Spring 2018
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Monday, Feb. 5| 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
Gender, violence, and civil conflicts
Jane Freedman is professor of politics at Université de Paris 8. Her most recent book is Gender, Violence and Politics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ashgate, 2016). View more.
Wednesday, Feb. 7| 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
Coffee & Politics: Trump and Evangelical America
Matthew Sutton is the Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor, the Graduate Studies Director in WSU’s Department of History, and a Guggenheim Fellow. His recent book American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism (Harvard University Press, 2014) was named a Choice “Outstanding Academic Title of 2015” by the American Library Association. View more.
Tuesday, Feb. 13| 4:30 | CUE 203
Science and Public Policy: Why is Science such a hard sell?
Steven Stehr professor of political science at WSU, Patricia Hunt professor of molecular biosciences at WSU, and Kristen Intemann professor of philosophy at Montana State University.
Tuesday, March 6| 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
Coffee & Politics: Steve Bannon and the far-right danger
Joan Braune is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Gonzaga University. She is author of Erich Fromm’s Revolutionary Hope (2014) and is currently writing a new book on Steve Bannon’s ideology and the U.S. alt-right.
Wednesday, March. 21| 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
The Hanford Site: Plutonium Production in Washington
Steve Olson is a writer and author of the recent book Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens. He is a consultant writer for the National Academy of Sciences, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and other national organizations.
Tuesday, March 27th | 10:00 a.m. | Foley Speaker’s Room
Bob Ferguson: Defending the Dreamers
Bob Ferguson is Washington State’s Attorney General. He, along with 14 other states’ attorney generals, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In early 2018, federal judges granted injunctions to keep DACA in place for now.
Thursday, March 29| 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
Lisa Brown (D): U.S. Fifth Congressional District
Lisa Brown is the Democratic candidate running for Washington’s 5th Congressional district, the seat currently held by Cathy McMorris-Rodgers. Brown served in the Washington State Legislature for more than 20 years, and served as Senate Majority Leader from 2005 – 2013. After leaving the legislature, she became chancellor of Washington State University Spokane until 2017, where she oversaw the creation of the College of Medicine. She received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Colorado, and has previously taught at both Eastern Washington University and at Gonzaga University.
Monday, April 9th | 4:30 p.m. | CUE 203
U.S. nuclear weapons: What are they good for?
General Kevin Chilton, (U.S. Air Force, Ret.), who spoke about America’s nuclear deterrence capabilities. Recalling that there has not been a major war since nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World War, Chilton made a forceful case for the need to maintain and improve the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the United States. He suggested that it was important keep pace with potential enemies in the world, given the increasing proliferation of nuclear arms despite numerous treaties.
Chilton went on to say that the best approach for an army is not to fight a war, but to prevent one from taking place, and that failing to do so could easily lead to the end of our country and way of life as we know it.
Tuesday, April 10th | 12:00 | Foley Speaker’s Room
Fighting serious crimes: Strategies and tactics for conflict-affected societies
Colette Rausch is the associate vice president of Global Practice and Innovation at the US Institute of Peace. She has directed or participated in missions and projects in more than two dozen countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Libya, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Yemen, Senegal, and Sri Lanka. She will be signing copies of her recently published book, Fighting Serious Crimes: Strategies and Tactics for Conflict-Affected Societies after the event.
Friday, April 13th | 12:00 p.m. | Foley Speaker’s Room | 5:00 p.m.| CUE 203
Join us for a panel discussion on how higher education can help people find more productive lives after serving time in prison. Featuring Omari Amili, University of Washington, Tacoma; Christopher Beasley, University of Washington, Tacoma; Gina Castillo Perez, Washington State University; Christopher Poulos, Statewide Reentry Council; Tarra Simmons, Public Defender Association; and Noel Vest, Washington State University.
Wednesday, April 18th | 12:00 p.m. | Foley Speaker’s Room
Behind the Button: The 2018 nuclear posture review
Christopher Keane is WSU’s Vice President for Research and Professor of Physics.The U.S. Department of Defense recently released the Nuclear Posture Review 2018, outlining what nuclear weapon systems the U.S. should build and deploy in coming years, including new low-yield warheads.