Recent Forums—Fall 2009 and Spring 2009
Building an Ethical Economy: Theology and the Marketplace
Hosted by Trinity Institute, New York
February 5, 5pm-9pm
February 6, 9am-4pm
$30 Registration fee includes dinner on Friday, morning coffee and lunch on Saturday
Stata 32-123 — click here for map
Featuring:
Archbishop Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury
Sir Partha Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge
Kathryn Tanner, Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School
We will serve as the Boston gathering site for this national conference, using video of the conference and speakers, reflecting in small groups on the presentations. THe following luminaries will serve as respondents and discussion group leaders:
Catherine Mann, Professor of Economics, Brandeis University
Joan Martin, Associate Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge
Anthony Zuba, Lead Organizer, Massachusetts Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice
Co-sponsored with the Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA, Boston Faith and Justice Network, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Life Together: The Young Adult Internship Programs of the Diocese of MA, and Mass. Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
The Social Responsibility of the Scientist
Thursday, December 3
7:00-9:00pm
Building 10, Room 250 — click here for map
Click here to see a video of this program
Dr. George Daley, Director of Stem Cell Transplantation Program, Children's Hospital Boston; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (United States and 15 other nations) and Ph.D. in oceanography
Dr. David Urion, Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Service Learning, Harvard Medical School
Join us for a fascinating panel discussion on the social responsibility of the scientist as we celebrate TAC's 45th anniversary.
Monday, November 30
7:00-9:00pm
Building 1, Room 150 — click here for map
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE HOMELESS IN AMERICA?
Come see Skid Row, a film that documents one man's experience living on the streets for nine days.
Following the film screening, there will be a discussion lead by a student who lived homeless in Cambridge for three months.
Refreshments will be served. Bring a can for the Boston Food Bank
Co-sponsored with the Lutheran Episcopal Ministry at MIT
Wired For War:
The Prospects and Perils of Robotic Warfare
Tuesday, November 10
7:00-9:00pm
Building 6, Room 120 — click here for map
Listen to this program
Peter Singer, Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative, Brookings Institution
Moderator and Respondent: Missy Cummings, Associate Professor, CSAIL
Respondents to be announced
This program is co-sponsored with the MIT Security Studies Program and CSAIL
EXAMINED LIFE: Philosophy in the Street
A free film screening
Thursday, November 5
7:00-9:00pm
Building 32, Room 141— click here for map
Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living". Do you agree?
Discussion, led by Prof. Rae Langton, will follow the film. Light refreshments will be served.
Co-sponsored by the MIT Philosophy Section and the Technology and Culture Forum at MIT
Malalai Joya
Thursday, October 29
7:00pm-9:00pm
Room 10-250 — click here for map
Called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan", Joya is a member of the Afghan parliament who has repeatedly stood up to the warlords, for women's rights and democracy. Despite having had four assassination attempts against her, she refuses to remain silent and continues to fight for women's rights. Malalai Joya comes to MIT to talk about women's rights, her work, and the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan.
Although this program is free, donations for the costs of bringing Joya here and for the Defense Committee for Malalai Joya are encouraged and appreciated.
For more information and updates please go to http://web.mit.edu/end_violence.
Co-sponsored with MIT Amnesty International.
This program is part of a year-long series on Violence Against Women sponsored by TAC.
Click here to see the video of this program
A Walk to Beautiful: Film Screening
Wednesday, October 28
7:00-9:00pm
6-120 — click here for map
The award winning feature-length documentary A Walk to Beautiful tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. They make the choice to take the long and arduous journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life.
For more information and updates please go to http://web.mit.edu/end_violence.
Co-sponsored with MIT Amnesty International
This program is part of a year-long series on Violence Against Women sponsored by TAC.
Making Waves, Saving Lives: Film Screening
Tuesday, October 27
7:00pm-9:00pm
MIT Room 6-120 — click here for map
Making Waves, Saving Lives tells the story of Dolphin Anti-Rape, an organization that teaches Kenyan women and girls rape awareness and self-defense. With no government funding, a 1985 Toyota that's constantly in the shop, and unreliable public transportation, four dedicated volunteers find a way to overcome adversity to get into the classrooms of Nairobi to empower young women. These girls learn that they have the right to say no to unwanted advances and they gain the courage to fight back and run away. Ten years since the founding of Dolphin Anti-Rape, its volunteers are affecting not only students but also a whole generation of young Kenyans, giving them confidence filling them with empowerment, and helping them preserve their innocence. Witness how the dedicated volunteers of Dolphin Anti-Rape enable young women to walk the streets of Nairobi with pride instead of fear.
Filmmaker Golzar Selbe (from Dolphin Anti-Rape, VDay) will be in attendance for a discussion afterwards.
Although this program is free, donations for Dolphin Anti-Rape are encouraged and appreciated.
For more information and updates please go to http://web.mit.edu/end_violence.
This program is part of a year-long series on Violence Against Women sponsored by TAC.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind:
Elegant Design Out of Junk and Spare Parts
William Kamkwamba
Read about William on CNN's World
See William on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart-October 7th!
Wednesday, October 21
7:00pm
Room 6-120 — click here for map
Introduced by Amy Smith, founder of D-Lab, MIT
William Kamkwamba, is a senior at the African Leadership Academy, a pan-African high school in Johannesburg, South Africa. A 2007 and 2009 TEDGlobal Fellow, Kamkwamba has been profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and his inventions have been displayed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. He's often invited to tell his story at such venues as the World Economic Forum in Africa, CES, Aspen Ideas Festival, Maker Faire Africa and the African Economic Forum.
William Kamkwamba will share his story of how he achieved his dream of bringing electricity, light, and the promise of a better life to his family and his village. It started with a bicycle dynamo—simply a pedal-powered wheel that generated light. This taste of electricity (a luxury enjoyed by just two percent of Malawians) filled William with a desire to create. Before long, his scientific curiosity sent him on a quest to build a windmill. Besides dealing with financial obstacles and technical difficulties, William became a self-taught physicist, overcame local superstitions, and withstood being mocked for his “crazy” ideas.
For a full biography of William, please click here.
Click here to see a video of this program.
This program is co-sponsored with the Edgerton Center.
Race and Politics in the Media
Oct. 8th
5:00pm-7:00pm
Bartos Theater (MIT building E15, 20 Ames Street) — click here for map
Juan Williams, National Public Radio and Fox News
in conversation with
David Thorburn, Director, MIT Communications Forum
Philip Thompson, Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
The election of an African-American president in Nov. 2008 has been hailed as a transforming event. But has Obama's ascension transformed anything? Many people?s answer to that question changed this summer when a famous Harvard professor was arrested at his home in Cambridge. Are the harsh realities of race and class in the U.S. clearer now or murkier, following the media tsunami of Gatesgate? And has this polarizing event given greater visibility to racial minorities in the media's coverage of politics? How are race issues and racial politics covered in our national media, and what are the implications of the demise of major city newspapers for the coverage of race and politics?
Co-sponsored with the MIT Communications Forum and the Center for Future Civic Media
Friday, October 2
1:00-3:00pm
Lobby Building 13 — click here for map
MIT's Annual International Development Fair (IDF) is an event designed to showcase the many groups, projects and activities at MIT that provide students with an opportunity to work on issues related to international development. The Fair brings students and organizations together to promote awareness and encourage the exchange of ideas.
The annual Fair is organized by the MIT International Development Network, of which TAC is a founding member. This MIT community network was developed to promote and share information about activities, programs, events and formal academic offerings related to international development.
What Matters to Me and Why:
A Personal Look at Ethical Issues
Thursday, September 10
Time: 5 pm -6 pm
Building 4, Room 145 — click here for map
Four scholars explain why they care deeply about a particular issue, followed by open conversation about the responsibilities of engineers and scientists to society. Discover how the Technology and Culture Forum will address these issues in the year ahead and how to get involved.
The panel will consist of TAC Steering Committee members Christopher Csikszentmihalyi, MIT Media Lab, Sally Haslanger, Philosophy, Megan Palmer, G, Biology, and Yoda Patta, Materials Science and Engineering. Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
|
