speaks on her Supreme Court case against the Des Moines Public School system.
Co-Sponsored with the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication